Toronto << tuh RAHN toh >> is the capital of Ontario. Its population makes it the largest city in Canada and one of the largest in North America. Toronto lies on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario.
Toronto is a thriving cosmopolitan (worldly) city and a leading cultural center. It is also the chief communications, financial, and manufacturing center of Canada. In addition, the city’s diverse economy includes strong aerospace, design, education, motion picture, human health science, and technology sectors.
In 1791, John Graves Simcoe became lieutenant governor of the new British colony of Upper Canada (now southern Ontario). Simcoe chose the site of present-day Toronto for a new colonial capital. He established the new capital in 1793 and named it York. In 1834, when it officially became a city, York was renamed Toronto. For thousands of years before it was settled by the British, the site of Toronto was home to Indigenous (native) peoples. It is believed that the name Toronto comes from the Mohawk word tkaronto, meaning where there are trees in the water.
The city
About one-fifth of Ontarians and about one-twelfth of Canadians live in the City of Toronto. Toronto lies at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area. For statistical purposes, the city is part of the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area. See Metropolitan area.
Layout of Toronto.
Three rivers—the Humber, Don, and Rouge—cut through Toronto. They run south into Lake Ontario, through deep ravines that are sites for many winding parks and towering bridges. Yonge Street is the main road that runs north and south. Toronto’s main east-west street is Bloor Street/Danforth Avenue.
Major commuter highways ring the outskirts of Toronto. The Queen Elizabeth Way, the partially elevated Gardiner Expressway, and the Don Valley Parkway carry vehicle traffic into the heart of the city along the shore of Lake Ontario.
Landmarks.
Near the center of Toronto’s downtown business district stands City Hall. This unusual structure consists of two curved office buildings and, between them, the oyster-shaped City Council chambers. The three buildings stand in 12-acre (5-hectare) Nathan Phillips Square, named for Toronto’s mayor from 1955 to 1962. Toronto Eaton Centre is a large office and shopping complex on Yonge Street. It includes hundreds of stores and three office buildings.
Downtown Toronto’s financial district is centered around Bay Street. It has some of Canada’s tallest buildings. First Canadian Place, a 72-story bank and office tower, rises 951 feet (290 meters). The 65-story St. Regis hotel and condominium building is 908 feet (277 meters) tall. The CN (Canadian National) Tower, a concrete-and-steel communications tower rising 1,815 feet (553 meters), dominates Toronto’s skyline.
At the base of the CN Tower is Ripley’s Aquarium. The Rogers Centre, a sports stadium with a retractable roof, is nearby. It seats more than 50,000 people. The Scotiabank Arena serves as both an indoor sports arena and a theater. The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is also downtown.
Much of Toronto’s formerly industrial waterfront has been redeveloped. South of the financial district, along Toronto Harbour, lies Harbourfront Centre. It has many art galleries, restaurants, and shops, as well as exhibition spaces and theaters. Also on the lakefront is Exhibition Place, the 192-acre site of the Canadian National Exhibition annual fair. The Enercare Centre and Beanfield Centre at Exhibition Place host conventions year-round. The Coca-Cola Coliseum, also on the site, hosts concerts, hockey games, and other events. Fort York National Historic Site stands near Exhibition Place.
The Ontario Parliament Buildings stand at the head of University Avenue in Queen’s Park, just north of downtown Toronto. The campus of the University of Toronto lies west of the park.
East of downtown, the Distillery District is a center of arts, culture, and entertainment. In the 1800’s, it was home to the Gooderham and Worts Distillery. Today, the district is a national historic site with dozens of restored buildings.
Casa Loma, another Toronto landmark, stands northwest of downtown. Sir Henry Pellatt, a Toronto stockbroker, built this 98-room castle in the early 1900’s.
The metropolitan area.
