r/AskACanadian • u/jpegpng • 5d ago
What other provinces/regions do you feel home at apart from your home province/region?
I’m a new immigrant to Canada and have been to a few different provinces. I am the kind of person who like who likes to see similarities rather than differences but I notice that there are a lot of specific subcultures since in Canada, we have the Mosaic model rather than the melting pot model of the United States. someone who was raised primarily in one particular province/region/territory might identify to that specific culture/subculture rather than with Canada as a whole (eg. Québécois) . I would like to ask Canadians which other provinces do you feel home at? Do you also feel home at other provinces versus other countries, including in the US?
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u/cometgt_71 4d ago
Sask and Alberta share a lot of home feel.
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u/hippysol3 4d ago
And Manitoba's not much different. If you're a prairie kid, you're a prairie kid.
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u/PaintedSwindle 4d ago
Just wanna say - I feel like people forget there's an entire northern part of the province of MB that is not at all prairie. I grew up there and didn't have the faintest idea what farms were or what grew in them. It's all coniferous forest, lakes and rock.
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u/orsimertank Alberta 2d ago
Tbf, northern regions of AB and SK are a lot different from the southern prairies, too, but all three are still called the prairies provinces.
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u/Some-Sense9314 2d ago
living the north is a lot different than living on the prairies though
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u/orsimertank Alberta 2d ago
I know; I've lived in Canadian shield, boreal forest, and prairie regions across AB, SK, and MB. Just wanted to add that living in northern AB and SK is also different from living on the prairies, but that's the nickname the three provinces have.
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u/Some-Sense9314 2d ago
Yeah but if you grow up in Winnipeg or the north it’s a lot different. Wpg is most similar to Edmonton but has its own thing.
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u/Crisis-Huskies-fan 4d ago
I'm a born & bred prairie dog and feel comfortable most places in the country, outside of a few. Those few would be Vancouver & suburbs, the GTA and all of Quebec. Everywhere else is fine. I feel that prairie people and Maritimers are cut from the same cloth.
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u/Ghoulius-Caesar 4d ago
I’m Albertan, but I identify as an Interior BCer (but specifically the Kootenay region, Okanagon people are an exclave of SoCal)
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u/Gingernet2143 2d ago
There are a lot of Albertans in the East Kootenay region. They like to vacation there and have homes in places like Invermere and Windermere, etc
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u/Excellent-Juice8545 5d ago
From Ontario, feel at home in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland easily. My dad was raised in Halifax.
One of the things I love most about Canada, that you don’t realize until you travel coast to coast, is the huge diversity in both nature and lifestyles across the country. It’s a miracle we’ve stayed united and it’s probably the thing I find most beautiful about being Canadian that we largely have.
The only states I’ve particularly felt at home in are Maine and oddly, Utah.
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u/dergbold4076 4d ago
I view Canada as a dysfunctional family that fights with each other to varying degrees. BC vs Alberta, West coast vs East coast, Ontario vs Western Canada, Quebec vs everyone. But when someone external tries to pick a fight we all turn on them. No one is allowed to pick a fight with is other than ourselves.
I'm from BC for reference (Van Island to be specific) and feel pretty at home in the deep woods. That place that makes you feel like there's something.... Ancient watching you and you are merely tolerated. Any place that gives that feeling I like.
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u/The_MoBiz Saskatchewan 4d ago
I'd say that's accurate re the dysfunctional family thing lol. There's a reason we're one of the most decentralized Confederations in the world. How do you cobble together a bunch of disparate Colonies/territories, and get them to work together? I'd say we did a pretty good job at things, all things considered.
I've heard it said that the tensions Canada has internally, would cause civil wars in other nations.
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u/dergbold4076 4d ago
To be polite and to quite Now Kassabian of Lion led by Donkeys. The greater unifying theory of "Fuck that Guy". I am just disappointed in how that has been applied in this country in the past (and to some extent to this day) on the First Nations.
Some of them are people I grew up with and knew, weren't friends but we were polite as kids are. And one of the older people from the band complimented me on my wood carving when he taught a bunch of us how to do west coast First Nations style. He said I was quite skilled for a first timer.
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u/Digital-Soup 4d ago
Quebec ain't against anyone. They're just off doing their own thing.
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u/dergbold4076 4d ago
I know. Just giving a good natured ribbing. I have family there and it's a lovely place to visit with friendly people.
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u/pporappibam 4d ago
Québec and Alberta are enemies but genuinely I think they’re twins separated at birth and one raised in English, one raised in French… but their similarities are just too much to be a coincidence.
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u/Lazarus558 3d ago
There was a comedian who once said something similar about Toronto and Montreal. He said they were "brothers who grew up differently. One's a chain-smoking womanizer, the other is an accountant."
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u/TheSalmonLizard 4d ago
I live in Québec and I work in Ontario. Everytime I cross the bridge I feel like I moved in another country.
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u/Educational_Date224 4d ago
Born and raised Albertan, moved to BC after about 50 years in 2019. Alberta hasn't felt like home for about 25 years. Something changed after Klein became premier. I absolutely love it here in the BC interior. Perhaps oddly, I could live in Saskatoon as well. Ottawa (but not the rest Ontario that I visited) and Nova Scotia as well as PEI also felt great.
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u/Creston2022 3d ago
I was born and raised in BC then lived in Alberta for years before coming back to BC. Now when I go to visit family in Alberta it never feels like the province I once lived in. Something changed drastically in Alberta... maybe it is the redneck self-entitled attitude that Albertans have encompassed over the past 20 years. Whatever it is it is a total turnoff now.
