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|subdivision_type1 Provinces of Canada |subdivision_name1 |subdivision_type2 Metropolitan Toronto |subdivision_name2 East York, Ontario Etobicoke North York, Ontario Toronto (former) Scarborough, Ontario York, Ontario |leader_title Mayor of Toronto |leader_name David Miller (Canadian politician) |leader_title1 Council |leader_name1 Toronto City Council |leader_title2 Member of Parliament (Canada) |leader_name2 |leader_title3 Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario) |leader_name3 |established_title Established |established_date August 27, 1793 |established_title2 Municipal corporation |established_date2 March 6, 1834 |established_title3 Merger (politics) |established_date3 January 1, 1998 from File:Flag of Metropolitan Toronto.svg Metropolitan Toronto |area_magnitude |unit_pref Metric |area_magnitude |area_total_km2 630 |area_metro_km2 7125 |area_urban_km2 1749 |elevation_m 76 |area_footnotes lt;/ref> |population_note |population_as_of 2006 |population_total 2,503,281 (List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population |population_density_km2 3972 |population_metro Census Metropolitan Area 5,113,149 (List of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in Canada |population_urban Census geographic units of Canada#Urban areas 4,753,120 (List of the 100 largest urban areas in Canada |population_blank3_title Demonym |population_blank3 Torontonian |population_footnotes |timezone North American Eastern Time Zone |utc_offset -5 |timezone_DST Eastern Daylight Time |utc_offset_DST -4 |postal_code_type Postal code span |postal_code List of M Postal Codes of Canada |area_code Area codes 416 and 647 |website http://www.toronto.ca/ www.toronto.ca] |latd43 |latm42 |lats59.72 |latNSN |longd79 |longm20 |longs26.47 |longEWW|coordinates_display1 |blank_name National Topographic System Map |blank_info 030M11 |blank1_name Geographical Names Board of Canada Code |blank1_info FEUZB }} Toronto ( Name of Toronto or is the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population and the Provinces and territories of Canada Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada of Ontario It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America. Toronto is at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and is part of a densely populated region in Southern Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe which is home to over 8.1 million residents—approximately 25% of Canadas population.Total population of the Greater Toronto Area comprises the regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario (561,258), Regional Municipality of Halton, Ontario (439,256), Regional Municipality of Peel, Ontario (1,159,405) and Regional Municipality of York, Ontario (892,712). These population figures are taken from lt;/ref>The fact that these municipalities form the GTA is stated in lt;/ref>lt;/ref> The census metropolitan area (CMA) had a population of 5,113,149,lt;/ref> and the Greater Toronto Area had a population of 5,555,912 in the Canada 2006 Census As Canadas economic capital, Toronto is considered an global city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) study group"http://mail.architexturez.net/+/In-Enaction/archive/msg00800.shtml What makes a global city?]", (2007) and is one of the Global Financial Centres Index in the world.http://www.citymayors.com/economics/financial-cities.html Citymayors.com], [[Toronto Star]](2004). Retrieved on 2007-07-08."http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/15/economic-growth-gdp-biz-cx_jz_0715powercities_slide_11.html?thisSpeed30000 Toronto (#10)]", "http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/07/15/economic-growth-gdp-biz-cx_jz_0715powercities.html Worlds Most Economically Powerful Cities.]" [[Forbes]](2008). Retrieved on 2008-10-31. Torontos leading economic sectors include finance, business services, telecommunications, aerospace, transportation, media, arts, film, television production, publishing, software production, medical research, education, tourism and sports industries.http://www.toronto.ca/ City of Toronto] (2007) - http://www.toronto.ca/invest-in-toronto/tor_overview.htm Toronto economic overview], http://www.toronto.ca/invest-in-toronto/clusteroverview.htm Key industry clusters] and http://www.toronto.ca/invest-in-toronto/pdf/economy.pdf A Diversified Economy]. Retrieved on 2007-03-01.lt;/ref> The Toronto Stock Exchange the List of stock exchanges is headquartered in the city, along with the most Canadian corporate headquarters of a major Canadian city. Torontos population is cosmopolitanism and international lt;/ref> reflecting its role as an important destination for Immigration to Canada Toronto is one of the worlds most diverse cities by percentage of non-native-born residents, as about 49% of the population were born outside of Canada.lt;/ref>lt;/ref> Because of the citys low crime rates, clean environment, high standard of living, and friendly attitude to diversity, Toronto is consistently rated as one of the worlds most livable cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit lt;ref namebest>lt;/ref> and the List of cities by quality of living lt;/ref> In addition, Toronto was ranked as the most expensive Canadian city in which to live lt;/ref> Residents of Toronto are called [[List of people from Toronto|Torontonians]]

History

Before 1800

When Europeans first arrived at the site of present-day Toronto, the vicinity was inhabited by the Huron tribes, who by then had displaced the Iroquois tribes that had occupied the region for centuries before c. 1500. The name Torontois likely derived from the Iroquois word tkaronto meaning "place where trees stand in the water".lt;/ref> It refers to the northern end of what is now Lake Simcoe where the Huron had planted tree saplings to corral fish. A portage route from Lake Ontario to Lake Huron running through this point, the Toronto Carrying-Place Trail led to widespread use of the name. French traders founded Fort Rouillé on the current Exhibition Place in 1750, but abandoned it in 1759.http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/jarvisci/toronto/rouille.htm Fort Rouillé], Jarvis Collegiate Institute (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-08. During the American Revolutionary War the region saw an influx of British Empire settlers as United Empire Loyalists fled for the unsettled lands north of Lake Ontario. In 1787, the British negotiated the Toronto Purchase with the Mississaugas of Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation thereby securing more than a quarter million acres (1000 km²) of land in the Toronto area.http://www.toronto.ca/culture/history/history-natives-newcomers.htm Natives and newcomers, 1600-1793], City of Toronto (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-08. In 1793, Governor John Graves Simcoe established the town of York, Upper Canada on the existing settlement, naming it after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany Simcoe chose the town to replace Niagara-on-the-Lake as the capital of Upper Canada lt;/ref> believing the new site would be less vulnerable to attack by the United States Fort York >lt;/ref> Fort York was constructed at the entrance of the towns natural harbour, sheltered by a long sand-bar peninsula. The towns settlement formed at the eastern end of the harbour behind the peninsula, near the present-day intersection of Parliament Street (Toronto) and Front Street (Toronto) (in the Corktown, Toronto amp;ndash;St. Lawrence, Toronto area).

