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Geocaching Capital Of Canada


murfster

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It is a nice area, but I only see 58 caches within a 50 km radius of the coordinates posted on the site. That's less than 1 cache per square kilometer (0.74).

 

By comparison, "Barrie" has 2 caches/sq.km within the same radius.

 

I calculate about one-third of Ontario's caches are located in the southern part of the province. (Drawing a line from the Scarborough Bluffs right across to Lake Huron just south of Goderich, and taking everything south of that.)

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There was an article about this published in the local paper, the Haliburton Echo, last week. I was glad to see geocaching as something very positive, but to me it sounded like they were only interested for the commerical opportunities it will bring. We all know that geocaching brings us places we might not have gone otherwise. I looked for a cache in Wilberforce because of an interesting description and amazing location. I feel that geocaching is already doing a good job of bringing people into the area - and doesn't need to be exploited.

 

The AGBA has already generated numerous stickers and information pamphlets for the community. Promoters are also urging business owners to post “Welcome Geocachers” signs and to include the “geocaching Capital of Canada” logo on their business communication materials. Employers are also encouraged to hide a cache near their business property if they want to lure geocaching tourists and introduce them to their operation.

 

I don't think geocachers want to be "lured"... :D

 

(EDIT: Added the quote)

Edited by bandgeek
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It is a nice area, but I only see 58 caches within a 50 km radius of the coordinates posted on the site. That's less than 1 cache per square kilometer (0.74).

 

By comparison, "Barrie" has 2 caches/sq.km within the same radius.

 

I calculate about one-third of Ontario's caches are located in the southern part of the province. (Drawing a line from the Scarborough Bluffs right across to Lake Huron just south of Goderich, and taking everything south of that.)

 

Nope, it's got to be Wilberforce, seeing as someone went out and bought the domain name geocachingcapitalofcanada.com (which also gets you to the same website as the one linked to by the OP) :D

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I suppose that as the placer of the first geocache in Wilberforce (Wilberforce be With You?) I should jump in here.

 

Sticky Moose, the architect behind the moniker "Geocaching Capital of Canada" just hosted a great event cache Sugar Shack Shuffle this weekend where over 22 teams (some, such as ours, comprising a number of gc.com logins) attended and had a great time as you will see from the logs. Her years of experience as a Guide leader certainly showed in the way she organised this hunt. We were astounded at how many people showed up - there was standing room only at the final "prize giving" at the end of the day.

 

Anyway, I think if you read the Haliburton Echo article referenced earlier in the thread you will see exactly why it is being touted as such. A relatively economically depressed area seeking a way to attract a few more people to help boost the local economy in what I can say most definitely from personal knowledge is a really interesting area. Regardless of whether the name "Geocaching Capital of Canada" is a bit of hyperbole or not I can't help but admire Sticky Moose's enthusiasm, and she is already setting some imaginative caches there. From this weekend's turnout I am certainly looking forward to a bunch more popping up this summer :D

 

I wouldn't take this too seriously and I hope people don't start slamming it as its really all a bit of fun. It is certainly not the covert commercialism of the Canadian Ecology Centre run series that are starting to pop up all over the place in Ontario - where they reportedly charge local tourist bureaus a fee to set caches that they then list for free on gc.com and someone (I'm not sure who) ends up getting some grant from the Feds to do so. But I digress. Anyone who wants to come and place some more caches in the area so that Wilberforce might justifiably call itself the "Geocaching Capital of Canada" one day will certainly be welcome with open arms by us (we've run out of ones to hunt round there :D ) and I'm sure by a lot of other geocachers who have already discovered this area. BTW - you can also get some gc.com supplies - TB Tags, etc. - from Agnew's General Store in Wilberforce at the same price you can by mail order (but they are closed Sundays :lol: ) - yes, the store is run by Sticky Moose - but that's about as far as the "commercialism" goes. It's neat to see "Cachers Corner" in our local General Store :lol:

 

See ya on the trails

Edited by Geofellas
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I think that Victoria BC is probably the most cache dense city in Canada. On Mt. Doug there are so many caches (1 almost every 161m), that I don't think there is room for any more! Have a look on google earth... People rave about our climate, bicycle lanes/trails (cycling capital of Canada so we've been told) and now we've become a geocaching holiday destination. We've posted some pics on our website of geocaching locations around town to tempt you to come to visit and bring your gps!