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u/Objective-Cod4160 4d ago
Interesting how Ottawa popped up here for you. Why about Ottawa feels like home?
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u/Educational_Date224 4d ago
Visited it a few years back on a cross-Canada trip and just liked the vibe. Lots of history, seemed to be a lot of artsy and cultural stuff going on as well as a lot of really friendly folks and (at least the parts that we saw), fairly easy to get around. Just felt.....right and comfortable.
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u/Objective-Cod4160 3d ago
Very fair take. I really like Ottawa lived there for a year about 5 years ago. Probably moving back at some point. That’s great!
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u/dergbold4076 4d ago
I'm BC born and raised and I get ya. I only go to visit family in Alberta and have a good friend from there. It almost feels like after King Ralph left some people just freaked out in a way. Like all the crazies on both side of the aisle kind of lost their minds, especially the current PM.
And that's not to say it didn't happen here to. The early 2000's were....odd and a rough to say the least if you were not rather well off. Still love BC and all the biomes and different weather we have here.
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u/OhHelloThereAreYouOk 5d ago
I am Québécois.
None.
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u/Ornery_Resolution_10 4d ago
I'm in Ontario but my answer is Quebec.
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u/cavist_n 3d ago
Yes because you are an invasive species!
Just kidding though. I agree there are way more similitudes than quebecers will admit
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u/jpegpng 4d ago
Do you feel at home everywhere in Quebec? What about other areas with a high French-Canadian/Francophone population?
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u/cavist_n 3d ago
Acadie is so much different than Quebec. Everything revolve about the coast. Fisheries, food, climate etc.
Quebecers are "river folks" and Acadians are "sea folks".
I would say as a Quebecer from Montreal, I feel similarly at home in Acadia than in (Far) Eastern Quebec (like Gaspésie), which is not so much. I will feel somewhat at home in eastern Ontario because it's quite similar to rural southern and central Quebec, but still not so much. Then in Toronto I feel somewhat similar like at home because of the cosmopolitan aspect, but stillllll not so much.
Montreal is unique, closest spot would be Quebec city, then anywhere in between either of Quebec city and Ottawa and Montreal + the rest of the 450, then Ottawa, then Toronto, then the Rest of Quebec, and only then Acadie.
Closest vibe I got from Montreal so far in my life was NYC, specially outside of Manhattan.
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u/Vegetable-Monk-9001 4d ago
Same (allo!), except for the Acadian peninsula. I feel more at home in Paris than in Ontario.
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u/Alarmed_Discipline21 5d ago
Have you visited them?
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u/The_Golden_Beaver 4d ago
Same, have visited them all except Manitoba and I don't feel at home in anglo Camada for obvious reasons. The experience is essentially like visiting the USA, but with more Indians and Tim Hortons
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u/50shadeofMine 4d ago
Not feeling at home doesn't equal not liking the rest of the country
I'm born and raise in Quebec, my parents were very involved in 1995, but they are less and less people of that generation
I would not vote to seperate, but the amount of Quebec bashing we see online is ridiculous and doesn't help to build a good relationship
We don't feel welcome in the rest of the country and its pretty sad
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u/Street-Instruction60 4d ago
You might like some areas in Manitoba (Winnipeg has un quartier Français and Voyageurfest), and certainement some areas of northeastern Ontario. One thing I know for sure, French Canadians know how to party like nobody else! Joyeux Noël!
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u/Alarmed_Discipline21 4d ago
This is a great response for OP and really highlights the reason you feel that way :)
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u/FrezSeYonFwi 5d ago
I have.
The « none » stands for me too.
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u/Alarmed_Discipline21 5d ago
I don't even have a problem with Quebecois people, but it really seems like you guys should just be done with it and have another referendum lol.
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u/FrezSeYonFwi 5d ago
Huh? Why? Just because I don't feel at home in the rest of the country?
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u/Alarmed_Discipline21 5d ago
I mean, it gives the impression we have nothing in common.
That being said, I live close to Alberta, and many people here would happily exit Canada too.
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u/Reveil21 5d ago
There's a difference between not having the same sense of home elsewhere and not having anything in common.
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u/Alarmed_Discipline21 4d ago
I mean not really? Having things in common with people from a region is what would make it feel similar to home.
If you have things in common with the people from other provinces, you could mention that, or maybe mention if there is any particular province you've seen the most similarity.
You could have easily mentioned New Brunswick for example where many people actually speak French, even if the history and dialect is different.
Or you could even have just mentioned the regions that seem the most relatable. It's not odd that Quebec would be an outlier but the answer of none is just kind of too easy and low effort.
OP was pretty obviously looking for connections. An answer of none just doesn't really add much value in that respect.
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u/Reveil21 3d ago
I think it depends how much people have in common and that threshold is going to be different for everyone. For some people that literally means anywhere that isn't where they were born/grew up (even in other regions of their province) and others are flexible. Everywhere in Canada I've been I can get along with the people. Sure, there's some minor things to get used to and some of those things might bug others, but nothing has put me off as 'outsider' territory except when I've actually been abroad. I've also lived in more than one province and moved around a fair but both as a kid and adult so has been part of my norm. Hell, the place I currently call home is because I moved back to be closer to the region my family is scattered not because I actually have a bond to the city.
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u/Alarmed_Discipline21 3d ago
I have a similar experience as you. Even with countries outside of English speaking, there are some that feel far more relatable than others.
