Urban Canada: Why do people gravitate to the south end of their respective cities?

[BlackDog204]

If one were to look any virtually any relatively large Canadian city/metro area, they would notice that the south end of any Canadian city has grown much faster than their northern counterpart. There are exceptions (physical barriers- Toronto has Lake Ontario).

Why is this? DO people subconsciously want to live closer to the border, or is there other factors at play. In Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Montreal, etc, every city has grown exponentially faster in the south.

This is not really a pressing question, I just wonder if anyone has noticed this trend, and what may be the reasoning behind it.

[James Bond Agent 007]

I was wondering this about Winnipeg.

Maybe it's oh-so-slightly warmer on the south side?

I don't think this is really a phenomenon in Calgary, though.

[AuxTown]

For me, it's always been the west end. I grew up on the absolute west end of Regina, moved to the far west end of Ottawa (Kanata) and lived for a while in the west end of Toronto. For me, it just feels right....being on the left :-)

[GreaterMontréal]

The three administrative regions bordering Montreal north of the river have added nearly 200k people since 2016, while the Montérégie region to the south has grown by just under 150k. The 3 North Shore region also combine for a population of about 2,77M people, while the Montérégie is only 1,5M. The Estrie region is also experiencing rapid growth thanks to its many popular cottages.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

I was wondering this about Winnipeg.

Maybe it's oh-so-slightly warmer on the south side?

I don't think this is really a phenomenon in Calgary, though.

It's arguably more pronounced in Calgary. Have you seen the South East? It's completely mushroomed in the past 20 years.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by GreaterMontréal

The three administrative regions bordering Montreal north of the river have added nearly 200k people since 2016, while the Montérégie region to the south has grown by just under 150k.

My bad. Montreal was the one city I don't know that much about, and looked at a map which appeared to show the south growing faster.. However, all the other places I know for a fact that the south end has grown much faster than the north end.

Maybe it's just a Western Canada phenomenon?

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by BlackDog204

It's arguably more pronounced in Calgary. Have you seen the South East? It's completely mushroomed in the past 20 years.

?? Not really. Tons of development going up in the north. Especially the northwest.

Calgary seems more biased towards the west as opposed to the east than any north-south pattern. I suppose people want to be closer to the mountains, plus the topography is more interesting on the west side.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.0307259,..._ep=EgoyMDI2MDQyOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by BlackDog204

Maybe it's just a Western Canada phenomenon?

Outside of the Prairies, I can't think of that many cities >250k that can sprawl both north and south, let alone in all 4 directions.

There's London, KWC, maybe Ottawa (although Gatineau being in French-speaking Quebec and connected by only 5 bridges across a relatively wide river is a barrier), and maybe Hamilton, although Hamilton Harbour plus the protected portions of the Escarpment mean that development in western Burlington and Waterdown is limited and fragmented.

I think that the northern municipal boundaries of London and Waterloo are hard development edges that were actually built out quite a while ago, and the neighbouring counties are agricultural land reserves/protected aquifer regions that have resisted building the necessary infrastructure for development.

[GreaterMontréal]

Originally Posted by BlackDog204

My bad. Montreal was the one city I don't know that much about, and looked at a map which appeared to show the south growing faster.. However, all the other places I know for a fact that the south end has grown much faster than the north end.

Maybe it's just a Western Canada phenomenon?

Montreal is different, we have 3 different climate inside the metropolitan region. If you want to see snow and cooler weather you move to the Laurentians, even Mirabel is significantly cooler than Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. If you want less snow and a lot warmer temps during winter you move to the South Shore. Montreal-Laval is an urban heat microclimate and now in 6a zone (hardiness). Both island are surrounded by water and lakes. Very often during the winter, a difference of 5°C can be observed between the north shore and the south shore, all bisected by the St. Lawrence River.

[Xelebes]

With Edmonton, the answer is very simple. It is along and towards the C&E Trail (QE2). Yellowhead is much more industrial and a big barrier for the communities to the north of it.

[craner]

Originally Posted by BlackDog204

It's arguably more pronounced in Calgary. Have you seen the South East? It's completely mushroomed in the past 20 years.

