Ottawa is another example - it was selected because it had a defensible position, since invasion from Americans was a real threat to young Canada. While it's a

Ottawa is another example - it was selected because it had a defensible position, since invasion from Americans was a real threat to young Canada. While it's a lovely city, it sticks out as being far removed from the major traffic corridor of central/eastern Canada. While Canada is generally sparse, there's a high density corridor running from Niagara Falls around Lake Ontario to Quebec City, and Ottawa is accessible from it but it's a substantial detour.