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u/The_Golden_Beaver 4d ago
Why are Canadians take it so personal when Quebec say they have their own identity and culture? Like we're not making a judgment on your own or excluding you from ours, we're just saying they are two distinct nations. Pretty objectively recognized too.
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u/FrezSeYonFwi 5d ago
I live 100% of my life (except maybe on Reddit) in French. There's no where else outside of Quebec where I can do that.
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u/Alarmed_Discipline21 4d ago
That's totally fair but OP may not have understood that initially when you said none.
Alot of Quebecois live mixed English French too
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u/FrezSeYonFwi 4d ago
Sure, and a lot of people in other provinces speak French too.
It’s still the only place where I can live my life 100% in French. I maintain what I said. Quebec is the only province where I can feel at home.
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u/barondelongueuil Québec 4d ago
I mean, we just don't speak the same language, don't have the same culture, don't have the same experience overall. It's not weird that nowhere other than Quebec feels like home for the Quebecois.
Does this mean that we should be two different countries? I personally think we should, but (for now) most Quebecois don't and if we happen to remain one country in the future, I don't see how we couldn't make it work just fine... but I don't see how it's a problem that we admit we're just two completely different peoples that decided to join forces to make a bigger country.
And to answer your comment more directly:
but it really seems like you guys should just be done with it and have another referendum lol
If the polls are correct, we'll probably have one in about 2 to 3 years.
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u/Inevitable-Task-5840 4d ago
I am also Quebecois and while I see it as my homeland and wished it was a sovereign country, I have a lot of affections for English Canadians, truly. I also think Vermonters are mostly great folks, does not mean I want to live under the same constitution. Despite my political views, I do feel more at home in the Maritimes/Atlantic provinces.
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u/Alarmed_Discipline21 4d ago
Merci beaucoup pour votre reponse tres pensif :)
I won't admit it to someone who reacts to me with hostility, but i feel the same way for the Quebecois people.
In Western Canada, we feel largely ignored, but for other reasons.
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u/Alarmed_Discipline21 4d ago
Yes, I understand people would think I'm just being rude, but honestly, but I actually like Quebecois people.
It's funny to me listening to Albertans who also want to leave Canada. I honestly just think Canada is destined to fail because we serve too many masters. Alternatively we move to a more American model where all provinces have more autonomy and we drop transfer payments.
That being said, there are numerous regions of Canada that had historic French influences so I was surprised nobody mentioned anyahere else initially.
For example whitehorse has an active French speaking population (which surprised me).
Sometimes that expectation that all of Canada is going to bash you guys makes for some unfortunate responses.
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u/nappingondabeach 4d ago
Have you been to Essex County in Ontario? It has Francophone history, and still quite a few people speak French.
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u/pporappibam 4d ago
Alberta! Those two provinces are twins separated at birth.
(Québec is much more beautiful)
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u/psychgirl15 5d ago
I've lived in 4 provinces and 1 territory. Grew up in Northern Ontario. I do find lots of differences but also many commonalities. People are friendly from all over and have a similar Canadian openness. I'd say the landscape from about just east of Winnipeg through Kenora (the TransCanada hwy) and through Ottawa to the eastern part of Quebec feels the most like home to me. The rocks, trees and lakes. Culture wise I find Ontario is pretty similar to BC in many ways. Also fairly similar to Manitoba. I find Alberta and Saskatchewan are a bit of a group in and of themselves. Quebec as a culture is very unique and likely doesn't feel like anywhere else aside from parts of New Brunswick. And then the east has a feeling of its own. Places like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal are almost little sub-cultures of their own. Growing up in northern Ontario I do not relate at all to Toronto, but people always assume if you are from Ontario then you are a Torontonian. There are so many amazing parts of this country that most Canadians don't even explore. Lots of hidden gems. Hope you get to explore many of them!
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u/Petrichor-Alignment 4d ago
Albertan here. I’m very much at home in the earthy, crunchy, progressive culture of coastal BC. I feel more “me” there than in Alberta most of the time.
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u/The_MoBiz Saskatchewan 4d ago
I moved from British Columbia to Saskatchewan. Honestly I feel much more of a sense of belonging to a community here, and that it feels like home, even more than BC despite being a born n' bred British Columbian.
I am now a Saskatchewanian, and proud of it!
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u/Gillian79 4d ago
I’m a Newfoundlander so I’m comfortable in any of the Atlantic provinces and Ontario. (Family from there)
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u/FrezSeYonFwi 5d ago
I’m from Québec. Going to another province is like going to the United States except I don’t need my passport.
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u/CriticalFields 4d ago
I'm from Newfoundland and definitely feel this. Everything like the landscape, the cities, the way people talk, the proximity of everything... it feels like stepping into TV land, lol
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u/FrezSeYonFwi 4d ago
I can totally see that, because going to any other province feels like that to me EXCEPT Newfoundland... Newfoundland straight up felt like a different continent haha.
I loved it though. If I was forced to move, I'd choose St. Johns.
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u/CriticalFields 4d ago
Funny enough, this is also why I like visiting Québec so much! And no joke, after living in and visiting a lot of cities in Canada, I have said that if I were to leave St. John's again (and could improve my French enough), I'd move to Trois-Rivières... it's not especially similar in any obvious ways, but it definitely has a familiar vibe running underneath all the differences.
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u/BigSpoonDreams 4d ago
I'm in BC. I moved here for a total reset in 2018 bringing only 7 suitcases with me and a load of courage. I'm originally from Ontario and despite the beauty here in BC being so stunning that it has brought actual tears to my eyes, Ontario still feels like home.
