Preamble
Though the State of Ohio is located in the United States 🇺🇸 and the Province of Ontario is included within Canada 🇨🇦, both subnational divisions are of significant importance in either nation. Culturally, Ohio and Ontario in particular may effectively have the greatest similarities in any comparison of the United States and Canada, even though the State of Ohio also extends further south as part of the United States.
Culture
Both the Ohio Country and Upper Canada were largely determined by the British, though much of Upper Canada was concurrent with New France’s claim to the Ohio Country. The westward expansion associated with the United States of America and the westward migrations of the United Empire Loyalists over the Great Lakes and into Ontario alike represent cultural similarities often identified within the scope of the region.
British Settlement
Though the modern State of Ohio was not directly British, the settlers of British Colonial America were increasingly pushing westward, largely starting with the Scots-Irish on the frontier, followed shortly by additional groups in the process of westward migration. The Province of Ontario had seen more immigration directly from Great Britain and Ireland somewhat later along, while the State of Ohio would largely be identified by the German heritage dispersed throughout the State. Notwithstanding the cultural differences between the specific groups of Ohio and Ontario, however, each region contains clear and present similarities with one another, whether based on the Great Lakes cultural traits, the associated landscapes (especially south of the Georgian Bay), or even the contemporary cultural values associated with the region.
Communities
Both the State of Ohio and the Province of Ontario contain a number of major and minor communities of cultural significance, whether at the national level, regional level, or merely locally. For the Province of Ontario, such locations include Ottawa (the national capital), Toronto (the provincial capital and largest city), and Windsor, while for the State of Ohio, a similar pattern is identified with Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. Though the State of Ohio also has a number of moderately-sized communities within the same general areas as Cleveland or Cincinnati, similar dynamics also occur in the general area of Toronto even if the nearby communities are more closely associated with Toronto.
Moderately-sized communities of significance in the Province of Ontario include the communities of Hamilton, Oshawa, and Kingston—all within the Greater Toronto Area—while the communities in the State of Ohio include Dayton, Springfield, Akron, and Canton under similar dynamics. Interestingly, while Toledo is relatively larger than many of the otherwise listed mid-sized cities in the State of Ohio, the city is actually on the relatively isolated side within Northwest Ohio. In comparison, Northern Ontario communities under similar dynamics, though usually with smaller populations, include the communities of Barrie, Sudbury, Timmons, Thunder Bay, Kenora, and Nipigon, just to name a few, while the Eastern Ontario community of Hawkesbury remains more closely associated with the City of Ottawa with greater bilingual status.
In Southern Ontario, names of communities that may appear relatively similar to Toledo or the smaller communities throughout the Northwest Ohio communities (Lima, Findlay, Sidney) or the Cities of Youngstown or Mansfield in Northeast Ohio may also include the communities of Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Simcoe, Collingwood, Saint Catharines, Niagara Falls, Brantford, London, and Guelph.
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