Situated on the north shore of Lake Ontario, Toronto is Canada’s largest city. It is home to 2.8 million people and is a bustling cosmopolitan city. It is a centre for business, finance, art and culture and a global city in its own right featuring a contrasting blend of interesting old and new architecture.
People have inhabited the region since shortly after the last ice age but the urban community dates from 1793 when British colonial officials founded the Town of York on what was then the Upper Canadian frontier. That village grew to become the City of Toronto in 1834, and through its subsequent evolution and expansion Toronto has emerged as one of the most liveable and multicultural urban cities in the world. With over 140 languages spoken it is estimated that over half of Toronto’s residents were born outside Canada. Despite its complex makeup, Torontonians generally lead a harmonious lifestyle.
Toronto’s iconic CN Tower, a marvel of 1970s engineering, looks like a giant concrete hypodermic needle. The communication tower is a popular tourist draw for the glass elevator ride up the once-highest freestanding structure in the world and the magnificent views.
Old York’s sensational St Lawrence Market has been a neighbourhood meeting place for over two centuries. The restored, high-trussed 1845 South Market building houses more than fifty specialty food stalls: cheese vendors, fishmongers, butchers, bakers and pasta makers. The Carousel Bakery is famed for its peameal bacon sandwiches and St Urbain for its authentic Montréal-style bagels.
High Park, Toronto’s favourite and best-known park is a wonderful place to unfurl a summer picnic blanket, swim, play tennis, or bike around. Winter skating on the Grenadier Pond is popular, while in the spring meander through the groves of cherry blossoms donated to the park by the Japanese ambassador in 1959. If you are an ice hockey fan, catch the Toronto Maple Leafs slapping the puck around at the Air Canada Centre.
Toronto is a city that is waking up to its own greatness.