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I think that Victoria BC is probably the most cache dense city in Canada. On Mt. Doug there are so many caches (1 almost every 161m), that I don't think there is room for any more! Have a look on google earth... People rave about our climate, bicycle lanes/trails (cycling capital of Canada so we've been told) and now we've become a geocaching holiday destination. We've posted some pics on our website of geocaching locations around town to tempt you to come to visit and bring your gps!

I have to agree with Landsharkz. If you were to base it on cache density, climate and diversity of terrain then southern Vancouver Island is most definitely the caching capital of Canada.

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It is a nice area, but I only see 58 caches within a 50 km radius of the coordinates posted on the site. That's less than 1 cache per square kilometer (0.74).

 

Ah but it's not about the numbers :laughing:

 

Of course it's not.

 

But if I am going to pack up my family and get a hotel room somewhere specifically for geocaching adventures, I am going to want lots to choose from.

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I wouldn't take this too seriously and I hope people don't start slamming it as its really all a bit of fun.

 

No worries from me, I wouldn't slam such a thing. I just made some "technical" observations about cache density (even though I knew it would elicit a "not about numbers" response).

 

It is worth repeating my other comment: This is a really nice area. All it takes is a handful of caches on placed on really nice hiking routes and you have a winner.

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I think that Victoria BC is probably the most cache dense city in Canada. On Mt. Doug there are so many caches (1 almost every 161m), that I don't think there is room for any more! Have a look on google earth... People rave about our climate, bicycle lanes/trails (cycling capital of Canada so we've been told) and now we've become a geocaching holiday destination. We've posted some pics on our website of geocaching locations around town to tempt you to come to visit and bring your gps!

I have to agree with Landsharkz. If you were to base it on cache density, climate and diversity of terrain then southern Vancouver Island is most definitely the caching capital of Canada.

 

I have to agree with these guys and I'm from Alberta. I've was there in mid Feb. on a caching holiday ( my xmas gift from my wife :lol: ). If I were to get on a plane today for another trip, in Canada, it would be to Victoria.

 

It is easy to make that claim when no one else has but don't be suprised if you're challenged on it.

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Have to agree with Geofellas. Sticky Moose is sincerely interested in promoting the general area as a haven for Geocaching. Numbers ? - I'd suggest any comparison should be on a 'caches per population', within a given area. Obviously any urban area will come ahead if we merely look at cache density. Wilberforce and Greater Surroundings ('WGS') is very hard to beat in Caches per person per sq. kilometre, even to several hundred sq. kilometres!

 

Many Kudos earned by Sticky Moose - in Wilberforce: The Geocaching capital of Canada.

 

AND - They serve up a great 'Geo-burger', complete in a 'cache' container, down at the 'Crossroads' Restaurant in Wilberforce.

 

Any proclamation that brings new interest into the Geocaching Sport ahs to be a great one.

 

'Bullfrog Eh-Team' - Proud to live (and cache) so close to the 'Capital'.

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After I retire (in 14 months and 4 days, not that I'm counting) we plan to drive to Ontario to see the fall leaves, but didn't have a specific destination in mind. Now I know we'll be heading to Wilberforce! One question, a bit off topic - when is the best time of year to go to see the beautiful fall leaves?

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I think that Victoria BC is probably the most cache dense city in Canada. On Mt. Doug there are so many caches (1 almost every 161m), that I don't think there is room for any more! Have a look on google earth... People rave about our climate, bicycle lanes/trails (cycling capital of Canada so we've been told) and now we've become a geocaching holiday destination. We've posted some pics on our website of geocaching locations around town to tempt you to come to visit and bring your gps!