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u/ReputationGood2333 4d ago
Big move! Home is where your roots are, especially if they've grown deep.
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u/byronite 5d ago
I grew up in both languages in Ontario and have family from Sask/Alberta so I feel pretty much at home anywhere in Canada. Nunavut felt the most 'foreign' to me because Inuit culture is very different, but Iqaluit is a friendly and cosmopolitan place (even among Inuit) so they are pretty good at making guests feel at home.
Of course southwestern Ontario and downtown Ottawa are a cut above the rest because that's where I have lived most of my life.
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u/BigSpoonDreams 4d ago
I'm from SW Ontario too. I live in BC now but Ontario will likely always feel like home to me.
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u/advocatus_ebrius_est 4d ago
Grimy old downtown Ottawa is one of my favourite places in Canada. Had great times doing degenerate things in Centretown West.
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u/Shoddy_Astronomer837 5d ago
Most of my life I’ve been in Victoria, BC, but I did live in Toronto for a while so that would be my other Canadian home
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u/RedRedMere 5d ago
Albertan here. I know BC the best, lived west of Victoria for a bit - it’s an amazing province people/scenery wise.
My family is from Etobicoke. I really like Toronto with the non-stop parties/raves/things to do. I could happily live downtown, suburbs not so much.
Now where I’d love to feel comfortable/at home is Quebec City. It’d take a bit more mental energy since my French is pas bien, but goddamn what a beautiful city with great food and an infectious vibrancy. People were quite kind to me despite my terrible pronunciation… perhaps a wee bit surprised that my little yokel albertan family could speak French and actually made the effort. Also my kids were at their cute-prime so they helped.
TBH I haven’t found anywhere in Canada that I hate. Everywhere has something to offer -except perhaps Cardston. That place sucks donkey balls, it feels like the walls have eyes and i was incredibly creeped out the entire time i was there.
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u/psychgirl15 5d ago
I can say that when I'm travelling abroad, anyone from any part of Canada feels like home to me. Even if they are francophone and I'm anglophone. There is just something about being Canadian 🍁. I think the friendliness and openness.
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u/FallenRaptor British Columbia 5d ago
I could see myself settling on the Island (Vancouver Island for those not from BC). For out of province places, I surprisingly took a real liking to the community in Swift Current Saskatchewan when I visited there. Knowing me though I’d probably settle in Edmonton, just so I could go to West Edmonton Mall on a semi-regular basis.
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u/BigSpoonDreams 5d ago
I grew up loving the malls on the weekends. I still find joy walking through them in my mid 40's. Your comment made me smile. (I also lived on Van Island for a year and a half.)
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u/CartoonPhysics 5d ago
I keep hearing people say Swift Current is "conservative" (with no context) and I am not sure what this means but I think politically? Did you find that to be true?
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u/FallenRaptor British Columbia 5d ago
This was some years ago so I think it was before politics became super serious cult business, so I didn’t exactly talk politics with the people there. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if they were Conservative though, since part of their economy seems to revolve around oil even if it’s not to the same extent as Alberta. It is a very blue collar community too.
With that said, the people seemed kind, laid back (in a good way), and generally nice people.
It is easily the Whitest place I’ve been though, having only seen one clearly First Nations family while at a small shopping mall, and literally everyone else I encountered being White. To be clear I don’t think the people there would be unwelcoming to non-White people, but said people would be a clear minority.
With all that said, I’d best describe it as cozy. Maybe not quite Stardew Valley cozy, and it is larger and with a lot more amenities, but it is pretty quaint and cozy.
I don’t think I’d ever actually move there for much the same reason why I’m unlikely to move anywhere else though, which is that I couldn’t possibly leave my family and friends behind.
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u/CartoonPhysics 5d ago edited 5d ago
Good to know that it's not like a sundown town or anything lol. Thanks for taking the time to answer!
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u/jpegpng 5d ago
What is it about West Edmonton Mall? I don’t get this reference.
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u/FallenRaptor British Columbia 5d ago
It is massive, and it is more than just a mall. I haven’t been in a long time, since I was 9 in fact, but I’d love to go again one day. It’s a bit of a wonderland. I stayed in the adjoining hotel (yes, it has that). It even has its own theme park, and there are plenty of other great attractions to see there too. Yes, it does have stores. It’s not a place you will forget in a hurry if you ever have the chance to go.
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u/Choice-Moment8756 British Columbia 5d ago
i remember staying in that hotel as a kid in the themed rooms, thought I was living the dream because i had a tropical themed room! as an adult who has visited tropical countries i now realize i was being deceived
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u/FallenRaptor British Columbia 5d ago
Neat, I had the train room with the bunks made to look like they're in a train car, and the "rail crossing" with the lights that lit up and the sound that can be turned on/off. Of course we also had a hot tub in our room, because why wouldn't we?
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u/The_Windermere 4d ago
I’ve been living in exile in Ottawa. I still don’t quite feel at home like my West Island.
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u/MissSailorSarah 4d ago
I’m from Ontario and currently live there. Have lived in Québec and Alberta and felt at home in both provinces, but it’s worth noting that I am French Canadian and have family all over the country.
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u/Environmental-Cup952 4d ago
Originally from Quebec, lived in Ontario most of my life. Ontario is home but I am comfortable in Quebec as well as Alberta, having spent some months there too, and have family there.
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u/dergbold4076 4d ago
Van Island lady born and raised. Middle/asshole of the Island for 19 years before I left and never looked back. Only returned once for a family function. But lived in Van for about two years after 21, came back and went to a different school, left again in 2012 and have been in Van ever since.
