Do most Americans know Hamilton or Ontario?

[copernicanrevolution]

There are few enough Americans that know where Canada is..

A very small percentage will know about Ontario.

Almost no one will know about Hamilton. (I only do because I used to have counter-strike friends from there).

 

[Kanata Senators]

Can't speak for anybody else but I remember in 7th grade we had to learn the main 6 provinces in Canada and their major cities. So I remember the order of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec along with their majors cities like Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City.

That was pretty much the extent of what we learned about Canada and I'd imagine most schools had even less than that.

Why stop at 6 and not go all out and learn the extra 4? Maybe throw a couple territories in there?

It's not like we have 50 provinces and territories to remember.

 

[Brodie]

Its the American Media. We can get american channels in Canada. They block Canadian channels in the US. FCC rules.

No they don't. I watch CBC all the time. My clock radio is set to a Canadian station. It's just that maybe 5% of Americans live close enough to actually get anything from Canada.

 

[therealkoho]

Id be willing to bet that most Americans dont even know where Hamilton is.

Hamilton's probably a bit of an unknown to most Americans, due to the simple fact that it's not a major city and they don't have any connection to the major sports in the U.S. (AHL doesn't count) like the other Canadian NHL cities.

Hamilton is a "sister city" to Pittsburgh and so well known in the steel community

Hamilton should be well known to most in upper Michigan as well. It wasn't all that long ago that the RedWings Jr farm team was in Hamilton many of Detroits players in the 60's and 70's came through Hamilton up to the bigs. In fact the current GM of the Carolina Hurricanes Jimmy Rutherford is an ex Hamilton Jr Red Wing. The other relationship to upper Michigan is that for many years there was something called the CanUsa games held annually between athletes from the Hamilton area and The Flint area in Michigan. I was fortunate enough to have competed 3 times in baseball.

There is also a connection to Chicago in that there was a annual hockey tournament for a time between Oak Park and the Hamilton Husky organizations

So while a place like Hamilton isn't widly known in the US there are some people who have a fairly good knowledge of the Hammer.....and of course there is the one ex-Hamiltonian almost everyone in the US knows and that's Martin Short but he is only one of many. Guys you love to hate like Damien Cox and to a lesser extent Stephen Brunt grew up there. My uncle and boxer Jackie Callura world featherweight champ in 43 was a Hamiltonian

There is of course a plethora of former NHLers who hail from the steel city such as Leo Reise Jr(RedKelly's partner in Detroit), venerated Leafs captain and Hofer Syl Apps, Babe Dye, old Ranger captain and Norris winner Harry Howell, Todd Harvey who is the son of ex Jr RedWing Buster Harvey, Dave Andreychuk, John Tonelli and of course "Big Irish" Pat Quinn.......those are just a few among many

There is even of course, a strange and beautiful connection to HF boards in that Jonathan Frid the star of "Dark Shadows" is a Hamiltonian....HF vets know what I mean

 

[Brodie]

Well, there really is no good reason why an American kid should know about Hamilton. Just like I don't see why a Canadian kid would have to learn about Fresno or Des Moines. That's basically trivia type information.

Right... I think we overstate how much (non sports fans) in other countries really know about American cities. Most geographical knowledge of America in Canada is gleaned from media sources as much as learning. And once you leave the continent, you find that most people can only name 4-5 American cities anyway.

And it's not that most Americans never learn anything about Canada, it's that most of us don't retain the information because we see it as being valueless. And it mostly is, since Canada isn't a place most in this country would ever consider going to.

 

[SuperNintendoChalmrs]

they had that rough series back in the 80s against Thunder Bay.

 

[Steve Passless*]

they had that rough series back in the 80s against Thunder Bay.

Awesome.

 

[Fidel Astro]

And it's not that most Americans never learn anything about Canada, it's that most of us don't retain the information because we see it as being valueless. And it mostly is, since Canada isn't a place most in this country would ever consider going to.

This is kind of what I was saying earlier. A lot of Americans are ignorant about Canada on purpose.

I don't know if it's somewhere Americans wouldn't ever consider going to, though. I've met a lot of Americans over the years who were visiting Winnipeg (which, if you want to believe certain southern hockey fans, is a 'frozen ****-hole'), and I imagine some of the more tourist-y cities in this country, as well as the ones in eastern Canada that are closer to the US, get a lot of American visitors.

 

[Ryan34222]

so now that we seem to be in agreement Hamilton is not a worldly city, thanks DRonald btw, would it matter to any of you whether the team name is Hamilton..

imo to those it mattered too.. tough noogies

 

[rojac]

No they don't. I watch CBC all the time. My clock radio is set to a Canadian station. It's just that maybe 5% of Americans live close enough to actually get anything from Canada.

I think the point that he was trying to make was that in Canada, the CRTC allows US network stations (primarily) to be distributed anywhere in the country. Canadians who live nowhere near Detroit, Boston, or Seattle can receive network affiliates from one of those places as part of their basic cable package if they're not close enough for local US network affiliates to be picked up clearly.

On the other hand, cable systems in the US are only able to include Canadian stations if they are close enough to be considered local.

 

[barneyg]

This is kind of what I was saying earlier. A lot of Americans are ignorant about Canada on purpose.

I don't know if it's somewhere Americans wouldn't ever consider going to, though. I've met a lot of Americans over the years who were visiting Winnipeg (which, if you want to believe certain southern hockey fans, is a 'frozen ****-hole'), and I imagine some of the more tourist-y cities in this country, as well as the ones in eastern Canada that are closer to the US, get a lot of American visitors.

I think the operative word in his post is "most" (Americans). Obviously if you meet an American in Winnipeg (or if I meet one here in Quebec City), that person is not someone who would "never consider going to Canada".

