Americans and Canadians culture Q&A Thread.

[Buzz Rules]

I have a question, if no one minds me chiming in...

In Canada, there are three provinces in the western part of the country colloquially called "The Prairies". It's really three prairie provinces, but only one prairie, which, semantically always irked me. But I digress.

My question is when Americans refer to "The Prairie" (do they ever say "prairies"?) which states do they mean and is that context of a space that crosses multiple states? Do the states ever think of themselves as one block of the country in that same way we think of those western provinces as one block?

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/prairie

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Prairie

https://www.nps.gov/miss/learn/nature/prairestabou.htm

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_House_on_the_Prairie_(TV_series)

I hope this helps.

I’m still on break from the Dis but I hope this info helps with the discussion. Happy posting everyone.

 

[prairie_girl]

I have a question, if no one minds me chiming in...

In Canada, there are three provinces in the western part of the country colloquially called "The Prairies". It's really three prairie provinces, but only one prairie, which, semantically always irked me. But I digress.

My question is when Americans refer to "The Prairie" (do they ever say "prairies"?) which states do they mean and is that context of a space that crosses multiple states? Do the states ever think of themselves as one block of the country in that same way we think of those western provinces as one block?

The Prairies here are the central part of Canada, not considered western. Well, maybe Alberta but definitely not Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/prairie

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Prairie

https://www.nps.gov/miss/learn/nature/prairestabou.htm

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_House_on_the_Prairie_(TV_series)

I hope this helps.

I’m still on break from the Dis but I hope this info helps with the discussion. Happy posting everyone.

on a break but liking and quoting and responding lol

Maybe you’re a little jealous we’re having fun without you

 

[EACarlson]

I have a question, if no one minds me chiming in...

In Canada, there are three provinces in the western part of the country colloquially called "The Prairies". It's really three prairie provinces, but only one prairie, which, semantically always irked me. But I digress.

My question is when Americans refer to "The Prairie" (do they ever say "prairies"?) which states do they mean and is that context of a space that crosses multiple states? Do the states ever think of themselves as one block of the country in that same way we think of those western provinces as one block?

Usually Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming are thought of as prairie states. Western Minnesota and Iowa also have prairies but are thought of as part of something else.
States tend to align themselves in "belts" The Rust Belt, Corn Belt, Bible Belt.

I will watch part of the Queen's funeral, I won't go out of my way but will have it on in the background while I'm working. Same with Coronation. I'll have it on but won't be watching intently.

Trees are changing on my street, I'm also a half degree further north than Toronto so that may play part of it.

 

[ronandannette]

I have a question, if no one minds me chiming in...

In Canada, there are three provinces in the western part of the country colloquially called "The Prairies". It's really three prairie provinces, but only one prairie, which, semantically always irked me. But I digress.

My question is when Americans refer to "The Prairie" (do they ever say "prairies"?) which states do they mean and is that context of a space that crosses multiple states? Do the states ever think of themselves as one block of the country in that same way we think of those western provinces as one block?

I kind of see it as referring to a bunch of singular, prairie provinces, not necessarily the topographical prairie itself. Like if you have an egg, a bunch of them are eggs.

The Prairies here are the central part of Canada, not considered western. Well, maybe Alberta but definitely not Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

@Frozen Canuck - as the Saskatchewan representative here, would you say Saskatchewanians consider it a western province or not? I'm a little surprised to hear prairie_girl considers it isn't; I've always considered it is.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

Is it October already??? Did I miss my trip to DC? I'm so confused? I didn't even get my next question taken care of...and it was a good one, too!

 

[Frozen Canuck]

I kind of see it as referring to a bunch of singular, prairie provinces, not necessarily the topographical prairie itself. Like if you have an egg, a bunch of them are eggs.

@Frozen Canuck - as the Saskatchewan representative here, would you say Saskatchewanians consider it a western province or not? I'm a little surprised to hear prairie_girl considers it isn't; I've always considered it is.

I consider Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to be the prairie provinces. (But what do I know? I can't even reliably remember the American word for KD!) If you want the western provinces, include BC. Ontario onwards is "out east."

ETA: Manitoba is a little iffy...I think they should get split down the middle.

ETA #2: Just to clarify, the US seems to have all of these different regions, like the Midwest, New England, Southwest, etc. In my head, Canada only has two sides...the east and the west. If you want to get super technical, we have three provincial zones, if you separate out the Maritimes, and four, if you count the territories (but of course they aren't provinces, they are definitely their own geographical area though.)

