State capitals

[US 89]

Not that far. A little farther than Montreal/Toronto, but still very close to the US Border.

Look at a map of average annual temperatures in Canada and you just might find why it isn't further north.

[Scott5114]

It's been done before, but when is the most recent occurrence? The number of employees and buildings making up state capitals today is much more extensive than 100 years ago.

That was us. The capital of Oklahoma was moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City in 1910, three years after statehood.

[GaryV]

Not that far. A little farther than Montreal/Toronto, but still very close to the US Border.

But it's not on waters that connect to the US. The navy couldn't come in and bombard it.

They even built a canal from Kingston to Ottawa so goods could be safely shipped without using the Ottawa River and St Lawrence River, thus avoiding any US interference.

Ottawa didn't become the capital until 1866 (just a year before Confederation, but following tensions between the US and Britain/Canada related to the US Civil War). Prior to that the British capital was in Kingston, Montreal, Toronto, Quebec, Toronto again and Quebec again.

[7/8]

I honestly have no idea why Ottawa is Canada's Capital. Even if its not Toronto it should at least be Montreal.

It was far from the border and on defensible terrain.  Seems pretty straight forward when the War of 1812 was still in living memory.

Another reason is that it's on the border between Ontario and Quebec, which have a rivalry due to being the two largest provinces and language/cultural differences (English vs. French Canada). It feels appropriate to have the capital region span those two provinces.

[elsmere241]

I'm getting lots of flashbacks from my Political Geography college class with this discussion.  I recommend that some of you read a book on it.

[triplemultiplex]

I honestly have no idea why Ottawa is Canada's Capital. Even if its not Toronto it should at least be Montreal.

Another reason is that it's on the border between Ontario and Quebec, which have a rivalry due to being the two largest provinces and language/cultural differences (English vs. French Canada). It feels appropriate to have the capital region span those two provinces.

This is basically the entire reason Canada's capital is in Ottawa.  Which is the same reason the US built a new city on the Potomac for a capital; to ease inter-regional tension.  In the US, it was the whole north-south dynamic that ended spilling over into civil war anyway.  For Canada, it's the British Canada vs. French Canada dynamic.
Lest we forget how close Quebec has come to voting for independence a few times since the mid-20th Century.  If the capital had been Toronto during one of those referendums, I suspect that might have been enough to tip the balance in favor of an independent Quebecois nation.  Resentment is a big motivator for that type of vote.

[kkt]

I honestly have no idea why Ottawa is Canada's Capital. Even if its not Toronto it should at least be Montreal.

Ottawa was a compromise between the Toronto and Montreal factions.

[Roadgeekteen]

I honestly have no idea why Ottawa is Canada's Capital. Even if its not Toronto it should at least be Montreal.

Ottawa was a compromise between the Toronto and Montreal factions.

I know it wasn't as populated back then, but fuck Western Canada I guess.

[kphoger]

I know it wasn't as populated back then, but fuck Western Canada I guess.

That was back in 1857.  Nothing west of Ontario was even a province of Canada yet.

[JayhawkCO]

I honestly have no idea why Ottawa is Canada's Capital. Even if its not Toronto it should at least be Montreal.

Ottawa was a compromise between the Toronto and Montreal factions.

I know it wasn't as populated back then, but fuck Western Canada I guess.

No different than Washington being "on the east coast". Fuck western U.S.A.

[Roadgeekteen]

I honestly have no idea why Ottawa is Canada's Capital. Even if its not Toronto it should at least be Montreal.

Ottawa was a compromise between the Toronto and Montreal factions.

I know it wasn't as populated back then, but fuck Western Canada I guess.

No different than Washington being "on the east coast". Fuck western U.S.A.

AKA Spain and randon unexplored territory at the time. But I actually didn't know that Western Canada wasn't part of Canada in 1857. You learn something new every day.

[JayhawkCO]

Alberta and Saskatchewan didn't confederate until the U.S. already had 45 states. Hell, Canada didn't exist until the U.S. had 37 states.

[kkt]

I honestly have no idea why Ottawa is Canada's Capital. Even if its not Toronto it should at least be Montreal.

Ottawa was a compromise between the Toronto and Montreal factions.

I know it wasn't as populated back then, but fuck Western Canada I guess.