1800–1945

File:Toronto 1894large.jpg In 1813, as part of the War of 1812 the Battle of York ended in the towns capture and plunder by American forces.lt;/ref> The surrender of the town was negotiated by John Strachan American soldiers destroyed much of Fort York and set fire to the parliament buildings during their five-day occupation. The sacking of York was a primary motivation for the Burning of Washington by British troops later in the war. York was incorporated as the City of Toronto on March 6, 1834, reverting to its original native name. The population of only 9,000 included escaped African American slaves fleeing Black Codes (United States) in some states.http://www.toronto.ca/archives/blackhistory.htm Black history at the City of Toronto Archives], City of Toronto (2009). Retrieved on 2009-03-13. Slavery in Canada was banned outright in Upper Canada in 1834. Reformist politician William Lyon Mackenzie became the first Mayor of Toronto and led the unsuccessful Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837 against the British colonial government. The city grew rapidly through the remainder of the 19th century, as a major destination for immigrants to Canada. The first significant population influx occurred with the Great Irish Famine brought a large number of Irish to the city, some of them transient and most of them Catholic. By 1851, the Irish-born population had become the largest single ethnic group in the city. Smaller numbers of Protestantism Irish immigrants were welcomed by the existing Scottish and English population, giving the Orange Order significant and long lasting influence over Toronto society. Toronto was twice for brief periods the capital of the united Province of Canada first from 1849–1852, following unrest in Montreal, and later 1856–1858 after which Quebec became capital until 1866 (one year before Canadian Confederation ; since then, the capital of Canada has remained Ottawa lt;/ref> As it had been for Upper Canada from 1793, Toronto became the capital of the province of Ontario after its official creation in 1867, the seat of government located at the Ontario Legislature located at Queen's Park (Toronto) Because of its provincial capital status, the city was also the location of Government House (Ontario) the residence of the viceroy representative of the Monarchy of Canada In the 19th century, an extensive sewage system was built, and streets became illuminated with gas lighting as a regular service. Long-distance railway lines were constructed, including a route completed in 1854 linking Toronto with the Upper Great Lakes. The Grand Trunk Railway and the Northern Railway of Canada joined in the building of the first Old Union Station (Toronto) in downtown. The advent of the railway dramatically increased the numbers of immigrants arriving, commerce and industry, as had the Lake Ontario steamers and schooners entering port before which enabled Toronto to become a major gateway linking the world to the interior of the North American continent. File:1TorontoFire1904.jpg ]] Toronto became the largest alcohol distillation (in particular spirits centre in North America, the Gooderham and Worts Distillery operations became the worlds largest whiskey factory by the 1860s. A preserved section of this once dominant local industry remains in the Distillery District the harbour allowed for sure access of grain and sugar imports used in processing. Expanding port and rail facilities brought in Northern Timber for export and imported Pennsylvania coal, industry dominated the waterfront for the next 100 years. Horse-drawn streetcars gave way to electric streetcars in 1891, when the city granted the operation of the transit franchise to the Toronto Railway Company The public transit system passed into public ownership in 1921 as the Toronto Transportation Commission later renamed the Toronto Transit Commission The system now has the third-highest ridership of any city public transportation system in North America.http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1122072619227_40/?hubCTVNewsAt11 Toronto transit chief says searches unlikely] (2005). Retrieved on 2007-02-03. The Great Fire of Toronto (1904) destroyed a large section of downtown Toronto, but the city was quickly rebuilt. The fire had cost more than $10 million in damage, led to more stringent fire safety laws, and the expansion of the citys fire department. File:Toronto Harbour, 1919.jpg 1919. Union Station (Toronto) can be seen under construction.]] The city received new immigrant groups beginning in the late 19th century into early 20th century, particularly German people French, Italian people and Jews from various parts of Eastern Europe They were soon followed by Chinese, Russian people Poles and immigrants from other Eastern Europe n nations, as the Irish before them, many of these new migrants lived in overcrowded shanty type slums, such as "The Ward, Toronto which was centred on Bay Street now the heart of the countrys finances. Despite its fast paced growth, by the 1920s, Torontos population and economic importance in Canada remained second to the much longer established Montreal However, by 1934, the Toronto Stock Exchange had become the largest in the country.

Since 1945

Following the Second World War refugees from war-torn Europe and Chinese job-seekers arrived. So too did construction labourers, particularly from Italy and Portugal. Following elimination of racially based immigration policies by the late 1960s, immigration began from all parts of the world. Torontos population grew to more than one million in 1951 when large-scale suburbanization began, and doubled to two million by 1971. By the 1980s, Toronto had surpassed Montreal as Canadas most populous city and the chief economic hub. File:1949 Toronto TTC YongeSubwayConstruction1.jpg construction on Yonge Street 1949]]During this time, in part owing to the political uncertainty raised by the resurgence of the Quebec sovereignty movement many national and multinational corporations moved their head offices from Montreal to Toronto and other western Canadian cities.http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3683/is_200201/ai_n9069631/pg_1 Westward ho? The shifting geography of corporate power in Canada], Journal of Canadian Studies (2002). Retrieved on 2007-01-14. In 1954, the City of Toronto and 12 surrounding municipalities were federated into a regional municipality known as Metropolitan Toronto http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/repealedstatutes/english/elaws_rep_statutes_90m62_e.htm Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto Act], Government of Ontario (2000). Retrieved on 2006-12-29. The postwar boom had resulted in rapid suburban development, and it was believed that a coordinated land use strategy and shared services would provide greater efficiency for the region. The metropolitan government began to manage services that crossed municipal boundaries, including highway , police services, water and public transit In that year, a half-century after the Great Fire of 1904, disaster struck the city again when Hurricane Hazel brought intense winds and flash flooding. In the Toronto area, 81 people were killed, nearly 1,900 families were left homeless, and the hurricane caused more than $25 million in damage.http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/sos/002028-3200-e.html SOS! Canadian Disasters] Library and Archives Canada (2006). Retrieved on 2008-12-19. In 1967, the seven smallest municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto were merged into their larger neighbours, resulting in a six-municipality configuration that included the old, i.e. pre-1954 Old Toronto, Ontario and the surrounding municipalities of East York, Ontario Etobicoke North York, Ontario Scarborough, Ontario and York, Ontario In 1998, the metropolitan government was dissolved by the Provincial Government in the face of vigorous opposition from the smaller component municipalities and all six municipalities were Merger (politics) into a single municipality, creating the current City of Toronto, with Mel Lastman as its first mayor (after being mayor of North York) and David Miller (Canadian politician) succeeding him as the current mayor. The city celebrated its 175th anniversary on March 6, 2009, since its inception as the City of Toronto in 1834. Toronto hosted the 2010 G-20 Toronto summit during June 26–27, 2010.

Geography

File:Toronto Landsat.jpg s Landsat 7 satellite from 1985. Yonge Street can clearly be seen bisecting the city just right of centre in the image. The other prominent road, running east-west, is Ontario Highway 401 ]] File:Toronto skyline sailboat.JPG ] Toronto covers an area of http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/standard/popdwell/Table-CSD-P.cfm?PR35&T2&SR1&S3&OD Population statistics and land area], Statistics Canada (2001). Retrieved on 2006-12-05. with a maximum north-south distance of and a maximum east-west distance of It has a long Toronto waterfront shoreline, on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. The Toronto Islands and Port Lands extend some distance out into the lake, allowing for a somewhat sheltered Toronto Harbour immediately south of the downtown core.lt;/ref> The citys borders are formed by Lake Ontario to the south, Etobicoke Creek and Ontario Highway 427 to the west, Steeles Avenue to the north and the Rouge River (Ontario) to the east.

Topography

File:ScarboroughBluffs10.jpg ] The city is intersected by two rivers and numerous tributaries: the Humber River (Ontario) in the west end and the Don River (Ontario) east of downtown at opposite ends of the Toronto Harbour The harbour was naturally created by sediment build-up from lake currents that created the Toronto Islands The many creeks and rivers cutting from north toward the lake created large tracts of densely forested Toronto ravine system and provide ideal sites for parks and recreational trails. However, the ravines also interfere with the citys grid plan and this results in major thoroughfares such as Finch Avenue Leslie Street Lawrence Avenue and St. Clair Avenue terminating on one side of ravines and continuing on the other side. Other thoroughfares such as the Prince Edward Viaduct are required to span above the ravines. These deep ravines prove useful for draining the citys vast storm sewer system during heavy rains, but some sections, particularly near the Don River are prone to sudden, heavy floods. During the last glacial period the lower part of Toronto was beneath Glacial Lake Iroquois Today, a series of escarpment mark the lakes former boundary, known as the Iroquois Shoreline The escarpments are most prominent from Victoria Park Avenue to the mouth of Highland Creek (Toronto) where they form the Scarborough Bluffs Other observable sections include the area near St. Clair Avenue West between Bathurst Street (Toronto) and the Don River, and north of Davenport Road from Caledonia to Spadina Avenue the Casa Loma grounds sit above this escarpment. Despite its deep ravines, Toronto is not remarkably hilly, but elevation differences range from above-sea-level at the Lake Ontario shore to ASL near the York University grounds in the citys north end at the intersection of Keele Street and Steeles Avenue lt;/ref> Much of the current lakeshore land area fronting the Toronto Harbour is artificial landfill filled during the late 19th century. Until then the lakefront docks (then known as wharves) were set back further inland than today. Much of the adjacent Port Lands are also fill. The Toronto Islands were a natural landspit until a storm in 1858 severed their connection to the mainland, creating a channel later used by shipping interests to access the docks.