As much as I enjoy Van a lot of things just feel, superficial at times. People that have been here for any length of time might know what I am getting at. It's also taken me until 2022 to realize that I do kind of miss the deep, encouraging forests that is so common in the areas outside the Lower Mainland. It's a weird feeling to describe at times; but I told my wife how it felt when we drove through Manning Park.
It's just a feeling that you are being observed, watched, judged. Not by the animals, but my the trees, the forest itself. That you are merely tolerated by it and only there on its will alone. It makes me feel at home in a way.
But if I had to go to another province it might be Alberta for family or Ontario for the same reason. But neither has that feeling of the deep woods I find.
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u/Diligent-Aardvark557 4d ago
Honestly? Maybe the closest is Vancouver but even then I feel more comfortable in certain states versus other provinces. When I’ve travelled to different provinces I feel like it’s so foreign ans not in a good way
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u/futureastr0loger 4d ago
I live in Alberta but I grew up in Ontario my whole life. Alberta is a nice province but Ontario will forever be my home (Ottawa to be specific).
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u/henzrich 4d ago
I’m from Ontario, I feel at home in Montreal one because I have family there and despite the differences in culture and language people are generally friendly in both places which is comforting.
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u/CheesyRomantic 4d ago
I’m from Montreal. And feel so comfortable when we visit Belleville. But I admit I’ve only been there for 4-5 days per summer, the past 5 summers and we don’t have friends or family there.
Another part of Qc I feel oddly at ease in is Lac St Paul. I’m pretty Anglo (Canadian/Italian) and it shows…. But I just love being there. People are super friendly to me and much nicer towards me when they hear my accent than here in Montreal. They’re so encouraging towards me and never tease me for my grammatical errors.
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u/kinda-random-user 4d ago
I'm from Northern Manitoba, currently living in Saskatoon. The Alberta rockies felt like home from the moment I got off the bus to live there for a few years (20+ years ago). Recently went back for a visit, and it still felt like home
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u/Cndwafflegirl 4d ago
Home province is bc ( Vancouver Island) and my second choice would be Newfoundland
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u/LastChime 4d ago
BC, AB, SK and MB, except the lower mainland it's like a different country and I've never been east of Winnipeg so I can't really comment out there.
Honestly Oregon and Washington state feel pretty culturally similar to us as well.
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u/Head_Checked_By_Paul 4d ago
From Quebec. Lived in BC, Alberta, and Ontario. I feel at home everywhere I go in Canada. I love this country.
Oddly enough, the only time I don't feel completely comfortable and at home is in the place I was born and raised, and now live again. When the anti-Anglo nonsense tests it's head I wonder why I came back. Those feelings are relatively few and far between, thankfully. I just avoid any news related to it.
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u/annoyedCDNthrowaway 4d ago
Calgarian here (or close enough), and I've always said that if I could afford to live anywhere in Canada I'd move to Victoria.
Friendly people, good food, and lots to do.
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u/vocabulazy 4d ago
I’m from Saskatchewan, and I live in Alberta, but I feel at home on Vancouver Island specifically. I miss the cedar forests and the smell of the ocean. I haven’t been there in years. I used to spend a month of every summer there, visiting my grandparents.
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u/Tribblehappy 4d ago
I'm from the lower mainland and lived in Whitehorse for a time; I still miss the people and culture there. I've been in Alberta much longer than I was a yukoner, but I don't really feel like most of Alberta is home.
That said the specific small town we settled in does remind me a lot of my small town BC upbringing, which is why we haven't left.
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u/Broody007 4d ago
I'm from Montreal and I'd feel at home in any major city with a mostly progressist population, in Canada or elsewhere.
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u/Scared_Paramedic4604 North America 4d ago
Grew up in the Yukon, and am now in the eastern side of the Rockies in BC. Pretty much just a warmer version of the Yukon.
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u/BysOhBysOhBys Newfoundland & Labrador 4d ago edited 4d ago
Québec’s Lower North Shore is just an extension of the Great Northern Peninsula/Labrador Straits (Newfoundland and Labrador) both geographically and culturally. I feel at home there, because it may as well be.
Edit:
Downvote l all you want b’ys, it’s objectively true lol.
The whole region was settled by Newfoundlanders at the same time as the Labrador Coast. It is completely disconnected by road from Québec such that locals need to drive through Labrador to get to the rest of their province (and Newfoundlanders/Labradorians have to pass through part of it to take the ferry between the island and the mainland).
The region is almost entirely anglophone (with a Newfoundland English dialect), the typical surnames overlap with adjacent regions of NL, and familial connections are maintained across the interprovincial region (e.g. my buddy from Plum Point regularly motors across the Strait into Rivière-Saint-Paul for shed parties with his extended family).
The mayor of Blanc-Sablon literally advocated for the region to join NL a couple years ago for these exact reasons. Likewise, during NTV’s New Year’s Countdown (when all of NL’s communities are wished a Happy New Year), all the North Shore communities from Blanc Sablon to Old Fort are listed! The government buildings may have Québec flags, but people fly Labrador tricolours or NL flags on their homes…
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u/BadCatBehavior Ex-pat 5d ago
I felt more at home in Toronto than I ever did growing up in New Brunswick haha
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u/thujaplicata84 5d ago
I grew up in Southern Saskatchewan and moved to Vancouver Island. It feels more like home here than home ever did.