At the Canadian consulate in Boston, they have a set of three coffee tables for the prairie provinces. I have always wanted to get someone to make me a set, as I love them.

 

[bcwife76]

The weather today is hot but the air quality for a large part of BC is awful due to several big forest fires burning We've had an orange glow all day and the smell of fire "campfire" is heavy in the air. We desperately need rain here (which is ironic considering how much we get/complain about the rain here in the lower mainland) but none in the forecast for several more days.

 

[prairie_girl]

I consider Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to be the prairie provinces. (But what do I know? I can't even reliably remember the American word for KD!) If you want the western provinces, include BC. Ontario onwards is "out east."

ETA: Manitoba is a little iffy...I think they should get split down the middle.

At the Canadian consulate in Boston, they have a set of three coffee tables for the prairie provinces. I have always wanted to get someone to make me a set, as I love them.

If we were split in the middle the left side would look like a mini SK

 

[Frozen Canuck]

If we were split in the middle the left side would look like a mini SK

I'm dying!!! At least it would be easier to draw!

 

[ronandannette]

I consider Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to be the prairie provinces. (But what do I know? I can't even reliably remember the American word for KD!) If you want the western provinces, include BC. Ontario onwards is "out east."

ETA: Manitoba is a little iffy...I think they should get split down the middle.

ETA #2: Just to clarify, the US seems to have all of these different regions, like the Midwest, New England, Southwest, etc. In my head, Canada only has two sides...the east and the west. If you want to get super technical, we have three provincial zones, if you separate out the Maritimes, and four, if you count the territories (but of course they aren't provinces, they are definitely their own geographical area though.)

At the Canadian consulate in Boston, they have a set of three coffee tables for the prairie provinces. I have always wanted to get someone to make me a set, as I love them.

Interesting take! If I was asked to identify the regions of Canada, I think of the west (BC, Alberta & Saskatchewan), the East (Ontario and Quebec), the Maritimes (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland) and the Territories. It's actually very odd that I have nowhere to put Manitoba - central Canada, maybe? Geographically, for sure, but if we use the word "central" to mean generally the most prominent, that would have to be Ontario. Now realize this is just how I think about Canada - I know there are official ways to characterize the regions and ways residents of those regions characterize themselves and I'm not insisting on anything.

How do you all see it?

 

[Frozen Canuck]

Interesting take! If I was asked to identify the regions of Canada, I think of the west (BC, Alberta & Saskatchewan), the East (Ontario and Quebec), the Maritimes (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland) and the Territories. It's actually very odd that I have nowhere to put Manitoba - central Canada, maybe? Geographically, for sure, but if we use the word "central" to mean generally the most prominent, that would have to be Ontario. Now realize this is just how I think about Canada - I know there are official ways to characterize the regions and ways residents of those regions characterize themselves and I'm not insisting on anything.

How do you all see it?

Well, obviously my way is the only way that Canadians should be thinking about this. I can't believe this is even a discussion!

 

[declansdad]

I kind of see it as referring to a bunch of singular, prairie provinces, not necessarily the topographical prairie itself. Like if you have an egg, a bunch of them are eggs.

@Frozen Canuck - as the Saskatchewan representative here, would you say Saskatchewanians consider it a western province or not? I'm a little surprised to hear prairie_girl considers it isn't; I've always considered it is.

I consider Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to be the prairie provinces. (But what do I know? I can't even reliably remember the American word for KD!) If you want the western provinces, include BC. Ontario onwards is "out east."

ETA: Manitoba is a little iffy...I think they should get split down the middle.

ETA #2: Just to clarify, the US seems to have all of these different regions, like the Midwest, New England, Southwest, etc. In my head, Canada only has two sides...the east and the west. If you want to get super technical, we have three provincial zones, if you separate out the Maritimes, and four, if you count the territories (but of course they aren't provinces, they are definitely their own geographical area though.)

At the Canadian consulate in Boston, they have a set of three coffee tables for the prairie provinces. I have always wanted to get someone to make me a set, as I love them.