But as someone who has lived in Pittsburgh for 4 years, I can tell you the only coverage of Canada anyone ever gets (other than a stray sports event much more important in the US than the Grey Cup or Memorial Cup) is a 30-second segment on the PBS NewsHour on the night of the elections, saying who's the favorite and who's running against and blah blah blah. (no similar 30-second segment the next day to say who won though!) Nothing about cities, ever.

It's not all that bad because generally I think most Americans aren't really interested about Portland (OR) or Birmingham (AL) either. Why should they care?

 

[WingsFan95]

Most Americans in northern U.S. I'd like to think have an idea where it is.

I'm sure most Canadians don't know every U.S. city, ask a Canadian in Saskatchewan where Albany is and see what they say.

I think as long as people say " Near Toronto? " when you ask them where Hamilton is, it's fine.

I know people in Hamilton won't like that but it's better than having " Nova Scotia? ".

 

[WWAD]

Not many people in the US have heard of Hamilton, but if it wasn't for having a hockey team, most would never have heard of Edmonton, Winnipeg, or maybe even Calgary.

I'll bet most Canadians hadn't heard of Raleigh either prior to 1998.

 

[Grrrowlman]

Actually I am from South Carolina And I know were Hamilton is. It Near Kitchener and Guelph, And yes Toronto right off the 401. And I know this because I have family In London and I Have been to the southern part of Ontario. (My Cousins wedding in Toronto). I actually thought it was cool to drive up 401 and see the Burger joint on the over passes. And I Love the Knights!!!! And will miss the Thrashers i had SEASON THX for 6 years!!!

 

[Ryan34222]

i'd imagine the hockey folks in Nashville, Pittsburgh and now Phoenix know us.. lol

 

[Ryan34222]

Actually I am from South Carolina And I know were Hamilton is. It Near Kitchener and Guelph, And yes Toronto right off the 401. And I know this because I have family In London and I Have been to the southern part of Ontario. (My Cousins wedding in Toronto). I actually thought it was cool to drive up 401 and see the Burger joint on the over passes. And I Love the Knights!!!! And will miss the Thrashers i had SEASON THX for 6 years!!!

close enough.. think armpit of the elephant..
http://bigthink.com/ideas/21393

 

[tarheelhockey]

Not many people in the US have heard of Hamilton, but if it wasn't for having a hockey team, most would never have heard of Edmonton, Winnipeg, or maybe even Calgary.

I'll bet most Canadians hadn't heard of Raleigh either prior to 1998.

This is almost word-for-word identical to what I was going to say.

 

[Melrose Munch]

No they don't. I watch CBC all the time. My clock radio is set to a Canadian station. It's just that maybe 5% of Americans live close enough to actually get anything from Canada.

I mean on Comcast Cable and Time Warner away from the border. Yes, the is an FCC ban on that. You live in a border zone, one which is designated special. Windsor get many blackout we don't get in the Toronto-Hamilton region.

 

[kdb209]

Not many people in the US have heard of Hamilton, but if it wasn't for having a hockey team, most would never have heard of Edmonton, Winnipeg, or maybe even Calgary.

I'll bet most Canadians hadn't heard of Raleigh either prior to 1998.

This is almost word-for-word identical to what I was going to say.

And how many Canadians knew much about San Jose before 1991 - other than that God awful Dionne Warwick song.

 

[tarheelhockey]

And how many Canadians knew much about San Jose before 1991 - other than that God awful Dionne Warwick song.

And how many Canadians OR Americans would even know of the existence of Green Bay if not for the Packers?

Oakland, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Sacramento, Portland, Anaheim, Columbus, Buffalo... hell, arguably even cities as big as San Diego and Kansas City would be obscure if not for their sports teams. I bet when you come down to it, sports leagues are as much of an influence over our sense of geography as our formal education (how many people can name the capital of Louisiana vs. how many people know their football team).

 

[Fidel Astro]

Not many people in the US have heard of Hamilton, but if it wasn't for having a hockey team, most would never have heard of Edmonton, Winnipeg, or maybe even Calgary.

Calgary hosted the '88 Winter Olympics. I think it's safe to say that most Americans (depending on age, obviously) would be familiar with the city from that event alone.

 

[Shawa666]

Well, there really is no good reason why an American kid should know about Hamilton. Just like I don't see why a Canadian kid would have to learn about Fresno or Des Moines. That's basically trivia type information.

Fresno is in California, Fresno Grizzlies AAA Ball. Des Moines, Iowa, actially a french name, home of the Cubs' AAA team, and of the Iowa Barnstormers of the AFL. There be corn here.

 

[Killion]

And how many Canadians knew much about San Jose before 1991 - other than that God awful Dionne Warwick song.

Hey, I like that tune!. And ya, that was the first time Id heard of the place. Chuck Berry & Nikki Sixx are from San Jose'; and who could forget the very forgettable 1997 movie Flubber, starring Robin Williams?. Shot in San Jose'. And of course the city does recognize Hamilton, Ontario with its own "Mount Hamilton", site of the Lick Observatory.

 

[kdb209]

And of course the city does recognize Hamilton, Ontario with its own "Mount Hamilton", site of the Lick Observatory.

Hey - and it occasionally even snows there.

When I first came out to the Bay Area, I used to sometimes swing past work early in the morning, grab a cafeteria tray, and head up to Mt Hamilton (elevation ~4200 feet) before they closed the road, and go sledding.

 

[IceAce]

Calgary hosted the '88 Winter Olympics. I think it's safe to say that most Americans (depending on age, obviously) would be familiar with the city from that event alone.

Most people couldnt tell you who hosted the Winter Olympics before Vancouver, much less what happened in 1988.