I’m not sure SE Calgary has mushroomed any more than the other three quadrants of the city. The south end of Calgary is “skinnier” east-west than the north due to the Tsuut’ina Nation in the SW. This has lead to the south extending further from the city center than the north. The result is a city that is sort of ‘Y’ shaped.
There definitely is a North-South rivalry “thing” in Calgary with each side eagar to point out why there side is superior.

Looking at the layout of Winnipeg it seems to be more arrow shaped (pointed east). I didn’t realize the south side was more developed.

Edmonton feels really symmetrical to me - I even commented on this in another thread where Cold posted a night satellite view of Edmonton.

I’m more familiar with Saskatoon’s layout than Regina but I’ve never thought there was a huge discrepancy between north & south.

[Architype]

Vancouver spreads to the east and south because it can't expand north much because of the mountains; however, the north shore is a very exclusive place to live. Psychologically and geographically, living south here is closer to the US border, and that can be a matter of convenience for some.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

?? Not really. Tons of development going up in the north. Especially the northwest.

Calgary seems more biased towards the west as opposed to the east than any north-south pattern. I suppose people want to be closer to the mountains, plus the topography is more interesting on the west side.

Calgary has clearly grown exponentially more south than north. Calgary is NOT growing West faster than other areas.

[niwell]

Calgary has grown further southwards from downtown distance-wise, but as mentioned above this part of the city is "skinnier" than it is in the North. The Northwest corridor was very much a favoured quarter in terms of residential growth for years and only now is hitting the artificial barrier created by ultra-wealthy Bearspaw properties plus Spy Hill landfill, quarries and penitentiary facilities. And it's still pushing northwards.

I still remember growing up when Midnapore/Sundance were really the only established areas south of Fish Creek. At the same time growth had yet to enclose Nose Hill Park. Both areas of the city have seen massive amounts of growth since then.

[Echoes]

Saskatoon's most rapid growth is to the east and northeast.

There are constraints to Saskatoon developing southward. Rail lines and a rail yard, power plant, landfill, golf courses, and country residential subdivisions dotting the landscape south of city limits.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

I was wondering this about Winnipeg.

Maybe it's oh-so-slightly warmer on the south side?

I don't think this is really a phenomenon in Calgary, though.

Actually there is massive growth in Calgary's south. Also the north but mostly the south. Reasons include the Tsuut'ina reserve constraining growth West of the city, Nose Hill dividing the North and the Calgary airport occupying a massive area of the NE of the city. I live in a quadrant of the SE that is new from the last 30 years. Everything south of Douglasdale on the bottom right is from the late 90's - today.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by BlackDog204

1. I have no idea what you are talking about. Calgary has clearly grown exponentially more south than north.

2. No, Calgary is NOT growing West faster than other areas. Are you sure you are referring to the right city?

North end of Calgary:
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.1858581,..._ep=EgoyMDI2MDQyOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.1805465,..._ep=EgoyMDI2MDQyOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.1177804,..._ep=EgoyMDI2MDQyOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.159958,-..._ep=EgoyMDI2MDQyOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

?? Not really. Tons of development going up in the north. Especially the northwest.

Calgary seems more biased towards the west as opposed to the east than any north-south pattern. I suppose people want to be closer to the mountains, plus the topography is more interesting on the west side.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.0307259,..._ep=EgoyMDI2MDQyOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Didn't you visit Calgary last summer and stay at the Marriott beside the South Health campus hospital?

When I moved to Auburn Bay just north of there 15 years ago the hospital was under construction and nothing existed south of that. Should give you some idea of the growth in the SE.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Didn't you visit Calgary last summer and stay at the Marriott beside the South Health campus hospital?

When I moved to Auburn Bay just north of there 15 years ago the hospital was under construction and nothing existed south of that. Should give you some idea of the growth in the SE.

Yes I did, and indeed there's a lot of growth there.

But l also drove through the north end. Tons of growth up there as well.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

Yes I did, and indeed there's a lot of growth there.

But l also drove through the north end. Tons of growth up there as well.

Yes there is lots of growth in the north as well. But there's easily 15 kms of the city in the south that did not exist when I was growing up in the 90's. The topography in the NW is deceiving because the hills make the new development more visible than in the flat Eastern half of the city. Much of the growth in the NE going towards Balzac is commercial / industrial too.