The Greater Toronto Area surrounds the City of Toronto. It includes the municipalities of Markham, Richmond Hill, and Vaughan to the north; Brampton and Mississauga to the west; and Pickering to the east. The Greater Toronto Area experienced tremendous growth in the late 1900’s, when large amounts of farmland were developed into suburban communities. More recently, international immigration has contributed to population growth in downtown Toronto and suburbs on the outskirts of the city.
People
Ethnic groups.
Toronto is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world. Its residents are from all over the world and speak about 150 different languages. The largest ethnic groups in the Toronto area consist of people of Chinese, English, Irish, Italian, and Scottish ancestry. In the mid-1900’s, many Europeans immigrated to Toronto, especially Italians and Portuguese. People from India, Iran, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka make up other large ethnic groups. Toronto has a growing community of immigrants from the Caribbean region and Southeast Asia. A small proportion of Torontonians identify as North American Indigenous. This rich mix of cultures has helped make Toronto a lively urban center.
Housing.
Toronto is a city of clearly defined neighborhoods. Old red-brick townhouses stand in such neighborhoods as Parkdale and Riverdale. Stately houses can be found in Bridle Path, Forest Hill, and Rosedale. Bungalows sprawl through such communities as Etobicoke and Scarborough. Throughout the suburbs and the surrounding regions, houses are mixed with high-rise apartments and condominiums. Population growth and rising real estate values have strained the supply of affordable housing in Toronto. The municipal government is responsible for public housing, but the provincial and federal governments sometimes provide funding for affordable housing initiatives.
Education.
Most school-age children in Toronto attend public schools. A majority of these are enrolled in nonreligious public schools. Most of the remaining students attend publicly funded Roman Catholic schools. Some privately funded schools operate as well.
Toronto has five public universities—OCAD University (formerly Ontario College of Art and Design), Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), the Université de l’Ontario français, the University of Toronto, and York University. The University of Toronto, founded in 1827, is the oldest and largest of these. Publicly funded colleges in and near Toronto include George Brown, Humber, Seneca, and Sheridan colleges. Toronto is also home to Canada’s National Ballet School, the Royal Conservatory of Music, and a variety of private colleges.
Social problems.
Toronto has a reputation as one of the safest cities of its size in North America. Nevertheless, Toronto does have a number of social problems. For example, gun violence has increased. Toronto also has a high level of child poverty compared with the rest of Canada, and a high cost of living compared with other Canadian cities.
A shortage of affordable housing has led to increased homelessness among Toronto’s poorest residents. Every night, thousands of people sleep in emergency shelters or on the city streets. The homeless include the unemployed, the mentally ill, and victims of abuse.
Toronto also faces environmental challenges. The city has been impacted by the effects of climate change, including extreme hot weather, flooding, and severe storms. However, efforts to reduce air and water pollution have had some success. The government also has taken measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, it promotes public transit use and is improving infrastructure (facilities and services) for pedestrians and cyclists.
Cultural life
The arts.
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir perform in Roy Thomson Hall. The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts presents programs by the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada. Concerts and other live shows take place at Meridian Hall. The Meridian Arts Centre presents dance, live theater, and music. The TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning houses the Royal Conservatory of Music. The Canadian Music Centre and the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts are also in Toronto. In addition, the city is home to a large motion-picture and television industry. The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is held in Toronto each September. It is one of the largest and most distinguished film festivals in the world. The TIFF Bell Lightbox building includes movie theaters, restaurants, a library, and exhibition space that are open year-round.
Museums and libraries.
The Art Gallery of Ontario is one of North America’s largest art museums. It is home to an extensive collection of works by the British sculptor Henry Moore. The Royal Ontario Museum is the largest museum in Canada. It offers exhibits of archaeology, ethnology, mineralogy, and paleontology. The museum has one of the world’s finest collections of Chinese objects. Toronto also is home to the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada, the Ontario Science Centre, and the Aga Khan Museum, dedicated to Islamic arts. The McMichael Canadian Art Collection in nearby Kleinburg houses a large number of paintings by the Canadian landscape artists known as the Group of Seven. The Toronto Public Library has many branches throughout the city.