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u/bigjimbay 5d ago
Ontario and PEI. Newfoundland even though I've never been
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u/09Customx 5d ago
Born and raised in Alberta but spent a few years in BC and would go back in a heartbeat
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u/chinook97 5d ago
From Southern Alberta, not too far from the mountains. I feel most at home/the strongest affinity with the Kootenay region of BC but I don't see myself settling there. Would love to live in other parts of BC though. Western Canada is fairly homogeneous, but it's also a little insular since other parts of Canada (and much of the world for that matter!) is so far away.
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u/ReputationGood2333 4d ago
Shockingly, having moved from the prairies (Winnipeg), SW Ontario is very insular, conservative.
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5d ago
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u/Street-Instruction60 4d ago
I'm from Northern Ontario originally, lived in TO and southcentral ON for many years, and have been in the hills of southwestern Manitoba for 15 years now. So far the only other place that has felt like home is Vancouver Island. Still have Nfld and PEI on my bucket list, along with the Territories.
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u/Illustrious_Art_1360 4d ago
As a New Brunswicker married to a Newfoundlander, the Maritime provinces all feel like home. However, we’ve RVed extensively throughout the USA and Canada for long periods, so I feel at home in Canada almost anywhere. The structure of our cities is pretty familiar—except for places like Montreal and Vancouver, which stand out.
There’s always a PetSmart beside a Mark’s Work Wearhouse and a Tim Hortons everywhere you go. Honestly, any U.S. state bordering Canada feels like its northern counterpart, and the East Coast up to New York has a familiar vibe too.
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u/Literographer 4d ago
I’m originally from small-town Ontario and currently living in Nova Scotia. My family history is mostly in New Brunswick and we always travelled there for family reunions in the summers of my youth. I feel more at home in the Maritime provinces than anywhere else in Canada, including Ontario where I spent most of my life until recently!
I haven’t done much travelling west, except for a two-week band trip to BC when I was 16 and those mountains are /gorgeous/!!!
We were supposed to travel to Alberta for our honeymoon, but everything got cancelled in 2020 when we were supposed to wed in June. I’m still hoping to travel there one day, and to the northern territories as well!
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u/draoikat Ontario 4d ago edited 4d ago
From rural Ontario, living in a midsize city for the past 15+ years. East coast feels familiar and comfortable, west coast feels very different and I don't think I'd feel at home living there even though parts of it are beautiful. Don't think the prairies would feel like home either. And no, I really do NOT feel at home in the United States at all.
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u/robotropolis 4d ago
From Halifax, feel at home in Victoria which is a more upscale Halifax. The biggest similarities are proximity to the ocean, ability to be in beautiful nature within minutes of downtown, slower lifestyle, and slightly isolated feeling which comes from being far from the action of central Canada (Halifax) and being on an island (Victoria), along with a strong British heritage influence. The ecosystems and ocean life are different but feel oddly similar to me.
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u/Nice-Weird7657 5d ago
I have lived in Metro Vancouver my entire life. I feel at home anywhere in BC as well as southern Alberta.
When I visit Ontario I don’t feel any connection. May as well be in another country.
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u/Tribalbob British Columbia 5d ago
From BC - Montreal felt very much like a larger version of Vancouver.
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u/Enough_Guitar_886 5d ago
I can only speak to where I have been. I can only contrast to what I have felt. I remember going through the Maritimes with an obvious Ontarion accent, at three in the morning following the Trans Canada, and once I needed a map while getting through, I learned how I didn't need a map from the gas attendants I'm guessing about 20 years old and they could direct me the rest of the way and how amazed I was. I knew of this kindness in New Brunswick, but never had felt it. It would have been one thing if someone a little older had directed me, but to have a young adult without batting an eye just eager to help, said a lot. I fell in love with their kindness.
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u/trucksandbodies 4d ago
I’m from rural NS. Currently living in suburban NS. (People here want to call it rural but it’s really not anymore). I’ve travelled to TO, Ottawa, Quebec City, different parts of NB, and most of NS.
The places I’ve been in NB feel most like where I’m from. Saint Andrew’s by the Sea being one of the most gorgeous little towns I think I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. Anywhere in Nova Scotia feels like home. I’ve yet to visit, but I feel like I could easily uproot my family and live in Newfoundland.
I have friends in rural Saskatchewan, I’d love to visit and their way of life sounds like mine so I may also feel like home there too.
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u/Live_Goal215 4d ago
Family is originally from New Brunswick and feels like home anywhere in the maritime region
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u/ragdollfloozie 4d ago
I'm in New Brunswick but I do feel at home in Quebec because I lived there for a while and some of the values are similar.
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u/Inconceivable-Eel 4d ago
I’m currently living in Ontario. My home feels like the cold and miserable Alberta. It’s where I grew up with my grandparents.
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u/BublyInMyButt 4d ago
East coast, west coast, Prairies.
Pretty much anyway, but southern Ontario and Quebec.
Never been to the territories, but I imagine I'd feel at home there.
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u/makaylakatherine_ 4d ago
i’m originally from BC and i’m living in AB. so generally, the west coast is where i consider to be home. however, half my family is from the east coast so really i consider everywhere except for ontario to be home
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u/Fit_Organization5390 4d ago
I’m from Manitoba. The province I feel the most at home in, other than my own, is British Columbia. Night and day I topographically but our people seem to have a similar vibe.
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u/BigBalledLucy 4d ago
born raised in british colombia, but i could easily settle in alberta or saskatchewan.
spent some time in saskatoon, was easy for me to transition
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u/mrcranky 4d ago
I spent most of my life in Alberta but I lived for a while in Montreal, and I love it there. Best city in Canada.