Climate

File:Day243highparkp.jpg in Torontos west end]] Torontos climate is moderate for Canada owing to its southerly location within the country. It has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa, with warm, humid summers and cold winters. The city experiences four distinct seasons, with considerable variance in day to day temperature, particularly during the colder weather season. Owing to urbanization and its proximity to water, Toronto has a fairly low diurnal temperature range (day-night temperature difference). The denser urban scape makes for warmer nights year around and is not as cold throughout the winter than surrounding areas (particularly north of the city); however, it can be noticeably cooler on many spring and early summer afternoons under the influence of a lake breeze. Other low-scale maritime effects on the climate include lake effect snow fog and delaying of spring- and fall-like conditions, known as seasonal lag File:Dundas and University Winter.JPG and University Avenue (Toronto) ] Toronto winters sometimes feature short cold snaps where maximum temperatures remain below often made to feel colder by wind chill Snowstorms, sometimes mixed with ice and rain can disrupt work and travel schedules, accumulating snow can fall any time from November until mid-April. However, mild stretches with temperatures in the range and infrequently higher also occur in most winters melting accumulated snow. Summer in Toronto is characterized by long stretches of humid weather. Usually in the range from to daytime temperatures occasionally surpass accompanied by high humidity making it feel oppressive during these brief periods of hot weather. Spring and autumn are transitional seasons with generally mild or cool temperatures with alternating dry and wet periods. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, but summer is usually the wettest season, the bulk falling during thunderstorms. There can be periods of dry weather, but drought-like conditions are rare. The average yearly precipitation is about with an average annual snowfall of about Toronto experiences an average of 2,038 sunshine hours, or 44% of daylight hours, varying between a low of 27% in December to 59% in July.http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?ProvinceALL&StationNametoronto&SearchTypeBeginsWith&LocateByProvince&Proximity25&ProximityFromCity&StationNumber&IDTypeMSC&CityName&ParkName&LatitudeDegrees&LatitudeMinutes&LongitudeDegrees&LongitudeMinutes&NormalsClassA&SelNormals&StnId5051& Canadian climate normals for 1971 to 2000], Environment Canada (2004). Retrieved on 2006-12-17.

Cityscape

Architecture

File:Rogers Center-restitched.jpg viewed from Rogers Centre (originally called SkyDome)]] According to knowledgeable Toronto residents, and architect who have designed buildings in the city, such as Will Alsop and Daniel Libeskind Toronto has no single, dominant architectural style. Lawrence Richards, a member of the faculty of architecture at the University of Toronto has said "Toronto is a new, brash, rag-tag place—a big mix of periods and styles."lt;/ref> Toronto buildings vary in design and age with many structures dating back to the mid-1800s, while other prominent buildings were just newly built in the 2000s. File:Still shot from YEARS AGO movie und1080.jpg ] Defining the Toronto skyline is the CN Tower At a height of it was the worlds tallesthttp://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070913/cn_tower_070913/20070913?hubSciTech Dubai building surpasses CN Tower in height], CTV Television Network (2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-13. freestanding structure until 2007 when it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa but it is still the tallest tower in the western hemisphere surpassing Chicagos Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears Tower) by 110 metres in height. It is an important telecommunications hub, and a centre of tourism in Toronto. Toronto is a city of high-rises, having over 2,000 buildings over in height, second only to New York City (which has over 5,000 such buildings) in North America.lt;/ref> Most of these buildings are residential (either rental or condominium), whereas the Central business district contains the taller commercial office towers. There has been recent media attention given for the need to retrofit many of these buildings, which were constructed beginning in the 1950s as residential apartment blocks to accommodate a quickly growing population. File:Brookfield Place (Toronto. Canadà).JPG ] In contrast, Toronto has also begun to experience an architectural overhaul within the past five years. The Royal Ontario Museum the Gardiner Museum the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Ontario College of Art & Design are just some of the many public art buildings that have undergone massive renovations.http://web.archive.org/web/20071111050849/http://www.livewithculture.ca/livewithculture_ca/about/cultural_renaissance_projects/toronto_s_cultural_renaissance Toronto’s Cultural Renaissance], City of Toronto (2005). Retrieved on 2007-11-09. The historic Distillery District located on the eastern edge of downtown, is North Americas largest and best preserved collection of Victorian era industrial architecture. It has been redeveloped into a pedestrian-oriented arts, culture and entertainment neighbourhood. Modern glass and steel highrises have begun to transform the majority of the downtown area as the condominium market has exploded and triggered widespread construction throughout the citys centre. Trump International Hotel and Tower (Toronto) Ritz-Carlton Toronto Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts are just some of the many high rise luxury condominium-hotel projects currently under construction in the downtown core.

Neighbourhoods

File:Toronto - ON - Skyline bei Nacht.jpg The many residential communities of Toronto express a character distinct from that of the skyscrapers in the commercial core. Victorian era and Edwardian era residential buildings can be found in enclaves such as Rosedale, Toronto Cabbagetown, Toronto The Annex and Yorkville, Toronto Wychwood Park is historically significant for the architecture of its homes, and for being one of Torontos earliest planned communities. The Wychwood Park neighbourhood was designated as an Ontario Heritage Conservation district in 1985. The Casa Loma (neighbourhood) neighbourhood is named after Casa Loma a storybook castle built in 1911 complete with stunning gardens, multiple turrets, massive stables, an elevator, secret passages, and bowling alleys. Spadina House is a 19th century manor house that is now a museum. The City of Toronto encompasses a geographical area formerly administered by six separate municipalities. These municipalities have each developed a distinct history and identity over the years, and their names remain in common use among Torontonians. Throughout the city there exist hundreds of small neighbourhoods and some larger neighbourhoods covering a few square kilometres. Former municipalities include East York, Ontario Etobicoke North York, Ontario Toronto (former) Scarborough, Ontario and York, Ontario File:Toronto map.png which form the current City of Toronto.]] The Toronto (former) covers the area generally known as Downtown Toronto It is the historic core of Toronto and remains the most densely populated part of the city. The Financial District, Toronto contains the largest cluster of skyscraper in Canada, including the First Canadian Place Toronto Dominion Centre Scotia Plaza Royal Bank Plaza Commerce Court and Brookfield Place From that point, the Toronto skyline extends northward along Yonge Street. Old Toronto is also home to many historically wealthy residential enclaves, such as Yorkville, Toronto Rosedale, Toronto The Annex Forest Hill, Toronto Lawrence Park, Toronto Lytton Park Moore Park, Toronto and Casa Loma (neighbourhood) most stretching away from downtown to the north. These neighbourhoods generally feature upscale homes, luxury condominiums and high-end retail. At the same time, the downtown core vicinity includes neighbourhoods with many recent immigrants and low-income families living in social housing and rental Tower block such as St. James Town Regent Park Moss Park Alexandra Park, Toronto and Parkdale, Toronto East and west of Downtown, neighbourhoods such as Kensington Market Leslieville Cabbagetown, Toronto and Riverdale, Toronto are home to bustling commercial and cultural areas as well as vibrant communities of artists with studio lofts, with many middle and upper class professionals. Other neighbourhoods in the central city retain an ethnic identity, including two Chinatown, Toronto the popular Greektown, Toronto area, the trendy Little Italy, Toronto Trinity-Bellwoods and Gerrard Street (Toronto) along with others. File:Toronto Row Houses.jpg some of the houses shown have the distinctive bay-and-gable design, common in many parts of Old Toronto.]] The inner suburbs are contained within the former municipalities of York, Ontario and East York, Ontario These are mature and traditionally working class areas, primarily consisting of post-World War I small, single-family homes and small apartment blocks. Neighbourhoods such as Crescent Town Thorncliffe Park Weston, Ontario and Oakwood–Vaughan mainly consist of high-rise apartments, which are home to many new immigrant families. Recently, many neighbourhoods have become ethnically diverse and have undergone gentrification as a result of increasing population and a housing boom during the late 1990s and 2000s. The first neighbourhoods affected were Leaside and North Toronto gradually progressing into the western neighbourhoods in York. Some of the areas housing is in the process of being replaced or remodelled. The outer suburbs comprising the former municipalities of Etobicoke (west), Scarborough, Ontario (east) and North York, Ontario (north) largely retain the grid plan laid before post-war development. Sections were long established and quickly growing towns before the suburban housing boom began and the emergence of Metro Government, existing towns or villages such as Mimico Islington, Ontario and New Toronto in Etobicoke; Willowdale, Ontario Newtonbrook, Ontario and Downsview in North York; Agincourt, Toronto Wexford, Ontario and West Hill, Ontario in Scarborough where suburban development boomed around or between these and other towns beginning in the late 1940s. Upscale neighbourhoods were built such as the Bridle Path, Toronto in North York, the area surrounding the Scarborough Bluffs in Guildwood and most of central Etobicoke, such as Humber Valley Village and The Kingsway One of largest and earliest "planned communities" was Don Mills parts of which were first built in the 1950s."Plan town of 45,000 on Don Mills farms; Will cost $200,000,000", Paul L. Fox, [[Toronto Star]] March 12, 1953, p. 3. Retrieved on 2007-05-02. Phased development mixing single-detached housing with higher density apartment blocks became more popular as a suburban model of development. To some this model has been copied in other GTA municipalities surrounding Toronto, albeit with less population density. Over the last few decades, the North York Centre that runs along Yonge Street and the Scarborough City Centre have emerged as secondary business centres outside the downtown core. High-rise development in these areas have given North York and Scarborough distinguishable skylines of their own and a more downtown feel with high-density transit corridors serving them.

