If Ottawa is the capital of Canada, why isn't it the capital of Ontario as well?

Question

Why Toronto???

Answer 1

Why isn't Washington DC the capital of the state that it is in too?

Answer 2

Running either a country or a province requires a good deal of real estate.  Having both capitals in the same city would mean that you have one less town that provides jobs, both in jobs in government and jobs for companies who provide services for the people in those jobs.  Also, most federal and provincial goverment agencies can't be combined--so the province and the country would be competing for real estate in the same place, which would drive the prices they pay to house government agencies up and cost the taxpayers more money.  

The real answer is probably more historical than logical, but this is why it is better that it was set up this way.  

Answer 3

cuz that's too much capitalism

Answer 4

We have queen victoria to thank for that too.   When the colonies of Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec) where amalgamated she decided that the capital of the new "country" should be mid-way between the two primaries and so picked Bytown (a small lumber town on the Ottawa River) as the Capital city.  It was renamed Ottawa.  It became the national capital and remained so as the country grew.

Toronto remained the capital of Upper Canada and Quebec City remained the capital of Lower Canada.  

Answer 5

Why not?

Toronto...great city or the greatest city?

Answer 6

In 1793, Governor John Graves Simcoe established the town of York (which is now Toronto) on the existing settlement, naming it after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. Simcoe chose the town to replace Newark (which is now Niagara-on-the-Lake) as the capital of Upper Canada, believing the new site would be less vulnerable to attack by the Americans.