Map of Toronto with the borders of the former boroughs indicated

The amalgamation of Toronto was the creation of the current political borders of Toronto, Ontario, Canada after amalgamating, annexing, and merging with surrounding municipalities since the 18th century. The most recent occurrence of amalgamation was in 1998, which resulted in Toronto's current boundaries.

1791–1882: Founding of settlements[link]

• 1791: The townships of Etobicoke, York and Scarborough are surveyed in preparation for settlement.^[1]
• 1793: The unincorporated town of York is founded within York township on August 27.^[2] This is named in honour of the Duke of York, King George III's second son.^[3] The area had previously been known as Toronto.^[4]
• 1830: The unincorporated Village of Yorkville was founded.
• 1834: York was incorporated under the city name of Toronto, coming into force on March 6.^[2] It was the largest town in Upper Canada with a population of 9250^[5] The city had five wards, bounded by Bathurst Street in the west, Parliament Street in the east, the lake to the south and a line analogous to Dundas Street to the north. Beyond this was an area known as the "Liberties".
• 1853: The village of Yorkville was incorporated.^[1]
• 1859: The Liberties of Toronto are abolished.^[2]
• 1876: The village of Brockton was incorporated.^[6]
• 1878: The village of Parkdale was incorporated on June 28, to go into effect January 1, 1879.^[6][7] Parkdale covered 487 acres (1.97 km²), extending from Dufferin Street in the east to Roncesvalles Avenue in the west, from Lake Ontario in the south to the Grand Trunk Railway property and a line between Fermanagh and Wright avenues.
• 1881: Weston was incorporated.^[8] The village of Brockton became the town of Brockton.^[6]

1883–1914: Growth, amalgamation and annexation[link]

The city retained the same boundaries until 1883, when it began to amalgamate with the small surrounding communities. This continued until 1914, after which no more expansion of Toronto would take place until 1967.

• 1883: The village of Yorkville was annexed by the city of Toronto.^[1]
• 1884: The town of Brockton and the unincorporated community of Riverdale were annexed by the city of Toronto.^[1][9]
• 1886: The village of Parkdale becomes the town of Parkdale.^[6]
• 1887: The village of West Toronto Junction was incorporated on land severed from York township.^[1] The population of West Toronto Junction was 579.^[6]
• 1888: The unincorporated community of Seaton Village in York township was annexed by Toronto. The unincorporated community of Sunnyside was annexed by Toronto. Sunnyside was located in York township, and covered 108 acres (0.44 km²).^[6] On October 27, the residents of Parkdale vote in favour of being annexed by Toronto.^[7]
• 1889: The town of Parkdale was annexed by the city of Toronto on March 23.^[6] Parkdale had grown to 5651 residents by the time of annexation. The town of East Toronto was incorporated on land previously belonging to York Township.^[1] West Toronto Junction became a town on March 23, annexing the communities of Carlton and Davenport.^[6]
• 1890: The town of North Toronto was incorporated on land previously belonging to York township.^[10]
• 1891: The town of West Toronto Junction was renamed the town of West Toronto.^[6]
• 1908: On April 14, the town of West Toronto became the city of West Toronto.^[6]
• 1909: The city of West Toronto was annexed by Toronto on May 1.^[6] West Toronto covered 1,600 acres (6.5 km²) and had 12 000 residents. The unincorporated communities of Wychwood and Bracondale were annexed by Toronto in February.^[6] Covering 575 acres (2.33 km²), they formerly stood on the land of York township. The town of East Toronto was annexed by Toronto.^[1] The unincorporated community of Midway in York township was annexed by Toronto.
• 1910: The communities of Earlscourt and Dovercourt were annexed by the city of Toronto in January. They formerly stood on land belonging to York township.
• 1911: Mimico was incorporated, severing the land from the township of Etobicoke.^[1]
• 1912: The community of Moore Park was annexed by the city of Toronto. Moore Park had previously been within York township. North Toronto was annexed by the City of Toronto as well.
• 1913: The village of Leaside was incorporated on land from York township on April 23.^[11] The town remained sparsely populated despite a well-developed plan for growth; its population would not exceed 500 until 1929. New Toronto was incorporated on land from the township of Etobicoke.^[1]
• 1914: Mount Pleasant Cemetery is annexed by the city of Toronto, out of York township.