I have to agree with Landsharkz. If you were to base it on cache density, climate and diversity of terrain then southern Vancouver Island is most definitely the caching capital of Canada.

 

I have to agree with these guys and I'm from Alberta. I've was there in mid Feb. on a caching holiday ( my xmas gift from my wife :) ). If I were to get on a plane today for another trip, in Canada, it would be to Victoria.

 

It is easy to make that claim when no one else has but don't be suprised if you're challenged on it.

This came up when the cycling enthusiasts, BC Tourism and politicians started publicizing Victoria as the Cycling Capital of Canada. We have year round cycling, kilometres and kilometres of cycling paths/trails, cycling lanes and markers on roads, cycling committees on municipal and provincial boards, etc. All of a sudden we had Ottawa saying "Hey! We thought we were the cycling capital of Canada!" Having visited Ottawa I'd say they are certainly dedicated cyclists - we were there during Winterlude and saw many cyclists cycling on icy and snowy roads. What dedication to alternative methods of commuting. Anyway, I digress...

So what makes a 'geocaching capital'? If it's accessability, climate and cache density (read many new caches every week), then I think Victoria should be on top. Anyone can make a website and call themselves something, but are they really 'it' or just saying they're 'it'? Perhaps Landsharkz should create a website and call Victoria the Geocaching Capital of North America!

I'll say this... Victoria doesn't have maple syrup, ski hills, luge runs or outdoor skating (well maybe once for a few days). At one time we only had one snowplow in the city! But we do have geocaches to suit every cacher - handicapped accessible, rugged off road, on mountaintops (in snow sometimes), on remote islands, by waterfalls, on beaches, by trestle bridges, downtown micros, an earthcache, ones specifically for tourists arriving by cruise ship or ferry, caches with a view, in caves, for kids, for mountainbikers, for ladies in high heels, accessible by small personal boat (canoe or kayak) and all within 60 minutes of each other. We also have a dedicated caching community who are very willing to take time to help visitors find their way around or offer advice of creating a day tour to see the city and grab some caches along the route. We have cachers who offer geocaching seminars to the public and the geocaching community and have been invited to the US to teach geocaching seminars. We also have caching competitions with incredible prizes.

Power to Wilberforce for coming up with the title Geocaching Capital of Canada - Geocaching Communities who go the extra mile.

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Well I have to put my .02 worth in!

 

I feel that Eastriver Nova Scotia is the Geocaching Capital of Canada!

 

This is where Geocaching in Canada started .

 

Geocache GCBBA by Ken Kane

 

Hmmm...I don't get it. How can the person whom hid this cache do so a year before they became a member of Geocaching?

 

:)

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Well I have to put my .02 worth in!

 

I feel that Eastriver Nova Scotia is the Geocaching Capital of Canada!

 

This is where Geocaching in Canada started .

 

Geocache GCBBA by Ken Kane

 

Hmmm...I don't get it. How can the person whom hid this cache do so a year before they became a member of Geocaching?

 

:lol:

 

A few theories:

 

1) they adopted it from the original login that set it up (but might have been part of the original "team")

2) they let their membership lapse and what you see in their profile is their reactivation date

3) there is a bug in the database

4) someone hacked into the database

5) the placed by date was modified after it was approved

 

:)

 

Edit: added theory number 5

Edited by Geofellas
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Well I have to put my .02 worth in!

 

I feel that Eastriver Nova Scotia is the Geocaching Capital of Canada!

 

This is where Geocaching in Canada started .

 

Geocache GCBBA by Ken Kane

 

Hmmm...I don't get it. How can the person whom hid this cache do so a year before they became a member of Geocaching?

