Why Québec City Is So Unusual

Québec City is one of the most unusual cities in North America.

At its core sits a fortified historic city on a cliff above the St. Lawrence River — with narrow streets, French château-style architecture, and actual city walls. But zoom out, and that same city is surrounded by dense grids, highways, bridges, working ports, and modern neighborhoods.

In this video, I take a closer look at how Québec City works as a city, not just how it looks on postcards.

We explore:
-How geography and the St. Lawrence River shaped the city
-why Old Québec developed as a fortified Upper and Lower Town
-how modern infrastructure and dense neighborhoods grew around the historic core
-and what everyday life is like in one of Canada’s most distinctly francophone cities

From aerial views to street level, Québec City turns out to be a rare mix:
clearly North American in how it functions — and deeply European in how it looks and feels.

If you’re from Québec, feel free to share your own local insights in the comments — I genuinely enjoy reading them.

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#QuebecCity
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Music by:
epidemicsound.com

Stockfootage:
storyblocks.com