For someone who lives on the US-Canada border, how do you handle?
While preferred, you dont need a passport for land crossings at the US-Canada border. There are plenty of additional forms that establish US or Canadian citizenship that are acceptable and will allow for land (and water) crossing (examples: birth certificate + drivers license, Enhanced drivers licenses/ID cards, citizenship cards or passport cards, NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST cards, citizenship certificate, Green Card).