1915–1953: Growth and sprawl[link]

• 1922: The township of North York was severed from the township of York.^[1]
• 1923: Forest Hill was incorporated on November 23, on land formerly in York township, which went into effect on January 1, 1924.^[1][12] The township of East York is severed from the township of York.^[1]
• 1925: Swansea was incorporated as a village from land formerly in York township.^[1]
• 1931: Long Branch was severed from Etobicoke township to become a village.^[1]
• 1953: Metropolitan Toronto was created as a new level of government.^[1]

1954 federation into Metropolitan Toronto[link]

In 1954, the City of Toronto was federated into a regional government known as Metropolitan Toronto.^[13] Metro Toronto was composed of the City of Toronto, the towns of New Toronto, Mimico, Weston, and Leaside; the villages of Long Branch, Swansea, and Forest Hill; and the townships of Etobicoke, York, North York, East York, and Scarborough.

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 highways, water and public transit.

In Canada, the creation of municipalities falls under provincial jurisdiction. Thus it was provincial legislation, the Metropolitan Toronto Act, that created this level of government in 1953. When it took effect in 1954, the portion of York County south of Steeles Avenue, a concession road and township boundary, was severed from the county and incorporated as the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. The area north of Steeles remained in York County, which ultimately became York Region in 1971.

The Metropolitan Toronto Council initially consisted of 12 councillors from Toronto (including the mayor), and one representative (usually a mayor or reeve) from each of the surrounding municipalities. Metropolitan Toronto also had planning authority over the surrounding townships such as Vaughan, Markham, and Pickering, although these areas did not have representation on Metro Council.

1967 merger[link]

A round of merging was conducted among the municipalities in Metro Toronto in 1967. The seven smallest municipalities of the region were merged into their larger neighbours, resulting in a six-municipality configuration that included the old City of Toronto and the surrounding municipalities of East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough and York.

Forest Hill and Swansea were annexed by the City of Toronto,^[1] Leaside was merged with the township of East York to become the Borough of East York. Weston was combined with the Township of York to form the Borough of York. The Village of Long Branch and the towns of Mimico and New Toronto merged with the township of Etobicoke to form the Borough of Etobicoke. North York township was promoted to the Borough of North York. Scarborough was also transformed into a borough.

1968–1997: Boroughs promoted[link]

• 1979: North York became a city.^[1]
• 1983: The boroughs of York, Etobicoke and Scarborough became cities.^[1]

East York remained as the only borough after 1968.

1998 amalgamation[link]

Amalgamation occurred in 1998 when six municipalities comprising Metropolitan Toronto – East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York, and the former city of Toronto – and the regional municipality of Metro Toronto were dissolved and amalgamated into a single municipality called the City of Toronto (colloquially dubbed the "megacity") by an act of the Government of Ontario. This created the current City of Toronto. The new City of Toronto became the fifth largest municipality in North America after amalgamation, trailing Mexico City, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.

The merger was proposed as a cost-saving measure by the fiscally conservative provincial government under Mike Harris. By the year 2000, the new city realized savings of $136.2 million (CDN) per year from amalgamation, and had incurred one time costs from amalgamation totalling $275 million (CDN). However, in 2007, Barry Hertz reported in the conservative national newspaper National Post that cost savings never materialized. He also noted that government staff had grown, with the city employing 4,015 more people in 2007 than it did in 1998^[14] Before amalgamation 73% of the expenses taken over by Toronto came from Metro Toronto, and were thus already integrated programs.^[15] Additionally, municipal affairs minister Al Leach touted it as a measure that would produce a stronger, more unified Toronto better equipped to compete in a global marketplace.

