Rural Settlement Patterns

Rural Settlement Patterns

Population Density:

• The number of people living in a square kilometre.

• Canada’s population is NOT evenly distributed throughout the country

• Settlement in Canada can be divided into 2 major categories:

• Urban - Cities and Towns

• Rural - settlement that occurs outside cities and towns

Factors that effect population density and distribution:

• Flat Land: For Agriculture and buildings

• Adequate precipitation: For drinking and agriculture

• Fresh Water Supplies: For manufacturing and agriculture

• Transportation: For goods and people

• Moderate Winters: For comfort and agriculture

• Availability of Power: For electricity

• Resource Availability:For Industry

• Good Soil: For agriculture

• History: An area settled previously will encourage more people.

• A settlement pattern is the distribution of homes, farms, villages, towns, and cities in an area.

• In Canada, these patterns vary enormously from place to place.

Population Distribution: A pattern showing where people live in an area. People tend to live in one of three settlement patterns:

• Dispersed
• Concentrated
• Linear

• Typical of areas with an agricultural base
• People tend to live on farms

• occur where other natural resources are present
• these resources cause people to settle near them.

• Occurs in a line that stretches out for some distance over the landscape.
• Settlement near a highway or the coast.

• Rural settlement occurs where people live outside of cities and towns.

• It is characterized by a dispersed population distribution pattern.

Three key factors affect the pattern of rural settlement in any area:

1/ The kind of resources found in the area:

• Most important factor
• SW Ontario is very different from Canadian Shield

2/ The transportation methods available at the time of settlement:

• Before 1800, settlement was near water
• After 1800, settlement was near roads

3/ The role played by the government policy:

• In some areas the government planned how, where, and when settlements would occur.
• The government used a survey system, which is a pattern of land division used in an area.

Three different systems were used in different areas of Canada.

• Developed along waterways

• Settled before survey system implemented

• Long, thin farms

• Heritage Law – owners had to divide land amongst offspring

• Long lots stretched back from a river because it was the only means of transportation.

• Taxes were based upon the width of the lots so they became very long and thin.

• When all the suitable riverfront areas had been used, roads were built parallel to the river and back a distance.

Pros:

• Excellent soil conditions
• Access to river ways
• Narrow – lower taxes
• Close to neighbours

Cons:

• Narrow lots hard to work
• Land became small and unworkable when divided amongst offspring

• Occurred after survey system was in place

• Based on road and railways – no longer dependent on water

• Concession Roads are parallel to waterway, and side roads are perpendicular

• Surveyors started at the shoreline and then, spaced approx. 2km apart, a series of parallel lines was surveyed. These later became concession roads.

• The resulting squares, about 2km by 2km, are known as concessions, and portions of these were given to settlers to clear and farm.

• They are further broken down into Lots (usually through sale or inheritance)

Pros

• Excellent soil for agriculture
• Access to roadways
• Easier access to land

Cons

• Further from neighbours

• Western Canada was surveyed before there was any large scale settlement for three reasons:

• The government was afraid that the U.S. might take over the Canadian west if there was no sign of occupation.

• The population was growing in Ontario and there was a demand for more land.

• Land was divided into 36 sections and each section divided into 4 quadrants

• A family would get one quadrant – approx. 64ha in size

Pros

• Land was well suited for modern farm machinery

Cons

• Soil was less fertile - needed larger farms
• Resulted in farm consolidation
• Some distance between neighbours

Settlement within other areas of Canada based on two main reasons.

1/ Resource-Based Settlement

• settlement as a result of a product or resources
• these included fishing, forestry, mining, and recreation
• Occurred in Atlantic Maritimes, Boreal Shield, Boreal Plain, Montane Cordillera, Pacific Maritimes

2/ Service-Based Settlement

• Often based on transportation
• Provides a variety of services which are needed by people in lightly populated areas
• These may included gas stations, motels, post offices, restaurants

• Movement towards urbanization

• Movement to commercial farming

• Technology is advancing farming practices

• Fewer services provided within rural regions

• Increased costs for goods and services

• Less rural areas as a result of urbanization

Long Lots of Southern Quebec

Where do Canadians Live?

Lot Lot System

Rural Settlement Patterns:

Section System in Southern Prairies

Settlement Patterns:

Concession System in Southern Ontario

Dispersed

Concentrated

Linear

Rural Issues Today:

Scattered Settlement

Newfoundland Outports:

Resource: Fish

Government Centre

Gander, Newfoundland

Transportation