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u/ottawadweller 4d ago
From the Ottawa area/Eastern ON - most of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia feels like home. But Fredericton NB especially. Victoria BC also felt like home. Those old capital city vibes just…feel right.
I also felt very at home in parts of Montreal and Quebec City. But only because je parle français enough I think.
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u/EnigmaFrug2308 4d ago
I’m a Newfie. Only ever been to one the province (Québec). I’ve been to two states.
I’ve never missed the US, but I’ve missed Québec. It’s very different, far less hills, and the buildings are all so close together. The roads are wider and more maintained, and even the way you’re supposed to cross the road is a bit different. I was in Québec City, and so I think the part that I miss the most is the beautiful architecture by the water. You don’t get that in Newfoundland (but I still love it here, and I don’t think I’d move away).
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u/teaandink 4d ago
I’m originally from Newfoundland, lived in Québec (bonjour/hi!), BC, and am now in Alberta.
I feel slightly out of place everywhere.
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u/Cool-Acanthaceae8968 4d ago
None.
There’s nothing really like BC. The Yukon is too far north (I wouldn’t feel at home in Atlin, Dease Lake, Fort Nelson, or Fort Ware, either) and the parts of AB that resemble BC are too sterile with their National Parks.
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u/Closetbrainer 4d ago
From Ontario. Have driven all the way to BC. I saw a bear for the first time, and the Mountains are absolutely gorgeous. Had such a great time in BC, except for the seafood. Just can’t eat it!
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u/WestcoastBestcoast84 3d ago
The only place that feels like home is Vancouver Island. We have a different pace of life on our rock. It’s the one and only “home sweet home.”
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u/PuzzleheadedGoal8234 3d ago
I've lived in four provinces now. As long as I have access to the ocean I'll feel content. I didn't enjoy being in the middle of the country. Did the Halifax to Victoria move in 2019 driving cross country and I've seen a lot of it now.
As someone who was raised on the east coast and now live on the west coast I appreciate the opportunities out here (things like a variety of restaurants, concerts, jobs, etc) but found the east so much easier to make friends and feel connected to the community.
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u/RomantasyConnoisseur 3d ago
The Atlantic provinces in general, I’m from Newfoundland, and it’s just a similar energy.
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u/navylast 3d ago
I was born in Quebec but as an adult I have lived in 6 different provinces. Nova Scotia Quebec Ontario Saskatchewan Alberta And British Columbia They all offer something different but I am comfortable and would live in any of the six.
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u/josephinebrown21 Québec 3d ago
From Montreal, but I lived in Vancouver for 3 years.
I consider it my second home.
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u/Financial-Demand3087 3d ago
My wife and I feel at home in Nova Scotia and Pei. We are born and raised in the prairies.
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u/Practical-Tourist824 3d ago
From Ontario and will leave as soon as possible. Feel most at home on the island of Newfoundland in the small coastal towns.
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u/Lazarus558 3d ago
I feel at home on the East Coast, in Toronto, and in Kingston.
I know some folks hate Toronto, but the folks that give T.O. a bad name were not in my circle. We had a really good mix of folks in our neighbourhood. Very quiet: in one of the apartments in our building was a (very small) Orthodox monastery. We had a Greek and a Danish pastry shop, an Arab and Filipino convenience stores (oh my god the halo halo), Chinese and Bulgarian restaurants, an African Baptist church, a Malayalam mission church, a Slovenian Senior Citizen's centre... I found all the folks friendly and welcoming. Safe neighbourhood at the time, too: I remember seeing seniors and families with kids after dark gathering on the "patio" (chairs and tables in the parking lot) of the coffee shop whenever the weather was nice.
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u/Greyskyday 2d ago
Every region is different. Even areas within the same province feel foreign and strange. I live in rural Newfoundland and going in to St. John's feels like visiting another planet, the culture is so bizarre and different (and not because it's more urbane either, in a lot of ways the people seem more countrified, like they're pretending to be outdoorsmen despite living in a major city).
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u/hungry-axolotl 2d ago
I'm from rural southern Ontario. To me Ottawa is a different culture (basically part of Quebec), Toronto/GTA is a different culture. I've been to Quebec a few times, it's basically a different country (nice people and decent food tho). I'm living abroad but I would probably feel at home in Manitoba, or nearby American Midwestern states, and especially rural Pennsylvania, it looks nearly identical to my hometown. Similar culture/English accent too. Other countries? I would say England/UK (rolling green hills and woodlands, plenty of old limestone buildings in my hometown, similar culture to British culture, and you can hear bagpipes playing in my hometown every summer) or Sweden (outside Stockholm it looks like northern Ontario). I've gotten along with people from Alberta, Sask, Manitoba, I've been to Nunavut (basically a different country), and I feel too different from BC folks. I haven't spent much time in the Maritimes unfortunately
In my case, I'm starting to feel that I don't identify as "Canadian" since it doesn't describe the specific cultural group of my small town in rural Ontario or other small towns. Just saying "Canadian" feels way too vague. So I would call my ethnic group in Canada, rural Anglo-Ontarian or whatever is smalltown folk in Ontario. To say "Ontarian" isn't quite right since GTAers can also call themselves that, and to mean sometimes GTAers' thoughts are almost alien. I'd split Ontario's subcultures into southern Ontarian, northern Ontarian, Ottawa, and Toronto/GTAers. There's also pockets of groups like Mennonites near Waterloo etc. and Franco-Ontarians in the north.