Industrial

File:HPIM1243.jpg ]] In the earlier industrial era of Toronto, industry became concentrated along the Toronto Harbour and lower Don River (Ontario) mouth. The Distillery District contains the largest and best-preserved collection of Victorian architecture industrial architecture in North America. Once the largest alcohol processing centre in North America, related structures along the Harbour include the Canada Malting Co. grain processing towers and the Redpath Sugar Museum Although production of spirits has declined over the decades, Toronto still has a robust and growing microbrewery industry. The District is a national heritage site, it was listed by [[National Geographic]]magazine as a "top pick" in Canada for travellers. Similar areas that still retain their post-industrial character, but are now largely residential are the Fashion District, Toronto Corktown, Toronto and parts of Riverdale, Toronto and Leslieville Toronto still has some active older industrial areas, such as Brockton Village Mimico and New Toronto In the west end of Old Toronto and York, the Weston, Ontario Mount Dennis and The Junction areas have a sense of grit to them, as they still contain factories, meat packing facilities and railyards close to medium density residential. Beginning in the late 19th century as Toronto sprawled out, industrial areas were set up on the outskirts. Over time, pockets of industrial land mostly followed rail lines and later highway corridors as the city grew outwards. This trend continues to this day, the largest factories and distribution warehouses have mostly moved to the suburban environs of Regional Municipality of Peel and Regional Municipality of York Regions; but also within the current city: Etobicoke (concentrated around Toronto Pearson International Airport , North York, and Scarborough. Many of Torontos Brownfield land close to (or Downtown) have been redeveloped including parts of the Toronto waterfront and Liberty Village large-scale development is underway in the West Don Lands The still mostly vacated Port Lands remain largely undeveloped, apart from a Portlands Energy Centre a shipping container facility and out-of-commission industrial facilities. There are future plans for development, including residential areas under the guidance of Waterfront Toronto

Public spaces

File:Dundas Square.jpg one of the busiest squares in the city]] Toronto has a diverse array of public spaces, from city squares to public parks overlooking Toronto ravine system A group called the Toronto Public Space Committee was formed to protect the citys public spaces. Nathan Phillips Square is the citys main square in downtown, and forms the entrance to Toronto City Hall Yonge-Dundas Square a newer square not far from City Hall, has also gained attention in recent years as one of the busiest gathering spots in the city. Other squares include Harbourfront Centre on the revitalized Toronto waterfront and the civic squares at the former city halls of the defunct Metropolitan Toronto, most notably Mel Lastman Square in North York. File:Hto Park Urban Beach 2.jpg Torontos first artificial urban beach]] There are many large downtown parks, which include Grange Park (Toronto) Moss Park Allan Gardens Little Norway Park Queen's Park (Toronto) Riverdale Park (Toronto) Trinity Bellwoods Park Christie Pits Park and the Leslie Street Spit which mainly consists of Tommy Thompson Park and opens on weekends. The Toronto Islands have several acres of park space, accessible from downtown by ferry. Large parks in the outer areas include High Park Humber Bay Park Centennial Park (Toronto) Downsview Park Guild Inn and Rouge Park An almost hidden park is the compact Cloud Gardens lt;/ref> which has both open areas and a glassed-in greenhouse in downtown Toronto. Both squares and parks are associated with rinks or pools for public ice-skating. Nathan Phillips Square is undergoing a major redesign by PLANT Architect Inc., Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners, Peter Lindsay Schaudt Landscape Architecture Inc., and Adrian Blackwell (winners of the International Design Competition in 2006 and 2007), since PLANT Architect Inc. won the competition in 2007. West 8, a Dutch architecture firm, won the Central Waterfront Innovative Design Competition in 2006 to redesign the central part of the Toronto waterfront lt;/ref>lt;/ref> In 1999, Downsview Park initiated an international design competition to realise its vision of creating Canadas first national urban park In May 2000, the winning park design was announced: "TREE CITY", by the team of Bruce Mau Design, Office for Metropolitan Architecture, Oleson Worland Architect and Inside/Outside.

Culture

File:TheEXCNE.jpg Canadas largest fair which runs annually from mid-August to Labour Day]] Toronto is a major scene for theatre and other performing arts with more than fifty ballet and dance companies, six opera companies, two symphony orchestras and a host of theatres. The city is home to the National Ballet of Canada the Canadian Opera Company the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Canadian Stage Company Notable performance venues include the Four Seasons Centre Roy Thomson Hall the Princess of Wales Theatre the Royal Alexandra Theatre Massey Hall the Toronto Centre for the Arts the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres and the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts (originally the "OKeefe Centre" and formerly the "Hummingbird Centre"). Ontario Place features the worlds first permanent IMAX movie theatre, the Cinesphere http://www.imax.com/corporate/profile/historyMilestones/ The Worlds First Permanent IMAX Theatre] Retrieved on 2007-05-02. as well as the Molson Amphitheatre an open-air venue for large-scale music concerts. Each summer, the Canadian Stage Company presents an outdoor Shakespeare production in Torontos High Park called "Dream in High Park". Canada's Walk of Fame acknowledges the achievements of successful Canadians, with a series of stars on designated blocks of sidewalks along King Street and Simcoe Street. File:Royal Alex Theatre, Toronto.jpg ] The Distillery District is a pedestrian village containing boutique , art galleries, restaurants, artist studios and small breweries, including the well-known Mill Street Brewery A new theatre in the district, the Young Centre for the Performing Arts is the home of the Soulpepper Theatre Company and the drama productions of nearby George Brown College The production of domestic and foreign film and television is a major local industry. Many movie releases are screened in Toronto before wider release in North America. The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the most important annual events for the international film industry. Europes largest film studio, Pinewood Studios Group of London, is scheduled to open a major new film studio complex in west-end Toronto, with five sound stages, with the first two to open by fall 2008. Torontos Caribana Festival (Canada) festival takes place from mid-July to early August of every summer, and is one of North Americas largest street festivals.http://www.caribana.com/ Toronto Caribbean Carnival (Caribana) Festival 2006], WORD Magazine (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-11. Primarily based on the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival the first Caribana took place in 1967 when the citys Caribbean community celebrated Canadian Centennial More than forty years later, it has grown to attract one million people to Torontos Lake Shore Boulevard annually. Tourism for the festival is in the hundred thousands, and each year, the event generates over $400 million in revenue into Ontarios economy.lt;/ref> Pride Week (Toronto) in Toronto takes place in late June, and is one of the largest LGBT festivals in the world. One of the largest events in the city, it attracts more than one million people from around the world. Toronto is a major centre for gay and lesbian culture and entertainment, and the gay village is located in the Church and Wellesley area of downtown.

