an Shield, and this meant that the agricultural and commercial populations remained along the narrow band of land along the St. Lawrence River. Agriculture any distance from this area was poor, and by the time the population had expanded across the continent, southern Ontario and southern Quebec had accumulated enough inertia in terms of the economy, politics, and culture to remain the leading growth region in Canada ("The National Core Region of Canada" 157-158).
The diversity evident in the core is also related to its geography, though in a different way. The regions of both southern Ontario and southern Quebec stand along the main route of access between Europe and the Canadian interior. Both also developed urban commercial centers that would dominate the economic organization of each province's portion of the core. Both experienced a gradual population shift from rural to urban residences common to most
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