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Non-Road Boards => Off-Topic => Topic started by: 7/8 on October 14, 2017, 08:01:05 PM

Title: Differing Land Development Along Borders
Post by: 7/8 on October 14, 2017, 08:01:05 PM
One thing I find really interesting is how the border of Ontario and Quebec around Lake Abitibi is so strongly differentiated between forest and farmland.

Here's a satellite image from Wikipedia with the following caption:

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Lake_Abitibi_79.72W_48.75N.jpg/779px-Lake_Abitibi_79.72W_48.75N.jpg)
QuoteLake Abitibi, Ontario and Quebec, Canada. The border between the 2 provinces is visible as a vertical line between undeveloped terrain in Ontario and the rectangular agricultural patterns in Quebec (the right/east third of photo).

Does anyone know why Quebec developed their side so much more than Ontario?

Also, are there any other interesting examples like this?
Title: Re: Differing Land Development Along Borders
Post by: 7/8 on October 14, 2017, 08:08:43 PM
Another interesting thing around here is this house (https://goo.gl/maps/VPQPdSXtQF32) that is just into Ontario, but the truck has a Quebec licence plate. There's even a nearby sign confirming the Quebec border. How does this work?
Title: Re: Differing Land Development Along Borders
Post by: Stephane Dumas on October 15, 2017, 03:58:10 PM
Quote from: 7/8 on October 14, 2017, 08:01:05 PM
One thing I find really interesting is how the border of Ontario and Quebec around Lake Abitibi is so strongly differentiated between forest and farmland.

Here's a satellite image from Wikipedia with the following caption:
The border between the 2 provinces is visible as a vertical line between undeveloped terrain in Ontario and the rectangular agricultural patterns in Quebec (the right/east third of photo).

Does anyone know why Quebec developed their side so much more than Ontario?

The colonisation of Abitibi came first with the construction of the 2nd transcontinental railroad with land who could be use for farmland despite a climate with hard winters. Then, there was another push for colonisation during the Great Depression.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abitibi-Témiscamingue#History
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abitibi-T%C3%A9miscamingue#History)
Quote
Also, are there any other interesting examples like this?

There's the case of the border between Haiti and Domican Republic where Haiti forests are almost gone.
Title: Re: Differing Land Development Along Borders
Post by: PHLBOS on October 16, 2017, 02:37:18 PM
MA 129/Atlantic Ave. at the Swampscott/Marblehead line (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.478862,-70.880081,3a,75y,303.47h,80.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s47vAb15QI_XczYvYl7MUpg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656).  The fence running along perpendicular to the road represents the town line.  The houses on the Marblehead side were built 20-25 years ago.  The open field on the Swampscott side is the front yard to the house that's set way back.
Title: Re: Differing Land Development Along Borders
Post by: jp the roadgeek on October 16, 2017, 02:51:07 PM
Find the North Korea/South Korea border in the picture below:

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.impactlab.net%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F12%2FKorea_at_night_satellite_image.jpg&hash=e4b6ba5195535e4beb3b22570041de9d5befb935)
Title: Re: Differing Land Development Along Borders
Post by: kphoger on October 16, 2017, 03:17:29 PM
Quote from: 7/8 on October 14, 2017, 08:08:43 PM
Another interesting thing around here is this house (https://goo.gl/maps/VPQPdSXtQF32) that is just into Ontario, but the truck has a Quebec licence plate. There's even a nearby sign confirming the Quebec border. How does this work?

Two possibilities that immediately came to mind:
Owner recently moved from Quebec to Ontario
Truck does not belong to the resident
Title: Re: Differing Land Development Along Borders
Post by: triplemultiplex on October 16, 2017, 03:40:02 PM
Menomonee County, Wisconsin has borders that stand out in aerial/satellite photography.

http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.99609,-88.64208&z=11&t=S

The Menomonee Nation manages their land for old growth forest so it is significantly denser and "greener" than even adjacent forest in neighboring counties.  The contrast is starkest where there are farms right up to the county line.

Side note; it's been like 10 years since a tornado cut that swath through the area.
Title: Re: Differing Land Development Along Borders
Post by: kphoger on October 16, 2017, 03:47:37 PM
Even with labels turned off, I bet you can still find the border between Haiti and the DR in this image (https://goo.gl/maps/YCbtXniPebu).  Serious deforestation issues in Haiti.
Title: Re: Differing Land Development Along Borders
Post by: cl94 on October 16, 2017, 03:55:27 PM
The US/Canada border between Buffalo/Fort Erie (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9376619,-78.8737098,25657m/data=!3m1!1e3) is pretty striking. Buffalo is a city of ~255K, Fort Erie is a relatively small town. Development is more homogeneous in Niagara Falls.

Queensbury, NY (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3388706,-73.6809983,12744m/data=!3m1!1e3) has development patterns influenced by the Adirondack Park boundary. In this area, boundary roughly follows West Mountain Rd and NY 149.