Tourism

File:Toronto Eaton Centre on Boxing Day.jpg is the busiest shopping mall in the City of Toronto.]] File:Darfur at the Royal Ontario Museum as part of the Toronto International Film Festival 07.jpg is Canadas largest and busiest museum.http://www.toronto.ca/attractions/attraction_highlights.htm City of Toronto, Attractions]]] Torontos most prominent landmark is the CN Tower which stood as the tallest free-standing land structure in the world at To the surprise of its WZMH Architects the tower held the world record for over 30 years. Dead link|dateJuly 2010}} The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a major museum for culture by region and natural history The Toronto Zoo one of the largest in the world,lt;/ref>lt;/ref> is home to over 5,000 animals representing over 460 distinct species. The Art Gallery of Ontario contains a large collection of Canadian, European, African and contemporary art ork. The Gardiner Museum of ceramic art is the only museum in Canada entirely devoted to ceramics, and the Museums collection contains more than 2,900 ceramic works from Asia, the Americas, and Europe. The Ontario Science Centre always has new hands-on activities and science displays particularly appealing to children, and the Bata Shoe Museum features many unique exhibitions focussed on footwear. The centrally located Textile Museum possesses another niche collection of great quality and interest. The Don Valley Brick Works is a former industrial site, which opened in 1889, and has recently been restored as a park and heritage site. The Canadian National Exhibition is held annually at Exhibition Place and it is the oldest annual fair in the world. It is Canadas largest annual fair and the fifth largest in North America, with an average attendance of 1.25 million.http://www.theex.com/about-the-cne/our-past-present/ CNE - About Us], Canadian National Exhibition (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-29. The Yorkville, Toronto neighbourhood is one of Torontos most elegant shopping and dining areas. On many occasions, celebrities from all over North America can be spotted in the area, especially during the Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto Eaton Centre is one of North Americas top shopping destinations, and Torontos most popular tourist attraction with over 52 million visitors annually.http://www.ydsquare.ca/index.php?optioncom_content&taskview&id22&Itemid27 Who uses the square (Demographics)], City of Toronto (2007). Retrieved on 2008-04-12. Greektown, Toronto on the Danforth, is another one of the major attractions of Toronto which boasts one of the highest concentrations of restaurants per kilometre in the world. It is also home to the annual "Taste of the Danforth festival which attracts over one million people in 2 1/2 days.lt;/ref> Toronto is also home to Canadas most famous "castle" - Casa Loma the former estate of Henry Pellatt a prominent Toronto financier, industrialist and military man. Other notable neighbourhoods and attractions include The Beaches the Toronto Islands Kensington Market Fort York and the Hockey Hall of Fame

Sports

File:Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg housed in a former bank erected in 1885, is located at the intersection of Front Street and Yonge Street in Downtown Toronto.]] Toronto is the only Canadian city with representation in five major league sports with teams in the National Hockey League Major League Baseball National Basketball Association Canadian Football League and Major League Soccer The National Football League s Buffalo Bills also play select home games in the city. The citys major sports venues include the Air Canada Centre Rogers Centre (formerly known as SkyDome), Ricoh Coliseum and BMO Field Toronto is home to the Toronto Maple Leafs one of the National Hockey League s Original Six clubs, and has also served as home to the Hockey Hall of Fame since 1958. The city has a rich history of hockey championships. Along with the Maple Leafs 13 Stanley Cup titles (second all-time), the Toronto Marlboros and St. Michael's College School based Ontario Hockey League teams combined have won a record 12 Memorial Cup titles. The Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League also play in Toronto at Ricoh Coliseum and are the farm team for the Maple Leafs. They are currently the only AHL team that is located in the same market as its NHL parent club. Toronto is currently home to the only National Basketball Association franchise outside the United States. The Toronto Raptors entered the league in 1995, and have since earned five playoff spots in 14 seasons. The Raptors won the Atlantic Division (NBA) title in the 2006–07 NBA season led by star player Chris Bosh The Raptors are the only NBA team with their own television channel, Raptors NBA TV The team plays their home games at the Air Canada Centre The Toronto Rock are the citys National Lacrosse League team. They are one of the leagues most successful franchises, winning five Champion's Cup titles in seven years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, appearing in an NLL record 5 straight championship games from 1999 to 2003, and are currently second all-time in the number of Champions Cups won. The Rock share the Air Canada Centre with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors File:Tigersbluejaysapril2008.jpg host the Detroit Tigers at the Rogers Centre ]] The city is represented in the Canadian Football League by the Toronto Argonauts who have won a league-leading 15 Grey Cup titles. Toronto played host to the 95th Grey Cup in 2007, the first held in the city since 1992. In addition, the city has hosted several National Football League exhibition games; Edward Samuel Rogers leased the Buffalo Bills from Ralph Wilson for the purposes of having the Bills play eight home games in the city between 2008 and 2012. The city is also home to Major League Baseball s Toronto Blue Jays who have won two World Series (1992 World Series and 1993 World Series titles and are currently the only Major League Baseball team in Canada. Both the Argonauts and Blue Jays (as well as the Bills when they are in town) play their home games at the Rogers Centre in the downtown core. Toronto is home to the International Bowl an NCAA sanctioned post-season football game that puts a Mid-American Conference team against a Big East Conference team. Beginning in 2007, the game is played at the Rogers Centre annually in January. File:First-goal-at-BMO.jpg immediately after Danny Dichio scored the first goal in Toronto FC history.]] Besides team sports, the city annually hosted Champ Car s Molson Indy Toronto at Exhibition Place from 1986 to 2007. The race was revived in 2009 as the Honda Indy Toronto part of the IndyCar Series schedule. Both thoroughbred and standardbred horse horse racing events are conducted at Woodbine Racetrack in Rexdale Historic sports clubs of Toronto include the Granite Club (established in 1836), the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (established in 1852), the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club (established in pre-1827), the Argonaut Rowing Club (established in 1872), the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club (established in 1881), and the Badminton and Racquet Club (established in 1924). Toronto was a candidate city for the 1996 Summer Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics which were awarded to Atlanta and Beijing respectively. The Canadian Olympic Committee is currently considering a Toronto bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics or 2024 Summer Olympics lt;/ref> Toronto will be hosting the 2015 Pan American Games in July 2015. It contested against the cities of Lima Peru and Bogotá Colombia lt;/ref>

Professional teams

| class"wikitable sortable" border"1" |- ! scope"col" | Club ! scope"col" | League ! scope"col" | Sport ! scope"col" | Venue ! scope"col" | Established ! scope"col" | Championships |- ! scope"row" style"font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" | Toronto Argonauts | Canadian Football League | Canadian football | Rogers Centre | 1873 | 15 (Last in 92nd Grey Cup |- ! scope"row" style"font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" | Toronto Maple Leafs | National Hockey League | Ice Hockey | Air Canada Centre | 1917 | 13 (Last in 1967 Stanley Cup Finals |- ! scope"row" style"font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" | Toronto Blue Jays | Major League Baseball | Baseball | Rogers Centre | 1977 | 2 (Last in 1993 World Series |- ! scope"row" style"font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" | Toronto Raptors | National Basketball Association | Basketball | Air Canada Centre | 1995 | 0 |- ! scope"row" style"font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" | Toronto FC | Major League Soccer | Soccer | BMO Field | 2007 | 0 |}