The amalgamation was widely opposed in Toronto and the other municipalities.^[16] This amalgamation was despite a municipal referendum in 1997 that was overwhelmingly against amalgamation, which resulted in over three quarters of voters rejecting amalgamation, with one third of eligible voters participating. Mayor Mel Lastman^[17] of North York, and Barbara Hall of Toronto both campaigned against the merger, as did former mayor John Sewell. Subsequently, Mel Lastman defeated Barbara Hall to become the first elected mayor of the megacity. However, the municipalities in Ontario are creatures of the provincial government, which decided to go ahead with the merger despite local opposition. Opposition parties in the local parliament engaged in a unique form of filibuster, tabling thirteen thousand amendments to the amalgamation bill,^[18] which lasted two weeks, but did not prevent passage of the bill.

Despite amalgamation, many organizations and individuals continue to prefer the names of the old municipalities instead of using "Toronto". For example, Canada Post mail standards use Etobicoke instead of Toronto for addresses in Etobicoke. Similar standards apply for addresses in the former Scarborough and North York. When dealing with utility companies, one often has to give the name of one of the six municipalities when inquiring about service. This was done because amalgamation resulted in duplicate street names that are disambiguated only by referring to the former municipalities.

See also[link]

Toronto portal

• Greater Toronto Area
• Common Sense Revolution, Bill 103

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r} "Toronto Chronology". Ontario Genealogy Society – Toronto Branch. http://www.torontofamilyhistory.org/chronology.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "A Provincial Centre, 1793–1851". City of Toronto, Arts Heritage & Culture. http://www.toronto.ca/culture/history/history-provincial-centre.htm. 
3. ^ "Toronto:A place of meeting". Toronto Public Libraries. http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/pdfs/exhibits/pro_exibits_2002_tpom.pdf. 
4. ^ "City Tour: Toronto Highlights". National Geographic. http://nationalgeographic.org/destinations/Toronto/Toronto_Highlights.html. 
5. ^ "A short history of Toronto". http://www.toronto.ca/culture/history/history-shortversion.htm. 
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} R. L. Kennedy. "A brief history of Toronto and its railways". http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR_Toronto/history.htm. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "Parkdale and Brockton". http://www.lostrivers.ca/points/parkdale.htm. 
8. ^ Royson James (October 29, 2004). "Chalk up a sweet win for Weston". Toronto Star. http://transit.toronto.on.ca/archives/data/200410290100.shtml. 
9. ^ "An Industrializing City, 1851–1901". City of Toronto, Arts Heritage & Culture. http://www.toronto.ca/culture/history/history-industrializing-city.htm. 
10. ^ "The Town of North Toronto and its waterworks". http://www.lostrivers.ca/points/NTorWaterW.htm. 
11. ^ "The Town of Leaside". http://www.lostrivers.ca/points/LeasideTown.htm. 
12. ^ "The Village of Forest Hill". http://www.lostrivers.ca/points/ForestHillVillage.htm. 
13. ^ Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto Act, Government of Ontario (2000). Retrieved on Dec. 29, 2006.
14. ^ Michael R. Garrett. "Building the new City of Toronto:
    Three year status report on amalgamation
    January 1998–December 2000". City of Toronto. http://www.toronto.ca/city_manager/amalgamation_3yearstatus.htm. 
15. ^ Michael Garrett. "Building the New City of Toronto Status; Report On Amalgamation; January 1998 – June 1999; Executive Summary". http://beatl.barnard.columbia.edu/urbs3525/2007/Toronto/Mega%20City/CityofTorontoreport.htm. 
16. ^ "Toronto's Struggle Against Amalgamation". Maclean's Magazine. http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0011182. 
17. ^ Jeffrey Cohan (September 20, 2004). "MetroVisions: Toronto stumbling six years after huge mergers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04264/382276.stm. 
18. ^ "Legislative Reports". Canadian Parliamentary Review. http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/Infoparl/english/issue.asp?param=64&art=75. 

