# U.S. / Canada border crossing question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 7, 2011, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-canada-border-crossing-question/566747 "2011-01-07T14:40:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-canada-border-crossing-question/566747/41 "2011-01-15T20:01:34Z")
> [@Shamozzle](#): > > I think airport security is more about reducing the incidents of jets crashing into buildings. I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-canada-border-crossing-question/566747/42 "2011-01-16T02:09:19Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I don’t. Well, it depends. There’s airport security, and there’s border security. That’s two different things. When you fly from Canada to the U.S., you go through first one, then the other. ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-canada-border-crossing-question/566747/43 "2011-01-16T03:00:23Z")
> [@Shamozzle](#): > > I was going to mention Point Roberts. There, the border is laughable. If you use Google Earth you can click on some of the photos taken of the border there. One photo shows a simple residential fence with condos in Canada beside the fence on one side and a simple street immediately on the other side, in the US. It could be any residential neighborhood, but no, that’s the border. There is also a photo showing a cul-de-sac, a little patch of green or a small ditch (can’t remember, GE not installed), and a street right on the other side. The border runs between them, simple as that. And then there is “Zero Avenue” across the water, on the mainland. It’s a long, simple road like any other, literally right on the border with no physical barrier on either side. [An example](http://goo.gl/maps/3vyG). The house on the right is in Canada. The road and land on the other side of the yellow curb is in the US. Neat. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-canada-border-crossing-question/566747/44 "2011-01-16T03:29:34Z")
> [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](#): > > [An example](http://goo.gl/maps/3vyG). The house on the right is in Canada. The road and land on the other side of the yellow curb is in the US. Neat. Even better, check out [Zero Avenue](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=point+roberts,+wa&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Point+Roberts,+Whatcom,+Washington&gl=us&t=h&layer=c&cbll=49.002134,-122.753576&panoid=8cVgOYba6neqTSob9vdEkw&cbp=12,91.87,,0,5&ll=49.002134,-122.753576&spn=0.006398,0.009001&z=17) across Boundary Bay. As near as I can figure out, the border is the ditch on the right-hand side of this view of the road. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-canada-border-crossing-question/566747/45 "2011-01-16T05:34:49Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > FWIW, OP, I’ve heard from many that the US customs/immigration officers in Michigan are not the nicest bunch in the service. Chiming in here to say that it’s true. The Canadian officers were very kind, the American ones weren’t. I got a five minute grilling as to why I was coming BACK to the States. The Canadian officers were like “Oh, hello. Welcome to Canada? You’re here to visit? That’s nice. How long will you be here, no illegal stuff…” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-canada-border-crossing-question/566747/46 "2011-01-16T06:28:27Z")
That’s my experience, too. The American customs officers all seemed displeased. The Canadians were cheerful, especially when they discovered I was a Texan. “Wow! Well, welcome to Canada! Have a good day!” My own countrymen never seemed happy to see me come home. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![todd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/fbc32d/32.png) [@todd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/todd)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-canada-border-crossing-question/566747/47 "2011-01-16T09:18:42Z")
cross - 10 miles down through farmers field - who cares - ise a quad - horse or go camping ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-canada-border-crossing-question/566747/48 "2011-01-16T17:51:30Z")
Old anecdote from the mid 80s when things were a bit more relaxed. We were in Niagara Falls (US) for a League of American Wheelmen bicycle rally with somewhere around 2000 riders. There were various rides all over the US side and a couple across the border. The big scheduled ride had us loading up our jersey pockets (for non-bikers, these are sewn low in the back of the jersey) with bananas, apples, oranges, etc… for a route into Canada, their Niagara Falls park, and back out to the US. No sweat on the ‘welcome to Canada’ part but coming back was a different story. Seems our fruit (not eaten) was a problem. I was in a line of bicyclists waiting for our Q&A session noticing a large pile of fruit building up on a desk. A supervisor (I assume) came over to the inspectors for a quick conference and the questions changed to, "Are you a US citizen? Are you with the bicycle rally? and with a big smiley - Would you like some fruit? Someone had a touch of humor that day. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-canada-border-crossing-question/566747/49 "2011-01-16T21:36:14Z")
> [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](#): > > That’s my experience, too. The American customs officers all seemed displeased. The Canadians were cheerful, especially when they discovered I was a Texan. “Wow! Well, welcome to Canada! Have a good day!” My own countrymen never seemed happy to see me come home. ☹ It depends. When visiting Canada for leisure, they are pleasant. But when visiting for business, they were among the nastiest I’ve encountered. The Americans were always gruff and businesslike. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-canada-border-crossing-question/566747/50 "2011-01-17T22:34:07Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > After making the border crossing in various locations in Western Canada, I find the hysteria about airport security, well, hysterical. If someone with bad intentions wants to get into the US, they most certainly will. After the travel restrictions got really hardcore, I was flying from Saskatoon to Edmonton and I followed everything to the letter - all my toiletries in the ziploc baggie, made sure to finish my bottle of pop before, etc. I’m pretty sure they thought it was the funniest thing ever. This girl from Saskatoon all prepped like she was flying from the Middle East to New York. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-canada-border-crossing-question/566747/51 "2011-01-17T23:07:24Z")
The wilderness area of the border is patrolled, but not heavily. It’s just too difficult and expensive. As in many rural areas, the locals know each other pretty well and they do indeed pick up the phone when they see unusual activity, or people they don’t recognize. If the strangers are carrying Timmie’s bags, the locals demand a cut as passage. 😃 The mosquitoes, black flies and bears run back-up patrols too. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-canada-border-crossing-question/566747.md?page=2)