Other sports clubs

| class"wikitable sortable" |+ |- ! scope"col" | Club ! scope"col" | League ! scope"col" | Sport ! scope"col" | Venue ! scope"col" | Established ! scope"col" | Championships |- ! scope"row" style"font-weight: normal;" | Toronto Maple Leafs (semi-pro baseball) | Intercounty Baseball League | Baseball | Christie Pits Park | 1969 | 8 |- ! scope"row" style"font-weight: normal;" | Toronto Rock | National Lacrosse League | Box lacrosse | Air Canada Centre | 1998 | 5 |- ! scope"row" style"font-weight: normal;" | Toronto Xtreme | Rugby Canada Super League | Rugby union | Fletcher's Fields | 1999 | 0 |- ! scope"row" style"font-weight: normal;" | Toronto Marlies | American Hockey League | Ice hockey | Ricoh Coliseum | 2005 | 0 |- ! scope"row" style"font-weight: normal;" | Toronto Nationals | Major League Lacrosse | Field lacrosse | Lamport Stadium | 2009 | 1 |- ! scope"row" style"font-weight: normal;" | Toronto City Saints | Canada Rugby League | Rugby league | unknown | 2010 | 0 |}

Media

Toronto is Canadas largest media market,http://www.mediajobsearchcanada.com/mjsc_press.asp Media Job Search Canada]Media Job Search Canada (2003). Retrieved on 2007-05-08. and the fourth largest media centre in North America (behind New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago), with four conventional dailies and two free commuter papers in a greater metropolitan area of about 5.5 million inhabitants. The [[Toronto Star]]and the [[Toronto Sun]]are the prominent daily city newspapers, while the national dailies [[The Globe and Mail]]and the [[National Post]]are also headquartered in the city. Toronto contains the headquarters of the major English-language Canadian television networks, including the English-language branch of the national public broadcaster Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the largest private broadcaster CTV Television Network and the flagship stations of Citytv and Global Television Network Canadas premier sports television networks are also based in Toronto, including The Sports Network (TSN), Rogers Sportsnet and The Score (TV channel) MuchMusic and MTV (Canada) are the main music television channels based in the city. The bulk of Canadas periodical publishing industry is centred in Toronto including magazines such as [[Macleans]], [[Chatelaine (magazine)|Chatelaine]] [[Flare (magazine)|Flare]] [[Canadian Living]] [[Canadian Business]] and [[Toronto Life]]

Economy

File:Toronto-view-from-cn-tower.jpg from the CN Tower ]] Toronto is a major international centre for business and finance. Generally considered the financial capital of Canada, Toronto has a high concentration of banks and brokerage firms on Bay Street in the Financial District, Toronto The Toronto Stock Exchange is the worlds List of stock exchanges stock exchange by market capitalization.http://www.investinontario.com/resources/documents/media/MEDT_Ad_Collection.pdf Market Statistics] Toronto Stock Exchange (2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-11. All the Big Five (banks) of Canada are headquartered in Toronto, as are a majority of Canadas corporations. The city is an important centre for the media, publishing telecommunications information technology and film production industries; it is home to Thomson Corporation CTVglobemedia Rogers Communications and Celestica Other prominent Canadian corporations in Toronto include Sun Life Financial the Hudson's Bay Company Manulife Financial and major hotel companies and operators, such as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts Although much of the regions manufacturing activities take place outside the city limits, Toronto continues to be an important wholesale and distribution point for the industrial sector. The citys strategic position along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor and its extensive road and rail connections help support the nearby production of motor vehicles, iron, steel, food, machinery, chemicals and paper. The completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 gave ships access to the Great Lakes from the Atlantic Ocean. The citys debt stood at $2.7 billion at December 31, 2008, and is forecast to rise to more than $3.5 billion by 2016, before subsiding."http://www.thestar.com/business/article/791297--toronto-s-debt-not-sky-high-moody-s-says Torontos debt not sky high, Moodys says]". [[Toronto Star]] April 7, 2010.

Demographics

| cellpadding"1" style"float:right; margin:0 1em 1em 0; border:1px #bbb solid; border-collapse:collapse; font-size:90%;" |- style"text-align:center; background:white;" !colspan4|Toronto population by year, within present boundaries |- style"text-align:center; background:white;" ! Year ! City ! Census Metropolitan Area ! Greater Toronto Area |- style"text-align:center;" |1861 |65,085 |193,844lt;/ref> |— |- style"text-align:center;" |1901 |238,080 |440,000 |— |- style"text-align:center;" |1951 |1,117,470 |1,262,000 |— |- style"text-align:center;" |1971 |2,089,728 |2,628,045lt;/ref> |— |- style"text-align:center;" |1976 |2,124,295 |2,803,101lt;/ref> |— |- style"text-align:center;" |1981 |2,137,380 |2,998,947lt;/ref> |— |- style"text-align:center;" |1986 |2,192,721 |3,733,085lt;/ref> |— |- style"text-align:center;" |1991 |2,275,771lt;/ref> |3,893,933lt;/ref> |4,235,756 |- style"text-align:center;" |1996 |2,385,421lt;/ref> |4,263,759 |4,628,883lt;/ref> |- style"text-align:center;" |2001 |2,481,494 |4,682,897 |5,081,826lt;/ref> |- style"text-align:center;" |2006 |2,503,281 |5,113,149 |5,555,912lt;/ref> |} The last complete Canada 2006 Census by Statistics Canada estimated there were 2,503,281 people living in Toronto in June 2006, making it the largest city in Canada,lt;/ref> and the fifth most populous municipality in North America.lt;/ref> The citys population grew by 4% (96,073 residents) between 1996 and 2001, and 1% (21,787 residents) between 2001 and 2006. Persons aged 14 years and under made up 17.5% of the population, and those aged 65 years and over made up 13.6%. The median age was 36.9 years. Foreign-born people made up 49.9% of the population.lt;/ref> The citys gender population is 48% male and 52% female.lt;/ref> However, women outnumber men in all age groups over 20.lt;/ref> As of 2006, 46.9% of the residents of the city proper belong to a visible minority group, and visible minorities are projected to comprise a majority in the Greater Toronto Area#Census metropolitan area by 2017.http://www.statcan.ca:80/Daily/English/050322/d050322b.htm Canadas visible minority population in 2017], Statistics Canada (2005). Retrieved on 2006-12-05. In 1981, Torontos visible minority population was 13.6%."http://ceris.metropolis.net/Virtual%20Library/other/doucet2/doucet2.html Toronto in Transition: Demographic Change in the Late Twentieth Century]". CERIS - The Ontario Metropolis Centre. According to the United Nations Development Programme Toronto has the second-highest percentage of constant foreign-born population among world cities, after Miami, Florida. While Miamis foreign-born population consists mostly of Cubans and other Latin Americans, no single nationality or culture dominates Torontos immigrant population, placing it among the most diverse cities in the world. By 2031, Torontos current visible minority population will have increased to 63%, changing the definition of visible minority in the city.http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/777547--visible-minority-will-mean-white-by-2031] Toronto Star (Wed Mar 10, 2010) In 2006, people of European ethnic groups formed the largest cluster of ethnic groups in Toronto, 52.6%,lt;/ref> mostly of British, Irish, Italian, and French origins. The five largest visible minority groups in Toronto are Indo-Canadians (12.0%), Chinese Canadian (11.4%), Black Canadians (8.4%), Filipino Canadian (4.1%) and Latin American Canadian (2.6%). Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are not considered visible minorities, formed 0.5% of the population. This diversity is reflected in Torontos ethnic neighbourhoods, which include Chinatown, Toronto Corso Italia Greektown, Toronto Kensington Market Koreatown, Toronto Eglinton West Gerrard Street (Toronto) Little Italy, Toronto Little Portugal, Toronto and Roncesvalles, Toronto Christianity is the largest religious group in Toronto. The 2001 Census reports that 31.1% of the citys population is Catholic, followed by Protestantism (21.1%), Orthodox Christianity at (4.8%), Coptic Orthodox (0.2%),http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/standard/themes/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?Temporal2001&PID55822&APATH3&METH1&PTYPE55440&THEME56&FOCUS0&AID0&PLACENAME0&PROVINCE0&SEARCH0&GC99&GKNA&VID0&VNAMEE&VNAMEF&FL0&RL0&FREE0&GID431591 Religion (95A), Age Groups (7A) and Sex (3) for Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 1991 and 2001 Censuses - 20% Sample Data], Statistics Canada (2001). and other Christians (3.9%). Due to the citys significant number of Methodist Christians, Toronto is often referred to as the Methodist Rome Other religions in the city are Islam (6.7%), Hinduism (4.8%), Judaism (4.2%), Buddhism (2.7%), Sikhism (0.9%), and other Eastern religion (0.2%). 18.7% of the population professes Nontheism http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?LangE&Geo1CSD&Code13520005&Geo2PR&Code235&DataCount&SearchTexttoronto&SearchTypeBegins&SearchPR01&B1All&Custom Community Highlights for Toronto], Statistics Canada (2001). Retrieved on 2006-12-05. While English is the predominant language spoken by Torontonians, many other languages have considerable numbers of local speakers, including French, Italian, Chinese, Punjabi, Spanish, Hindi, Tagalog language Urdu, Portuguese and Tamil language http://www12.statcan.ca:80/english/census06/data/topics/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?ALEVEL3&APATH3&CATNO&DETAIL0&DIM&DS99&FL0&FREE0&GAL0&GC99&GKNA&GRP1&IPS&METH0&ORDER1&PID89189&PTYPE88971&RL0&S1&SUB0&ShowAllNo&StartRow1&Temporal2006&Theme70&VID0&VNAMEE&VNAMEF&GID838003 Various Languages Spoken - Toronto] Census metropolitan area Statistics Canada (2006). Retrieved on 2009-09-09. Chinese and Italian are the second and third most widely spoken languages at work.http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/highlight/LanguageWork/Page.cfm?LangE&GeoCMA&View2&Table1&Code535&Sort2&B1&B21 Language used at work by mother tongue in Toronto] Census metropolitan area Statistics Canada (2001). Retrieved on 2006-12-05.http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/highlight/LanguageWork/Page.cfm?LangE&GeoCSD&View4&Code3520005&Table1&StartRec1&Sort5&B1Toronto&B21 Language used at work by mother tongue (City of Toronto)], Statistics Canada (2001). Retrieved on 2006-12-05. As a result, the citys 9-1-1 emergency services are equipped to respond in over 150 languages.lt;/ref>