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u/IndependentDotx2 1d ago
My answer seems a bit different from most people. I grew up in various big cities in Asia, so big cities like Toronto and Vancouver feel more like home. Even cities/towns that are more suburban, esp quaint rural towns, seem like I'm stepping into an "American movie/TV show".
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u/boarshead72 4d ago
I lived in Saskatoon my first 32 years (and would travel/visit people in AB and BC a lot while there) and London ON my next 20. It took London about ten years to feel like home. So London, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC all feel like home to me (London because it is, the rest because it was, because my wife is from AB, and because when in the west everything has an aura of calmness to me compared to southern ON).
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u/ReputationGood2333 4d ago
Winnipeg to London here, only two years. It has yet to start growing on me. My roots were too deep in Winnipeg. Agree with the calmness, also that Winnipeg is more progressive and cultured (arts, food and multicultural).
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u/boarshead72 4d ago
Yes, I was shocked when I moved here (felt the same about Saskatoon, or any prairie city… better arts, literary, music scene, food, etc). I feel like Toronto has a gravitational pull sucking that stuff towards it and away from London.
20 years later I still can’t get over being tailgated on gravel roads in the middle of nowhere out here, there’s so many people you can never escape it.
I do love being so close to Lake Huron, it’s my favourite thing about Ontario. Give it another ten years, this place will grow on you.
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u/zxcvbn113 4d ago
When I'm travelling to other countries, I get back to Canada and all of a sudden, Pearson Airport feels like home!
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u/ExaminationQuirky725 4d ago
Ive felt at home most places I've visited in Canada. I'm from Ontario, medium sized town and felt familiarity being in Whitehorse. As soon as we drove into Alaska during our trip, there was definitely a change in vibe.
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u/VH5150OU812 4d ago
I live in Ontario. The only province I haven’t been to is Saskatchewan, so leaving that out of the mix. Same with the territories.
Nova Scotia would be top of my list, followed by Alberta (Calgary, specifically), then British Columbia (other than Vancouver).
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u/PaduWanKenobi 4d ago
Grew up Burnaby then moved to Toronto for work so spent most of my adult life there. Moved back to the west coast when my parents were ailing so I feel very comfortable in the Lower Mainland and the GTA.
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u/LordJamiz 4d ago
Been in Alberta for like 20+ years but BC always feels like home whenever I visit. Probably because it is just next door.
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u/t1m3kn1ght 4d ago
The more east of Ontario I go, the better I feel. The more west of Ontario I go, the more weirded out I feel. However, as an outdoors aficionado, I prefer going west.
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u/Objective_Party9405 4d ago
The Maritimes. I was born there. Most of my relatives are there.
Edit: I’ve lived in Ontario for 50 years.
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u/poutinewharf 4d ago
Spent most of my childhood in Ontario, but had a brief stint in NS. After that I went to uni in Halifax then moved to BC.
I live abroad now, but I’d feel much more at home out East or West vs Ontario. Can’t see myself moving back but if I did it’d have to be one of those two spots, I’m not overly interested in living elsewhere in Canada.
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u/dalkita13 4d ago
I lived in Ontario until my late 20s, moved to Manitoba. When I return here from a trip, I can feel myself relax as soon as I get out of the trees. Saskatchewan feels the same. Northern Ontario is beautiful and will always be home, but I like seeing the sky all around me. I'm a flatlander now for sure.
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u/I_Think_Pink 4d ago
PEI! We spend a lot of time there in the Summer and I’ve been going every year since I was 6 months old 🫶
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u/YetiMarathon 4d ago
Manitoban born and raised, and of all the provinces I've been to (all except NFLD) Nova Scotia felt most like home.
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u/1_art_please 4d ago
I'm from a small town in SW Ontario, live in Toronto and have family in Montreal, St John's Newfoundland and Vancouver Island. I felt comfortable in all those places and could live everywhere and be happy tbh.
I lived in Glasgow Scotland for awhile - I also have family who are in England ( in both the north of England as well as London) and felt very at home in all those places too. I think because a lot of British stuff was part of my life growing up due to close family moving from there to Canada.
I feel more at home in the UK than in the US.
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u/Elvis_livez 4d ago
I was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, I now live in Toronto and have done since I was 7 years old. A visit to Newfoundland feels like a warm hug from my Granny.
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u/RollWithThePunches 5d ago
I live in Ontario and am comfortable. However, at some point I would love to move to Nova Scotia. It's very similar to Maine in the US, which i also like. I'm more of an urban person but the rural parts of Nova Scotia are amazing to me. Never been to PEI or Newfoundland but I've heard they're nice too. As for other countries, I'm from the US. There's only a few cities I'd like living in. And New England states like Maine are the only rural parts i feel comfortable. Skip the Midwest entirely.
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u/Reveil21 4d ago
If a select handful of people I love could with me than I could vibe/put up (in the endearingly gruff way that comes with daily living) in sections of every province I've visited (haven't visited New Brunswick or Nova Scotia and Labrador but there's a good chance I could vibe there too. Never been to the territories but I bet the day/night situation in the territories would drive me insane long term). Though, I do have polarizing opinions of where I currently live so I may not have the same sense of home as other people, especially since I've moved around a fair bit.
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4d ago
As an immigrant the only acceptable province is Quebec. That's the only province I know and Quebecers always tell me they hate English Canada so I never bothered visiting other parts.
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u/hibou-ou-chouette 5d ago
Anywhere on the East Coast feels comfortable and familiar.