[upinottawa]

^Ouch.

With respect to the highway from the county, you are surely speaking of Highway 3. Having commuted from Essex to the university area for a summer job in 2003, I can attest to how congested and slow moving Highway 3 is prior to entering Windsor. Having said that, a significant contributor to the slow pace of travel are large trucks and the ever increasing number of stop lights. Although there are not a lot of trucks on this highway (viz-à-viz Huron Church), the frequent traffic lights cause the two lane highway to bog down.

As for smog, I am not a scientist. However, I understand that smog afflicts most cities in Southern Ontario. That being said, standing in one spot and sweating may be a function of heat and humidity rather than smog. As far as heat is concerned, Windsor is Canada's southern-most city: on average it is going to be warmer than other cities in the area.

Are far as Windsor being too close to Detroit politically, most Windsorites (IMHO) would argue that the city gets ignored by the provincial government. This is especially true when there is a Progressive Conservative government at Queen's Park and less so when there is a Liberal or NDP government in Toronto. Windsor elects Liberal or NDP MPPs, so the PC party (and even the Liberals or NDP) has little reason to bribe local voters the way a city like London would. Windsor is geographically close to Detroit, but is certainly more of an Ontario city than a Michigan city.

As far as being flat, short of breast augmentation, I am not sure what the city can do. The city is on the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair and has easy access to Lake Erie. There are a ton of wineries in the county. And, of course, there is a major American metropolis on the city's doorstep. There are certainly things to do on both sides of the River.

As far as being far away from the GTA, well I can't really argue with that. However, Windsor is just as far from Chicago as it is from Toronto. Not only that but one can get crazy deals to other American cities flying Southwest from Metro Airport.

Certainly Windsor does not a great natural wonder like the Falls, but the city also does not have a Denny's....