Home Away From Home

Tuesday marks the start of my third week here in Thunder Bay. I’ve spent the past two weeks – when not in class – exploring the city by bus and on foot, and I must say that I am impressed.

Thunder Bay is a sprawling city, due to the past amalgamation of two adjacent cities: Fort
William to the south, and Port Arthur to the north. Despite its size, it is reasonably easy to get around here. There are a number of direct north-south routes, as well a number of east-west connecting routes. Unlike the Sault, traffic doesn’t seem to get bunched-up at any particular intersection, but instead seems to flow well throughout the city.

The comparison does not end with traffic patterns. In many ways, Thunder Bay reminds me of the Sault, only bigger. However, there are a number of factors that give Thunder Bay a different feel than the Sault.

I find that different parts of Thunder Bay remind me of other cities I have visited. Sometimes this is due to the style of house; sometimes it has more to do with the construction of the road and sidewalk, or the set-back of homes from the roadway; sometimes it is something less tangible.

Although I know I am in Thunder Bay, there have been times when I had to remind myself of this fact. Stepping off the bus or walking along the sidewalk in some areas I could just as easily believe that I was in Cambridge, London or another large, southern Ontario city. In other areas I am reminded of any number of small towns in Michigan.

Another physical comparison is that of terrain. As we know, the Sault has “the hill” as a rather prominent feature. Thunder Bay also has a hill, of sorts, although the ascent is more gradual.

In addition to traffic, another difference is the prominence of the railway. The CPR has a double-track line running along the waterfront, separating the industrial area from the business and residential sections. Dozens of trains, many of considerable length, pass through daily.

As for the business sections, Thunder Bay has a much more extensive “downtown” core than the Sault. Actually, owing to the amalgamation, it has two downtowns; southward and northward, as they are referred to locally.

Unlike the Sault, where businesses tend to run along one main roadway (ie: Queen, Bruce, Gore), the business district encompasses several blocks of storefront and office buildings, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses.

The waterfront here is mostly industrial, dominated by massive grain elevators and traversed by the railway. There is a lovely park – Marina Park – just off the downtown core, which features a public marina, boat launching facilities, a gigantic, converted railway station and a great deal of green space.

One resident I spoke with suggested that the Sault is light-years ahead of Thunder Bay in terms of waterfront development.

However, the view of the harbour and the various passages out into Lake Superior, including ‘The Sleeping Giant’ and a number of smaller islands, is breathtaking!

Speaking of parks, there are a good number of parks here, both smaller neighbourhood parks and larger recreational areas. There is also a network of walking/bicycling trails wending through wooded areas and green space, connecting many popular destinations.

One of the jewels of the local parks system here is Boulevard Park, a recreation area surrounding a man-made lake in the north end of the city. The park includes several beaches, a rowing and sailing instruction facility, children’s playgrounds, and extensive green space. All of this is interconnected by paved trails, with access points to adjoining streets around the perimeter of the 650-acre park. (It took me just over an hour to walk the perimeter trail.)

In addition to the many parks, there are several museums, art galleries, performing arts centres, golf courses, and other recreational and cultural activities available in the city or very near by.

One other difference, which many Saultbies might consider significant, is the number of Tim Horton's locations: there are fewer here. There are a couple of Country Styles, and Robin's has several locations -- more than Tim's, actually!

I have been asked by residents, fellow students, and friends from the Sault, whether I would consider staying here after I graduate. Frankly, I’m not sure.

On one hand, Thunder Bay does seem like a great city. There is a wide variety of restaurants and shopping, cultural, and recreational activities.

On the other hand, I’ve only been here two weeks; I haven’t experienced a winter at this end of the big lake. And it still feels a lot like I’m on a vacation, although I expect when the workload increases at school it will seem less so.

One of my friends asked, in a text message, what the nearest large city is. She was surprised by my answer: Sault Ste Marie. Technically, both Duluth and Minneapolis are closer: only 314 km and 556 km away, respectively, compared to 690 km to the Sault. Even Winnipeg is five kilometres closer.

Still, that the nearest large city in Ontario is an eight-hour drive away underscores the isolation of Thunder Bay, and the vastness of our province.

And yet, as I find when I’m in the Sault, I don’t notice the isolation. There is so much available here in town that one just doesn’t spend a lot of time thinking about how far away other cities are. Usually.

I have given thought to the notion of leaving on vacation from here. Obviously, depending on one’s destination, one would need to add an extra day each way if one is driving.

Would I live here? Possibly.

Would I move back to the Sault? Most likely.

Given that I am, essentially, ‘homeless,’ I am free to relocate to wherever I find a suitable teaching job (providing, of course, that I graduate).

But if someone asked my advice as to whether they ought to consider locating to Thunder Bay, I’d have to say ‘yes.’ It compares favorably to the Sault, and to many large cities in Ontario.

But… that’s just my opinion.