TORONTO - CANADA |
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Toronto is
Canada's largest city and the provincial capital of Ontario. Its population
is 2,482,000 (Torontonians) (2003 Statistics Canada estimate); that of the
Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is 5,600,000 (2003). Approximately one-third of
the Canadian population lives within a five-hour drive of Toronto, and about
one-sixth of all Canadian jobs lie within the city limits. The City
of Toronto has a physical area of approximately 630 km² (243 square miles)
and is bounded by Lake Ontario to the south, Etobicoke Creek and Highway 427
to the west, Steeles Avenue to the north, and the Rouge River to the east.
The GTA extends beyond the city boundaries and includes the regional
municipalities of Halton, Peel, York and Durham. |
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The GTA is part of a larger, natural ecosystem known as the Greater Toronto
Bioregion. This ecosystem is bounded by Lake Ontario, the Niagara Escarpment,
and the Oak Ridges Moraine, and includes several watersheds that drain into
Lake Ontario.
Up until the 1970s, Toronto was the second largest city in Canada, after
Montreal. The economic growth of Toronto was greatly stimulated by the
completion in 1959 of the St. Lawrence Seaway which allowed ships access to
the Great Lakes from the Atlantic Ocean. Further growth in the Toronto area
is often attributed to the rise of the separatist movement in Quebec and the
election of the Parti Québécois in 1976. The PQ enacted several French-language
laws that were unfavourable towards businesses and English-speaking
Montrealers, a number of which relocated to the more anglo-friendly Toronto.
The current mayor of Toronto is David Miller.
In The City
Landmarks
The CN Tower - a steel/concrete transmission tower that (at 553 meters, or
1815 feet) is the tallest free-standing land structure in the world and the
most famous landmark of the city.
SkyDome - the world's first sporting arena to feature a retractable roof.
Toronto City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square
The Toronto Islands - a 2.3 km² (568 acre) park accessible from the city
waterfront via ferry and the largest car-free urban community in North
America.
Exhibition Place - the site of the annual Canadian National Exhibition and
the permanent home of the WindShare wind turbine.
Queen's Park - site of the provincial legislature.
Dundas Square
The Roman Catholic St. Michael's Cathedral and Anglican St. James'
Cathedral, both on Church Street.
Annual Events
The Toronto International Film Festival is considered one of the big three
global film events, with Cannes and Berlin, with more screens and more films
than either.
Caribana is North America's largest street festival, showcasing
Caribbean/West Indian culture.
Gay Pride Week is the world's second largest gay pride festival.
The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE, or "the Ex")
The Taste of the Danforth festival showcases the mostly Greek culture of The
Danforth and has expanded to include other cultures of the area.
The Santa Claus Parade (Started in 1905 with just a single float, it now
boasts over 24 floats, 24 bands, and 1700 participants. It is one of the
biggest productions in North America, and broadcast to many countries around
the world.)
The Toronto Marathon
The Canadian International Air Show
Attractions
Art Gallery of Ontario
Canadian National Exhibition
Canada's Walk of Fame
Casa Loma
Cherry Beach
CHUM-City Building
CN Tower
Fort York
Hockey Hall of Fame
Olympic Spirit Toronto
Ontario Place
Ontario Science Centre
Royal Ontario Museum
Toronto Islands
Toronto Zoo
Yorkville
Performing arts
Toronto is home to a vibrant theater scene, where such companies as
Soulpepper, the Canadian Stage, and Tarragon produce plays; as well, many
Broadway theatrical hits originated in Toronto, such as Show Boat and
Ragtime.
Toronto also is home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, a major orchestra,
which performs at Roy Thomson Hall, as well as the Canadian Opera Company,
and Tafelmusik, an internationally-known baroque orchestra and chamber
choir.
Harbourfront Centre is a major performing arts venue, with several theaters
and stages. During the summer, a series of weekend festivals brings world
music to Toronto.
The National Ballet of Canada is based in Toronto and performs at the Four
Seasons Centre.
As Canada's largest city and the main centre of its recording industry,
Toronto is also home to many Canadian pop, rock and hip hop artists. This
includes both musicians native to Toronto and those who have moved to
Toronto from other towns and cities. The live music scene in Toronto is
centred primarily in the Queen Street West area, part of what is known as
the Entertainment District, although not all of Toronto's music venues are
in this neighbourhood. More established acts play at venues such as Lee's
Palace, the Opera House, the Horseshoe Tavern, the Phoenix Concert Theatre
and Kool Haus, and major concert tours by stars are usually booked into
larger venues such as the Air Canada Centre and the Hummingbird Centre.
Toronto's Neighbourhoods
Toronto is called "the city of neighbourhoods" because of the strength and
vitality of its many communities. The city has upwards of 240 distinct
neighbourhoods within its boundaries. The following is a list of the more
notable, divided by the neighbourhoods' location based on the former
municipalities, the names of which are still known and commonly used by
Torontonians.
"Old" Toronto
The Old City of Toronto refers to the City of Toronto and its boundaries
from 1967 to 1997. It is sometimes referred to as the "South" or "Central"
District, or as "The (downtown) Core".
The Annex
Bay Street (The Financial District)
The Beaches
Bloor West Village
Cabbagetown
Chinatown
Church and Wellesley (the gay village)
Corktown
The Danforth
Deer Park
The Distillery District
Forest Hill
Forest Hill Village
Gerrard Street East
Harbourfront
High Park
The Junction
Kensington Market
Koreatown
Lawrence Park
Leslieville
Liberty Village
Little Italy
North Toronto
Parkdale
Portugal Village
Regent Park
Riverdale
Roncesvalles Village
Rosedale
Queen Street West
St. Lawrence
Swansea
Toronto Islands
Yonge and Eglinton
Yorkville
East York
Leaside
Thorncliffe Park
Etobicoke
Islington
The Kingsway
Long Branch
Mimico
New Toronto
Rexdale
Scarborough
Agincourt
Bendale
Cliffcrest
Guildwood
Malvern
Scarborough Junction
Scarborough Village
West Hill
North York
The Bridle Path
Downsview
Don Mills
Henry Farm
Jane and Finch
North York Centre
The Peanut
Willowdale
York Mills
York
Baby Point
Weston
Toronto's suburbs
The suburbs immediately surrounding Toronto are also known as the "905 belt"
or simply "the 905", after their original telephone area code. (Toronto is
known as "the 416", despite the fact that there are two area codes, 416 and
647, that serve the city proper. The 905 belt is served by two area codes,
905 and 289.)
Mississauga
Brampton
Richmond Hill
Markham
Pickering
Vaughan
Sports
Toronto is home to several professional sports franchises and annual
sporting events, including
the Toronto Blue Jays (Major League Baseball),
Toronto Maple Leafs (National Hockey League),
St. Michael's Majors (Ontario Hockey League),
Toronto Raptors (National Basketball Association),
Toronto Rock (National Lacrosse League),
Toronto Lynx (A-League Soccer), and
Toronto Argonauts (Canadian Football League).
North America Cup, a premier harness race
Queen's Plate, Canada's premier thoroughbred race and the oldest
continuously run stakes race in North America
Vanier Cup, national university football championship |
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