Interesting take! If I was asked to identify the regions of Canada, I think of the west (BC, Alberta & Saskatchewan), the East (Ontario and Quebec), the Maritimes (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland) and the Territories. It's actually very odd that I have nowhere to put Manitoba - central Canada, maybe? Geographically, for sure, but if we use the word "central" to mean generally the most prominent, that would have to be Ontario. Now realize this is just how I think about Canada - I know there are official ways to characterize the regions and ways residents of those regions characterize themselves and I'm not insisting on anything.

How do you all see it?

It always burns me when people refer to Ontario and Quebec as Eastern Canada. They are Central Canada along with Manitoba. Provinces west of Manitoba are Western Canada. By definition the Maritimes doing include Newfoundland and Labrador, the Maritimes are NB, NS and PEI. Atlantic Canada include NL.

 

[NAB]

I live in Ontario and just think East and West.

If I tell people I’m going to Cape Breton I say I’m going down East. The other way is out West.

Not great with geography. Not to say I don’t know the provinces I do….. Been coast to coast.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

It always burns me when people refer to Ontario and Quebec as Eastern Canada. They are Central Canada along with Manitoba. Provinces west of Manitoba are Western Canada. By definition the Maritimes doing include Newfoundland and Labrador, the Maritimes are NB, NS and PEI. Atlantic Canada include NL.

Well, if you live on the west coast or on the prairies, to us, Ontario and Quebec are "out east."

 

[SirDuff]

Interesting take! If I was asked to identify the regions of Canada, I think of the west (BC, Alberta & Saskatchewan), the East (Ontario and Quebec), the Maritimes (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland) and the Territories. It's actually very odd that I have nowhere to put Manitoba - central Canada, maybe? Geographically, for sure, but if we use the word "central" to mean generally the most prominent, that would have to be Ontario. Now realize this is just how I think about Canada - I know there are official ways to characterize the regions and ways residents of those regions characterize themselves and I'm not insisting on anything.

How do you all see it?

Newfoundland in the Maritimes - ’thems fighting words (from both Newfies and those in the Maritimes”.

Agree with Declansdad that I‘d not call Ontario or Quebec “Eastern”.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

It always burns me when people refer to Ontario and Quebec as Eastern Canada.

Agree with Declansdad that I‘d not call Ontario or Quebec “Eastern”.

This is such a different perspective to me--not a wrong one at all, but perceptually from how I grew up thinking about places living on the prairies. I totally get what you are saying. Ontario and Quebec are nowhere close to the far east side of Canada, and are definitely considered "central Canada" when you look them up. However...

The longitudinal center of Canada is (roughly) just outside of Winnipeg, which is why I (jokingly) said that Manitoba should be split in half. Anybody to the east of that is in Eastern Canada and anybody to the west, is in Western Canada. In my mind, you can live out west, out east, or up north. (I'm pretty sure these are highly technical land designations found in my Dent's Canadian Atlas...ha ha!) @prairie_girl can decide which side she wants to be on, but I consider Manitoba grouped with those of us on the western half.

 

[fab1976]

I live in Ontario and just think East and West.

If I tell people I’m going to Cape Breton I say I’m going down East. The other way is out West.

Not great with geography. Not to say I don’t know the provinces I do….. Been coast to coast.

So as an Ontario resident yourself, are we in the east or west part of Canada? I always just kinda thought of Ontario as the middle. Throws me off thinking of it as east.

 

[SirDuff]

So as an Ontario resident yourself, are we in the east or west part of Canada? I always just kinda thought of Ontario as the middle. Throws me off thinking of it as east.

Um, we are the Centre of the Universe, thank you very much

 

[Frozen Canuck]

Um, we are the Centre of the Universe, thank you very much

I SERIOUSLY had written part of my paragraph to make a joke about Ontario being the center of the universe, but I deleted it, because I thought it might be too political, even though it was a joke. I didn't want to have everything implode, or @Buzz Rules would never allow me to post again! It is okay for YOU to say that though, so there's that...ha! I couldn't get away with that, being from Saskatchewan.

 

[prairie_girl]

I SERIOUSLY had written part of my paragraph to make a joke about Ontario being the center of the universe, but I deleted it, because I thought it might be too political, even though it was a joke. I didn't want to have everything implode, or @Buzz Rules would never allow me to post again! It is okay for YOU to say that though, so there's that...ha! I couldn't get away with that, being from Saskatchewan.

I don’t know why, but it feels like a big deal that I can drive to the centre of Canada in like 20 minutes.

I don’t really consider us eastern or western, we’re just in the middle. In the CFL we have been switched from east to west several times.