Government

File:City Hall, Toronto, Ontario.jpg ] Toronto is a single-tier municipality governed by a Mayor–council government The structure of the municipal government is stipulated by the City of Toronto Act The Mayor of Toronto is elected by direct popular vote to serve as the Head of government of the city. The Toronto City Council is a unicameralism legislative body, comprising 44 councillors representing geographical ward (politics) throughout the city. The mayor and members of the city council serve four-year terms without term limit . (Until the Toronto municipal election, 2006 the mayor and city councillors served three-year terms.) At the start of the 2007 term, the city council will have seven standing committees, each consisting of a Chairman, a vice-chair and four other councillors. The Mayor names the committee chairs and the remaining membership of the committees is appointed by City Council.lt;/ref> An executive committee is formed by the chairs of each of standing committee, along with the mayor, the deputy mayor and four other councillors. Councillors are also appointed to oversee the Toronto Transit Commission and the Toronto Police Services Board There are about 40 subcommittees, advisory committees and round tables within the city council. These bodies are made up of city councillors and private citizen volunteers. Examples include the Pedestrian Committee, Waste Diversion Task Force 2010, and the Task Force to Bring Back the Don lt;/ref> Additionally, the city has four community councils that make recommendations on local matters to the city council, but possess no final authority. Each city councillor serves as a member on a community council. Toronto had an operating budget of Canadian dollar .6 billion in 2006.lt;/ref> The city receives funding from the Government of Ontario in addition to tax revenues and user fees, spending 36% on provincially mandated programmes, 53% on major municipal purposes such as the Toronto Public Library and the Toronto Zoo and 11% on capital financing and non-programme expenditures.lt;/ref>

Crime

The low crime statistics lt;ref namecrime>lt;/ref> in Toronto has resulted in the city having a reputation as one of the safest major cities in North America.http://www.torontoisms.com/guide/crime.htm Torontoisms - Crime and Safety] For instance, in 2007, the homicide rate for Toronto was 3.3 per 100,000 people, compared with Atlanta (19.7), Boston (10.3), Los Angeles (10.0), New York City (6.3), Vancouver (3.1), and Montreal (2.6). Torontos robbery rate also ranks low, with 207.1 robberies per 100,000 people, compared with Los Angeles (348.5), Vancouver (266.2), New York City (265.9), and Montreal (235.3).lt;/ref>lt;/ref>Dead link|dateJuly 2010}}lt;/ref>lt;/ref>lt;/ref> Toronto has a comparable rate of motor vehicle theft to various U.S. cities, although it is not among the highest in Canada. Toronto recorded its largest number of homicides in 1991 with 89, a rate of 3.9 per 100,000.http://www.guncontrol.ca/English/Home/Works/gangsandguns.pdf GunControl.ca]lt;/ref> In 2005, Toronto media coined the term "Year of the Gun", because there was a record number of gun-related homicides, 52, out of 80 homicides in total (65% – similar to the average in U.S. cities).lt;/ref>lt;/ref> The total number of homicides dropped to 69 in 2006, that year, nearly 2,000 people in Toronto were victims of a violent gun-related crime, about one-quarter of the national total.lt;/ref> 84 homicides were committed in 2007, roughly half of them involved guns. Gang-related incidents have also been on the rise; between the years of 1997 and 2005, over 300 gang-related homicides have occurred. As a result, the Ontario government developed an anti-gun strategy.lt;/ref>

Education

File:Uoft universitycollege.jpg ] File:OCADColour1.jpg ] Toronto is home to a number of post-secondary academic institutions. The University of Toronto established in 1827, is the oldest university in Ontario and a leading public research institution. It is a worldwide leader in several fields including biomedical research. It houses North Americas fourth-largest university library system, after those of Harvard, Yale and University of California, Berkeley The Osgoode Hall Law School affiliated with Torontos York University houses the largest law library in the Commonwealth of Nations Toronto is also home to Ryerson University Ontario College of Art & Design and the University of Guelph-Humber There are four diploma-granting community college in Toronto, Seneca College Humber College Centennial College and George Brown College The city is also home to a satellite campus of the francophone Collège Boréal In nearby Oshawa usually considered part of the Greater Toronto Area are Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology while Regional Municipality of Halton is home to Sheridan College The Royal Conservatory of Music which includes The Glenn Gould School is a noted school of music located downtown. The Canadian Film Centre is a film, television and new media training institute founded by filmmaker Norman Jewison Tyndale University College and Seminary is a transdenominational Christian post-secondary institution and Canadas largest seminary. The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) operates 558 public schools. Of these, 451 are elementary and 102 are secondary (high) schools. This makes the TDSB the largest school board in Canada. Additionally, the Toronto Catholic District School Board manages the citys publicly funded Roman Catholic schools, while the Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest and the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud manages public and Roman Catholic French-language schools. There are also numerous private university-preparatory school , such as Bayview Glen School Bishop Strachan School Branksome Hall College of Toronto Crescent School (Toronto) Greenwood College School Havergal College Ridley College St. Clement's School St. Michael's College School Toronto French School Upper Canada College and University of Toronto Schools The Toronto Public Library is the largest public library system in Canada, consisting of 99 branches with more than 11 million items in its collection."http://www.oclc.org/news/releases/20069.htm Toronto Public Library contributes 63 millionth record]" OCLC (2006-02-03). Retrieved on 2007-07-08.