Parks.
Toronto has an extensive system of parks. Toronto Island Park, one of the city’s largest parks, occupies 570 acres (230 hectares) on the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario. Centennial Park spreads across 525 acres (212 hectares) in the western part of the city. High Park covers a rugged 398 acres (161 hectares) closer to the heart of Toronto. The Toronto Zoo lies in the northeastern part of the city. Tommy Thompson Park, which extends into Lake Ontario, is a wilderness area created on top of a landfill.
Newer urban parks include Sugar Beach, along the waterfront; the Bentway, under part of the Gardiner Expressway; and Trillium Park. Toronto also has an extensive system of parks and trails flanking its ravines. Such linear (long, narrow) parks as the Beltline Trail, the Martin Goodman Trail, and the Finch Hydro Corridor provide public space for recreational activity throughout the city.
Sports.
Professional sports teams based in Toronto include the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL); the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA); the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL); the Toronto Blue Jays , a baseball team in the American League (AL); and Toronto FC of Major League Soccer (MLS). In addition, Toronto is home to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Economy
Manufacturing.
The Toronto metropolitan area is Canada’s chief industrial center. Despite declines in manufacturing employment in the late 1900’s and early 2000’s, manufacturing remains important to the economy. Thousands of factories in a wide variety of industries operate in and near the city. The major industrial activities include the manufacture of chemicals, food and beverages, and transportation equipment. Other leading products include computers and electronics, furniture, plastics, and rubber.
Finance.
Toronto is Canada’s leading banking and financial center. Many of Canada’s largest financial institutions, including banks, insurance companies, and pension funds, have headquarters in Toronto. The Toronto Stock Exchange is one of the largest exchanges in North America in value of shares traded.
Technology.
Toronto has a flourishing technology industry, with specializations in computer system design, data processing, software publishing, telecommunications, and video game design. The city also is home to a large concentration of biotechnology firms. In addition, Toronto is a leading Canadian center in the field of artificial intelligence.
Transportation and communication.
Toronto is a major transportation center. The region’s varied products travel to many parts of the world by air and by ship. Ports Toronto, which operates Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and port facilities, handles millions of tons of cargo a year.
Railways that serve the city include the Canadian National Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway. VIA Rail passenger trains connect Toronto with other locations in Canada. Amtrak carries travelers from Toronto to U.S. cities. A regional rail and bus system known as GO serves commuters. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) operates bus, light rail, and subway service throughout the city. Canada’s first subway opened in Toronto in 1954. The first subway line ran under Yonge Street. Union Station, a major railway station and national historic site, opened in Toronto in 1927.
Toronto Pearson International Airport is Canada’s busiest airport. It lies about 14 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of downtown Toronto. The Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in the Toronto Islands offers flights to and from other North American locations. A pedestrian tunnel connects the airport with downtown Toronto.
Toronto’s daily newspapers are the The Globe and Mail, the National Post, the Toronto Star, and the Toronto Sun. The Toronto area also has dozens of other local publications. These include community papers and magazines. Numerous radio and television stations serve the Toronto area. Corus Entertainment, headquartered in downtown Toronto, has dozens of radio and TV studios. CBLT, one of Canada’s first TV stations, began broadcasting from Toronto in 1952.
Government
Toronto has a single level of government. The Toronto City Council, through various agencies, boards, and commissions, is responsible for a wide range of services. Such services include ambulance service, fire protection, garbage collection, public transportation, roads and traffic control, urban development, and social services.
The Toronto City Council consists of a mayor elected at large (city-wide) and 25 city councilors, each elected by voters in one of 25 city wards. The mayor and councilors are elected to four-year terms. The mayor heads the City Council. Councilors serve as legislators and represent the wards that elected them.
History
Early settlement.