 

:)

 

A few theories:

 

1) they adopted it from the original login that set it up (but might have been part of the original "team")

2) they let their membership lapse and what you see in their profile is their reactivation date

3) there is a bug in the database

4) someone hacked into the database

5) the placed by date was modified after it was approved

 

:lol:

 

Edit: added theory number 5

6) At the time there were no user accounts, the cache was originally GC41 when all caches were owned by iryshe. A year after the cache was listed, when user accounts were available, Jeremy wanted the caches to be owned by the cache owners and not his account, he emailed the cachers for the caches in his account to move them over to them, eastriver then created his account and GC41 became GCBBA under the actual cache owners account and not the iryshe account. GC41 is still owned by iryshe and therefore cannot be modified to change the placed date. The site and hobby was in it infancy and was just being developed, things did not quite work then as they do now.

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I feel that Eastriver Nova Scotia is the Geocaching Capital of Canada!

 

I would also have to agree with the Lost Geeks

 

Since GCBBA was the very 1st cache in Canada it should only go without saying, although I guess we must, Eastriver Nova Scotia is the true capital of Geocaching in Canada.

 

Stating that on location is the capital strickly because it has the highest density or population would be like saying Toronto or Montreal is the Capital city of Canada.....

 

Hmmmm, not a chance!!!!

 

Besides what do numbers have to do with it?!?

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Well I have to put my .02 worth in!

 

I feel that Eastriver Nova Scotia is the Geocaching Capital of Canada!

 

This is where Geocaching in Canada started .

 

Geocache GCBBA by Ken Kane

 

Cheers,

 

The Lost Geeks

Eastriver certainly does have a claim to fame! I wish I knew about geocaching when we visited Nova Scotia 2 years ago because we would have made the pilgrimage to Eastriver. Now we definitely have a reason to go back... and also because we didn't get a chance to visit Cape Breton!

 

What about this "Eastriver, Birthplace of Geocaching in Canada"? :lol:

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What city does have the highest density in Canada ?

Lets say 10Km radius around city , cache count ?

 

here are the cache counts for Moncton New Brunswick taken April 7th

 

163 - 5km

324 - 10km

460 - 20km

607 - 30km

727 - 40km

 

What are other Cities like ?

 

The pinpoint of the City of Victoria is about 1.5km from the ocean, so to more accurately represent this area I searched 'Greater Victoria' and used my home coordinates, because we are centrally located in this area.

 

I'm sure there are other ways to come up with these figures, but here's my version:

 

Victoria BC taken April 28th

 

213 - 5km

457 - 10km

609 - 20km

746 - 30km

843 - 40km

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What city does have the highest density in Canada ?

Lets say 10Km radius around city , cache count ?

 

here are the cache counts for Moncton New Brunswick taken April 7th

 

163 - 5km

324 - 10km

460 - 20km

607 - 30km

727 - 40km

 

What are other Cities like ?

 

The pinpoint of the City of Victoria is about 1.5km from the ocean, so to more accurately represent this area I searched 'Greater Victoria' and used my home coordinates, because we are centrally located in this area.

 

I'm sure there are other ways to come up with these figures, but here's my version:

 

Victoria BC taken April 28th

 

213 - 5km

457 - 10km

609 - 20km

746 - 30km

843 - 40km

The Lower Mainland (Greater Vancouver) area, using Port Coquitlam as a center:

 

75 - 5km

188 - 10km

491 - 20km

793 - 30km

988 - 40km

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I just searched 500 caches with Parliment hill (Ottawa) being center. There is 500 located within 16.44km of the hill. It being the capital I think that makes us the geocaching captial of Canada :laughing: Cachers in this area are known as Canada's Capital Cachers, Cacheurs de la capitale du Canada. I have no proplem with them claiming the name, geocaching capital of Canada, cause if you build it they will come. Give them some time they may pass us all.

Edited by hidnseek
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Interesting to see the 'urban' competition in this forum - Re: cache density. But I haven't seem a good response to also building in the population density of the same areas referred to! It is definitely tough to decide if Barrie, Victoria, Vancouver or Ottawa may be the densest.

