Awareness of Norms when Travelling

I am from Vancouver Island and even though it is in Canada as well, there are many significant differences in norms between there and here. On the Island people say hello or acknowledge one another (including strangers) when passing in most situations, and it is considered rude not to. When I came here I quickly realized this was not the normal thing to do after most people ignored me or gave me odd looks after saying "hello". I haven't conformed to the no acknowledgement norm here, mostly out of habit but also because it still carries meaning for me, even though it may seem strange to others here.