Regional identity - Page 8

iheartthed · #**141** Posted **Mar 8, 2024, 10:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

Anedotally when travelling internationally my experience is that if you live in southern Ontario, even as far south as London, people generally say "close to Toronto" or some such. Especially if you are in the US, if you say "Ontario" people tend to think you are from suburban LA,

Is this a west coast thing? I don't think most Americans outside of California have even heard of Ontario, Calif. I can't imagine someone from the eastern half of the U.S. assuming Ontario, Ca. over Ontario, CA.

Velvet_Highground · #**142** Posted **Mar 8, 2024, 10:21 PM**

Imo I’m not sure I get it either. Yet LA is the third biggest region in North America & THE center of media. The opinion that Ontario is a suburb slowly or surely it will become one with more weight, it’s something that make me smile now because of how weird and wrong it is. Yet over time & with American centric media that shows maps with Michigan & Upstate NY as the end of the line and LA as the second city has made Ontario, CA and it’s Airport loom larger and larger.

ColDayMan · #**143** Posted **Mar 9, 2024, 2:15 AM**

I think it's regional. No one in Ohio, and I'm going to assume PA, NY, MI, IL, IN, etc would ever think of Ontario, California if the word "Ontario" was said.

JManc · #**144** Posted **Mar 9, 2024, 4:28 AM**

I never heard anyone associate "Ontario" with California over Canada. Even in California.

Steely Dan · #**145** Posted **Mar 9, 2024, 4:30 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColDayMan

I think it's regional. No one in Ohio, and I'm going to assume PA, NY, MI, IL, IN, etc would ever think of Ontario, California if the word "Ontario" was said.

From a Chicago perspective, 100% spot in.

Ontario, Canada is on the radar screen here.

Ontario, California is not. At all.

craigs · #**146** Posted **Mar 9, 2024, 5:35 AM**

For the record, the person who stated that Americans would assume someone from Ontario was from suburban Los Angeles is Canadian. Southern Californians know Ontario as a suburb with a commercial airport, but it's not a populous or famous place. Myself, I would assume someone was from Canada if they said Ontario. That said, I should note that every Canadian I have ever met said that they were from Canada first before specifying a province or city.

llamaorama · #**147** Posted **Mar 9, 2024, 1:56 PM**

I am familiar with Ontario because it has the airport that my Amazon packages are always traveling through at when you look their tracking numbers.

I know Ontario is the Canadian province where Toronto is located, but maybe my brain does split at least some awareness of the one in California just because its essentially the distribution hub for most consumer goods imported from Asia to the US and always shows up printed on boxes and packing slips, etc.

Lobotomizer · #**148** Posted **Mar 9, 2024, 5:41 PM**

I know Ontario, CA because of it's airport. Canadian provinces aren't really on anyone's radar of the people I know. Of course we've heard of them, but if we're thinking of Canada more than likely it's about the cities of Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver. Everywhere else may as well be Siberia.

niwell · #**149** Posted **Mar 9, 2024, 6:28 PM**

A friend of mine in South Africa sent me a fb marketplace link from Ontario, CA asking if I was close, thinking that the "CA" meant Ontario, Canada. Granted he spent a couple years living in New England for work so would be more familiar with Ontario as a Province.

llamaorama · #**150** Posted **Mar 9, 2024, 6:39 PM**

There's also La Canada, which is Spanish for the Canada of LA

Innsertnamehere · #**151** Posted **Mar 9, 2024, 9:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Is this a west coast thing? I don't think most Americans outside of California have even heard of Ontario, Calif. I can't imagine someone from the eastern half of the U.S. assuming Ontario, Ca. over Ontario, CA.

It's happened to me multiple times all across the US. Most recently I remember someone thinking that when I was in Tennessee, for example.

Probably not very likely closer to the border, but as soon as you are a state away from Ontario (i.e. Kentucky, Indiana, New Hampshire, etc) I feel like I start to see it happen.

Obviously not everyone either.

craigs · #**152** Posted **Mar 10, 2024, 12:59 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by llamaorama

I am familiar with Ontario because it has the airport that my Amazon packages are always traveling through at when you look their tracking numbers.

I know Ontario is the Canadian province where Toronto is located, but maybe my brain does split at least some awareness of the one in California just because its essentially the distribution hub for most consumer goods imported from Asia to the US and always shows up printed on boxes and packing slips, etc.

Yes, Ontario International Airport is the West Coast air, truck, and rail hub of UPS Airlines and also a major FedEx hub. Given that the plurality of Asian imports arrives in the US through the massive Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, it's no surprise both operations transfer a ton of Asian imports from trucks and trains onto their jets at ONT.

Quote:

Originally Posted by llamaorama

There's also La Canada, which is Spanish for the Canada of LA

Los Angeles is the Los Angeles of Canada.

SIGSEGV · #**153** Posted **Mar 10, 2024, 2:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

From a Chicago perspective, 100% spot in.

Ontario, Canada is on the radar screen here.

Ontario, California is not. At all.

Southwest flies MDW to ONT, so quite literally, it's on the radar screen.

Acajack · #**154** Posted **Mar 10, 2024, 2:42 AM**

It also doesn't help that the first two letters of Canada and California are the same so when CA is used as an abbreviation it's hard to know which Ontario it is.

JManc · #**155** Posted **Mar 10, 2024, 3:09 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

It also doesn't help that the first two letters of Canada and California are the same so when CA is used as an abbreviation it's hard to know which Ontario it is.

If I see "Ontario, CA" I will assume it's the one in California. If I see "Ontario, Ca" or just "Ontario", Ill assume Canada.

Acajack · #**156** Posted **Mar 10, 2024, 3:12 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JManc

If I see "Ontario, CA" I will assume it's the one in California. If I see "Ontario, Ca" or just "Ontario", Ill assume Canada.