Infrastructure

Health and medicine

File:Hospital for Sick Children Atrium.jpg ] File:TorontoGeneralHospitalTorontoOntario.JPG ] Toronto is home to at least 20 public hospitals, including the Hospital for Sick Children Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto St. Michael's Hospital (Toronto) North York General Hospital Toronto General Hospital Toronto Western Hospital Rouge Valley Health System The Scarborough Hospital Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto as well as the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine Several years ago, Toronto was reported as having some of the longer average ER wait times in Ontario. Toronto hospitals at the time employed a system of triage to ensure life-threatening injuries receive rapid treatment.lt;/ref> After initial screening, initial assessments by physicians were completed within the waiting waiting-rooms themselves for greater efficiency, within a median 1.2 hours. Tests, consultations, and initial treatments were also provided within waiting rooms. 50% of patients waited 4 hours before being transferred from the emergency room to another room. The least-urgent 10% of cases wait over 12 hours. The extended waiting-room times experienced by some patients were attributed to an overall shortage of acute care beds. Torontos Discovery District lt;ref namedistrict>http://www.torontodiscoverydistrict.ca/Page.asp?IdPage5760&WebAddressDiscoveryDistrict/ Toronto Discovery District FAQ], Toronto Discovery District (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-05. is centre of research in biomedicine It is located on a 2.5 square kilometre (620 acre) research park that is fully integrated into Torontos downtown core. It is also home to the [[MaRS Discovery District|Medical and Related Sciences Centre (MaRS)]]http://www.marsdd.com/ Medical and Related Sciences Centre], Medical and Related Sciences Centre (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-05. which was created in 2000 to capitalize on the research and innovation strength of the Province of Ontario. Another institute is the McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine (MCMM)http://www.mclaughlin.utoronto.ca/Page4.aspx McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine (MCMM)], McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-05.

Transportation

File:CLRV 4059 Glamour Shot.jpg streetcar.]] File:Busy 401.jpg the busiest highway in North America.]] The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the third largest public transit system in North America after the New York City Transit Authority and the Mexico City Metro The TTC provides public transit within the City of Toronto. The backbone of its public transport network is the Toronto subway and RT as well as a Scarborough RT (TTC) The TTC also operates an extensive network of Toronto buses and trolley buses and Toronto streetcar system There have been numerous plans to extend the subway network but many efforts have been thwarted by monetary and budgetary concerns. These plans have been placed back on the docket as expansion and greater efforts for mass transportation are needed as the city continues to grow. The Government of Ontario also operates an extensive rail and bus transit system called GO Transit in the Greater Toronto Area. GO Transit carries over 205,000 passengers every weekday on its seven train lines and extensive bus system.lt;/ref> Canadas busiest airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport (IATA airport code YYZ), straddles the citys western boundary with the suburban city of Mississauga Limited commercial and passenger service is also offered from the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the Toronto Islands southwest of downtown. Toronto/Buttonville Municipal Airport in Markham, Ontario provides general aviation facilities. Toronto/Downsview Airport near the citys north end, is owned by de Havilland Canada and serves the Bombardier Aerospace aircraft factory. There are a number of municipal expressway and Provincial highways in Ontario that serve Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. In particular, Ontario Highway 401 bisects the city from west to east, bypassing the downtown core. It is the busiest road in North America,lt;/ref> and one of the busiest highways in the world.lt;/ref>lt;/ref> The square grid of major city streets was laid out by the concession road system, in which each major arterial road is approximately two kilometres apart from each parallel route.

Sister cities

;Partnership Cities * File:Flag of the United States.svg Chicago United States * File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Chongqing China * File:Flag of Israel.svg Eilat Israel * File:Flag of Germany.svg Frankfurt am Main Germany * File:Flag of Italy.svg Milan Italy * File:Flag of Russia.svg Rostov on Don Russia * File:Flag of Brazil.svg São Paulo Brazilhttp://portal.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/urbal/ingles/conferenciadelancamento/0011 Prefeitura.Sp - Descentralized Cooperation], prefeitura.sp.gov.brhttp://www.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/cidade/secretarias/relacoes_internacionais/cidadesirmas/index.php?p1066 International Relations - São Paulo City Hall - Official Sister Cities], prefeitura.sp.gov.br ;Friendship Cities * File:Flag of Vietnam.svg Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam * File:Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg Bishkek Kyrgyzstan * File:Flag of Ukraine.svg Kiev Ukraine * File:Flag of Ecuador.svg Quito Ecuador * File:Flag of Japan.svg Sagamihara Japan * File:Flag of Russia.svg Volgograd Russiahttp://www.volgadmin.ru/EN2/Municipality/FriendlyRelationship.aspx Friendship cities of Vologorad], volgaadmin.ru * File:Flag of Poland.svg Warsaw Polandlt;/ref>

See also

* Largest cities in the Americas

References

Footnotes

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Bibliography

* * * * * * * * The novel "In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje depicts Toronto in the 1920s, giving prominence to the construction of Toronto landmark , such as the Prince Edward Viaduct and the R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant and focusing on the lives of the immigrant workers.

External links

* http://www.toronto.ca/ Toronto.ca], The official City of Toronto Web site * http://www.torontotourism.com/ Tourism Toronto], by the Toronto Convention & Visitors Association * http://wikitravel.org/en/article/Toronto Wikitravel Toronto], travel guide at Wikitravel }} Category:Toronto Category:Populated places on the Great Lakes Category:Underground Railroad locations Category:1834 establishments Category:Populated places established in 1793 Category:Former capitals of Canada Category:Port settlements in Ontario af:Toronto ang:Toronto ar:تورونتو an:Toronto frp:Toronto az:Toronto bn:টরোন্টো zh-min-nan:Toronto be:Горад Таронта be-x-old:Таронта bar:Toronto bs:Toronto br:Toronto bg:Торонто ca:Toronto cs:Toronto co:Toronto cy:Toronto da:Toronto de:Toronto et:Toronto el:Τορόντο es:Toronto eo:Toronto (Ontario) eu:Toronto fa:تورنتو fo:Toronto fr:Toronto fy:Toronto ga:Torontó gv:Toronto gd:Toronto gl:Toronto ko:토론토 hi:टोरण्टो hsb:Toronto hr:Toronto io:Toronto id:Toronto ia:Toronto ie:Toronto os:Торонто is:Torontó it:Toronto he:טורונטו jv:Toronto kl:Toronto ka:ტორონტო kw:Toronto sw:Toronto, Ontario ku:Toronto la:Torontum lv:Toronto lt:Torontas lmo:Toronto hu:Toronto mk:Торонто ml:ടൊറാന്റോ mr:टोरोंटो ms:Toronto mn:Торонто nl:Toronto ja:トロント no:Toronto nn:Toronto nov:Toronto oc:Toronto pa:ਟਾਰਾਂਟੋ pl:Toronto pt:Toronto ro:Toronto ru:Торонто sah:Торонто se:Toronto sc:Toronto sq:Toronto scn:Torontu simple:Toronto, Ontario sk:Toronto sl:Toronto, Ontario sr:Торонто sh:Toronto fi:Toronto sv:Toronto tl:Toronto ta:ரொறன்ரோ te:టొరంటో th:โทรอนโต tr:Toronto tk:Toronto uk:Торонто ur:ٹورانٹو ug:Toronto vi:Toronto vo:Toronto war:Toronto yi:טאראנטא yo:Toronto zh-yue:多倫多 zh:多伦多