Question

1. Why do about 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the U.S. border?

Answer 1

Because Canada’s habitable, arable and economically useful land is almost entirely in a narrow southern band, most people live close to the U.S. border. Major reasons:

- Physical geography and climate: Canada extends far into the Arctic. The farther north you go the colder and less hospitable the land is (permafrost, very short growing seasons), so few people live there. The milder, farmable, forested land is concentrated in the southern strip.
- Historical settlement patterns: European settlement began along the Atlantic coast and the St. Lawrence–Great Lakes corridor and expanded westward along routes that hug the U.S. border. Cities and towns grew there first and kept attracting people.
- Economy and infrastructure: Jobs, industry, trade and transport hubs (ports, railways, highways) are concentrated in the south, often because of easy access to the huge U.S. market. Services like hospitals, universities and cultural institutions are also located in those population centers.
- Urban concentration: Canada’s largest cities (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, Winnipeg) are all in the southern part of the country, drawing most of the population.
- Resource settlements are sparse: Northern resource development (mining, oil and gas) supports small, remote communities or fly-in camps, not large, permanent populations.

Put simply: Canada is a very large country but most of its livable, economically attractive land lies near the U.S. border, so about 90% of people live within roughly 100 miles of it.