No different than Washington being "on the east coast". Fuck western U.S.A.

It was 1780 or so when they decided to make DC out of bits of territory ceded from Maryland and Virginia.  There was no western USA then, not even as territory.  Louisiana Purchase was 1803, Louis and Clark expedition 1804-1806.

[kphoger]

No different than Washington being "on the east coast". Fuck western U.S.A.

It was 1780 or so when they decided to make DC out of bits of territory ceded from Maryland and Virginia.  There was no western USA then, not even as territory.  Louisiana Purchase was 1803, Louis and Clark expedition 1804-1806.

You missed the invisible [/sarc] tag.

[kkt]

No different than Washington being "on the east coast". Fuck western U.S.A.

It was 1780 or so when they decided to make DC out of bits of territory ceded from Maryland and Virginia.  There was no western USA then, not even as territory.  Louisiana Purchase was 1803, Louis and Clark expedition 1804-1806.

You missed the invisible [/sarc] tag.

sorry   there's so much ignorance running through the board it's hard to see sarcasm...

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I think I told this story recently, but the Minnesota Territory legislature approved a bill to move the capital from St. Paul to St. Peter in south central Minnesota. An opposed legislator stole the physical bill before it could be signed by the territorial governor and hid with it until the session ended preventing the move.

However the end of the story is much less exciting. The legislature tried again, and this time it passed without incident and was signed by the territorial governor. However, the territorial court struck it down saying the move had to be approved by popular referendum, not the legislature, so St. Paul was once again saved as the capital city (and ultimately made Joe Rolette's antics to be in vain other than as a legendary story).

[Roadgeekteen]

I think I told this story recently, but the Minnesota Territory legislature approved a bill to move the capital from St. Paul to St. Peter in south central Minnesota. An opposed legislator stole the physical bill before it could be signed by the territorial governor and hid with it until the session ended preventing the move.

However the end of the story is much less exciting. The legislature tried again, and this time it passed without incident and was signed by the territorial governor. However, the territorial court struck it down saying the move had to be approved by popular referendum, not the legislature, so St. Paul was once again saved as the capital city (and ultimately made Joe Rolette's antics to be in vain other than as a legendary story).

Wonder how the interstate highway system would change if the move suceeded. My guess is that I-35 follows US 169 south of the Twin Cities instead.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I think I told this story recently, but the Minnesota Territory legislature approved a bill to move the capital from St. Paul to St. Peter in south central Minnesota. An opposed legislator stole the physical bill before it could be signed by the territorial governor and hid with it until the session ended preventing the move.

However the end of the story is much less exciting. The legislature tried again, and this time it passed without incident and was signed by the territorial governor. However, the territorial court struck it down saying the move had to be approved by popular referendum, not the legislature, so St. Paul was once again saved as the capital city (and ultimately made Joe Rolette's antics to be in vain other than as a legendary story).

Wonder how the interstate highway system would change if the move suceeded. My guess is that I-35 follows US 169 south of the  Twin Cities instead.

It would be interesting to think of I-35 following something closer to the current IA 17 corridor and meeting I-80 where the duplex flips from N/S to E/W on the west side of Des Moines at the IA 141 interchange.

[JayhawkCO]

No different than Washington being "on the east coast". Fuck western U.S.A.

It was 1780 or so when they decided to make DC out of bits of territory ceded from Maryland and Virginia.  There was no western USA then, not even as territory.  Louisiana Purchase was 1803, Louis and Clark expedition 1804-1806.

You missed the invisible [/sarc] tag.

sorry   there's so much ignorance running through the board it's hard to see sarcasm...

You typically just have to look who the poster is. If it is kphoger or me, assume sarcasm.

[Scott5114]

No different than Washington being "on the east coast". Fuck western U.S.A.

It was 1780 or so when they decided to make DC out of bits of territory ceded from Maryland and Virginia.  There was no western USA then, not even as territory.  Louisiana Purchase was 1803, Louis and Clark expedition 1804-1806.

You missed the invisible [/sarc] tag.

sorry   there's so much ignorance running through the board it's hard to see sarcasm...

You typically just have to look who the poster is. If it is kphoger or me, assume sarcasm.

Yeah, I never post anything sarcastic.

[JayhawkCO]

Yeah, I never post anything sarcastic.