Before Europeans arrived, Indigenous Algonquin and Iroquois people lived in the Toronto area. The site of present-day Toronto lay at the southern end of an Indigenous portage (overland route) between lakes Huron and Ontario. In 1750, the French began construction of a trading post and fort opposite the peninsula that forms Toronto’s harbor. The French burned the fort, known as Fort Toronto and Fort Rouillé, in 1759 to keep the British from seizing it. In 1763, at the end of the French and Indian War, also called the Seven Years’ War, France gave most of its North American lands to Britain (now also called the United Kingdom).
In 1787, the British Crown acquired land in the Toronto area from the Mississauga First Nation—an Indigenous group—through an agreement called the Toronto Purchase. John Graves Simcoe chose the site of present-day Toronto in 1793, to replace Newark as the capital of the colony of Upper Canada (now southern Ontario). He named the settlement York after the Duke of York.
The 1800’s.
During the War of 1812 (1812-1815), troops from the United States captured York and burned parts of the town, including Fort York. Among the loot taken by the troops was the mace (ceremonial staff) from the legislature. The mace was finally returned in 1934 on the orders of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In 1834, York was renamed Toronto and received its city charter. It had a population of about 10,000. In 1837, William Lyon Mackenzie, a printer who later became Toronto’s first mayor, led a revolt against the colony’s British government (see Rebellions of 1837). But colonial militia crushed the revolt. The Dominion of Canada was formed in 1867, and Toronto became the capital of the new province of Ontario.
Toronto began to grow as a center of industry and transportation during the late 1800’s. Manufacturing expanded rapidly after Canada’s federal government adopted policies to protect new Canadian industries from U.S. competition. Also during this period, the federal government opened new areas in the western prairies to growing grain and raising livestock. Toronto became a major banking center and market of the West. The city financed the opening of the rich metal mines in northern Ontario and gained importance as a railroad center.
Growth and federation.
The demand for war materials during World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945) brought great industrial expansion to the Toronto area. The end of World War II saw rapid population growth as well. Hundreds of thousands of European immigrants settled in and near Toronto. This population growth led to numerous problems, including poor transportation, a housing shortage, and, in some communities, a lack of water. The city and the suburbs often failed to work together to solve their problems. Also, some suburban governments could not afford needed improvements.
Such problems led the Ontario legislature to create the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto, a federation of Toronto and 12 of its suburbs that came into being in 1954. The city and the suburbs each had self-government in local matters and sent representatives to a Metropolitan Council. In 1967, the provincial legislature merged the 13 units into 6—East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, Toronto, and York. The Metropolitan Council enacted a number of improvements. For example, it put into operation the first computer-controlled traffic system in the world. The council also built public housing for the elderly and affordable rental housing for poor, younger families. In addition, it doubled the area’s water supply.
Urban renewal.
The Metropolitan Council expanded Toronto’s subway system and built new expressways. In 1968, the council approved the Metropolitan Waterfront Plan, a renewal program for Toronto’s waterfront area. The plan included Ontario Place, completed in 1971; the CN Tower, opened in 1976; and a convention center, opened in 1984. By the early 1980’s, hundreds of stores and two office buildings had been completed in Toronto Eaton Centre. Two sports arenas, the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) and the Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena), opened in 1989 and 1991, respectively. In 1998, the six municipalities that made up Metropolitan Toronto were merged to form the current City of Toronto.
Recent developments.
In the early 2000’s, downtown Toronto’s population grew rapidly. This growth led to the development of new high-rise condominiums and such residential neighborhoods as CityPlace. The city also experienced a period of cultural revitalization. In 2006, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts opened in downtown Toronto. The next year, the Royal Ontario Museum opened the Crystal, an addition designed by the Polish-born American architect Daniel Libeskind. In 2008, the Art Gallery of Ontario opened a new building designed by the Canadian American architect Frank Gehry. The TIFF Bell Lightbox cinema center opened in 2010.
