Like the foreign concessions in China during the late-Qing and early-Republican periods, the Canal Zone was characterized by extravagant lifestyles and prosperous foreign settlements. Residents of the Canal Zone came to be known as "Zoners." On the other hand, the region outside of the Zone remained underdeveloped, and slums abounded.
這就像清末民初中國大陸的租界，裡面生活富裕、十里洋場，運河區居民被稱為「運河區人」；外面卻是建設落後、到處都看得到貧民窟。