 

But 'Wilberforce' certainly isn't dense. In their claim to 'Geocaching Capital of Canada', they do explain that their area bears the moniker "Wilberforce and Greater Surroundings" or the 'WGS'. What a great way to invlove all Canandian Cachers - for we are all part of their 'Greater Surroundings' - aren't we ?

 

I am proud to be a part of their 'Greater Surroundings', proud enough to feel a kinship with Wilberforce, and their initiative on behalf of all Canadian Geocachers.

 

Hmmmm! Must check - wouldn't Wilberforce also be reasonably close to "The Centre of Canadian Geocaching, in the Northern Hemisphere" (N45 - W78 ?). Wonder if another entrepreneurial geocacher might like to tackle that title?

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Hmmmm! Must check - wouldn't Wilberforce also be reasonably close to "The Centre of Canadian Geocaching, in the Northern Hemisphere" (N45 - W78 ?). Wonder if another entrepreneurial geocacher might like to tackle that title?

 

Sort of invites the next question - where is "The Centre of Canadian Geocaching, in the Southern Hemisphere" ? :laughing:

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I just searched 500 caches with Parliment hill (Ottawa) being center. There is 500 located within 16.44km of the hill. It being the capital I think that makes us the geocaching captial of Canada :laughing: Cachers in this area are known as Canada's Capital Cachers, Cacheurs de la capitale du Canada. I have no proplem with them claiming the name, geocaching capital of Canada, cause if you build it they will come. Give them some time they may pass us all.

 

In Ottawa it depends where you put the center. Since Hull, Quebec is right across the river from Parliament, you'll get a lot of Hull caches (and I don't recall there being all that many), you shift a little South West, towards Kanata and you get even more.

 

Thing I like about Ottawa caches, is that they were all pretty good in the early days, so newer cachers had a high bar to work with, and many have raised it since then. So quality over quantity for sure. And thank god for the greenbelt!

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Zartimus, you are right about that high standard the early cachers set in this area! And I do agree the greenbelt gives us an advantage too. We have awsome quality caches. I think the GAG events also have to do with the number of caches in the area.

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It is definitely tough to decide if Barrie, Victoria, Vancouver or Ottawa may be the densest.

 

Just for the record, in my original calculation I wasn't suggesting that Barrie was particularly "cache dense" or that it should qualify for any moniker. I just used it as a basis of comparison because that is where I am sitting.

 

Meanwhile, Wilberforce is definitely sitting on my "must visit" list (as well as the Greater Surroundings).

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Sorry I ran out of cards for the WGS at the COG2 Fling. They were in high demand, as were the 'stickers'. Glad to hear so many positive comments about the Wilberforce and WGS initiative. Seems many of us have a soft spot for 'the little guy'. BTW - just got back from yet another FTF in the WGS! They are certainly busy at getting new caches out. AND - the 'Geocache Burger' at the 'Crossroads' of the WGS is superb!

Bullfrog Eh-Team

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On a numbers basis, total caches is skewed because of population... if you go by radium (which many have been doing) then centers like Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa which have populations combined which surpass pretty well the entire rest of the country, it's easy to compete on pure numbers

 

trust me in that the caches per capita for those cities are not as impressive.

 

I would bet dollars to donuts that the top caches per capita CITY in Canada is somewhere in New Brunswick

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trust me in that the caches per capita for those cities are not as impressive.

 

I would bet dollars to donuts that the top caches per capita CITY in Canada is somewhere in New Brunswick

Why base the calcs ON A CITY ? Let's give all areas in Canada an equal shot!

Just for the 'radia' measure comparison - mine would be:

 

5 km. - 6 caches (5 are mine)

10 km. 11 caches (8 are mine)

20 km. - 26 caches

30 km. - 39 caches

40 km. - 49 caches (that gets me into the WGS - 'Geocaching Capital of Canada !).

 

Yesterday I drove 150 km. roud trip to try for another FTF. Didn't make this one. Only have 17 FTFs so far.

Hey! this is 'fun'.

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