v t e  Toronto Features Demographics · Name · Flag · Coat of arms · Sister cities · Notable Torontonians History Toronto Carrying-Place Trail · Fort Rouillé · Fort York · Toronto Purchase · York · Battle of York · Battle of Montgomery's Tavern · Great Fire of 1904 · Centennial of the City · Metro Toronto · Hurricane Hazel (effects) · Amalgamation of Toronto · Oldest buildings · National Historic Sites · Timeline · Former municipalities Geography Greater Toronto Area · Golden Horseshoe · Neighbourhoods (History) · Downtown · Parks · Waterfront · Harbour · Don River · Humber River · Rouge River · Toronto Islands · Leslie Street Spit · Scarborough Bluffs · Ravine system · Native trees · Fauna Economy Bay Street · Financial District · Toronto Stock Exchange · Toronto Board of Trade · Skyscrapers Politics Municipal government · Elections · City of Toronto Act · Mayors · City Council · City Hall (Toronto Government and Public Services) · Crime Public Services Emergency Medical Services · Fire · Health and Toronto Public Health · Hospitals · Parks, Forestry and Recreation · Police · Shelter and Housing · Solid Waste Management · Water · Works and Emergency Services Education Toronto District School Board · Catholic District School Board · Conseil scolaire Viamonde · Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud · Toronto Public Library · List of schools and libraries Culture Attractions (Landmarks) · Architecture · Cinemas · Media outlets · Cuisine · Sports (Sports teams · Amateur sports) · Malls · Annual events · Films set in Toronto · Films shot in Toronto · Hollywood North · Let's All Hate Toronto · Places of worship · Churches in Toronto · Synagogues in Toronto Transportation Toronto Transportation Services · Port Authority · Pearson International Airport (in Mississauga) · Billy Bishop Airport · TTC · GO Transit · Metrolinx · Island Ferry · Roads (North–South · East–West) · Bridges · Cycling Category  · Portal  · WikiProject

Toronto
—  City  —
City of Toronto
From top left: Downtown Toronto featuring the CN Tower and Financial District from the Toronto Islands, City Hall, the Ontario Legislative Building, Casa Loma, Prince Edward Viaduct, and the Scarborough Bluffs
Flag Coat of arms of Toronto Coat of arms Official logo of Toronto Logo
Nickname(s): T.O., T-Dot, Hogtown, The Queen City, Toronto the Good, The City Within a Park
Motto: Diversity Our Strength
Location of Toronto and its census metropolitan area in the province of Ontario
Toronto Location of Toronto in Canada
Coordinates: 43°42′59.72″N 79°20′26.47″W / 43.7165889°N 79.3406861°W / 43.7165889; -79.3406861Coordinates: 43°42′59.72″N 79°20′26.47″W / 43.7165889°N 79.3406861°W / 43.7165889; -79.3406861
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Districts	East York, Etobicoke, North York, Old Toronto, Scarborough, York
Established	August 27, 1793 (as York)
Incorporated	March 6, 1834 (as Toronto)
Amalgamated	January 1, 1998 (from Metropolitan Toronto)
Government
• Mayor	Rob Ford
• Council	Toronto City Council
• MPs	List of MPs Mark Adler Carolyn Bennett John Carmichael Andrew Cash Corneliu Chisu Olivia Chow Joe Daniel Kirsty Duncan Dan Harris Roxanne James Jim Karygiannis Matthew Kellway Jack Layton Chungsen Leung John McKay Peggy Nash Joe Oliver Ted Opitz Bob Rae Judy Sgro Rathika Sitsabaiesan Mike Sullivan Bernard Trottier
• MPPs	List of MPPs Laura Albanese Bas Balkissoon Lorenzo Berardinetti Margarett Best Laurel Broten Donna Cansfield David Caplan Mike Colle Cheri DiNovo Brad Duguid Eric Hoskins Monte Kwinter Rosario Marchese Glen Murray Gerry Phillips Michael Prue Shafiq Qaadri Tony Ruprecht Mario Sergio Peter Tabuns Kathleen Wynne David Zimmer
Area[1]
• City	630 km2 (240 sq mi)
• Urban	1,749 km2 (675 sq mi)
• Metro	7,125 km2 (2,751 sq mi)
Elevation	76 m (249 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
• City	2,615,060 (1st)
• Density	4,149/km2 (10,750/sq mi)
• Urban	5,132,794 (1st)
• Metro	5,583,064 (1st)
• Demonym	Torontonian
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code span	M
Area code(s)	416, 647
NTS Map	030M11
GNBC Code	FEUZB
Website	www.toronto.ca

Toronto (/təˈrɒntoʊ/, colloquially /ˈtrɒnoʊ/) is the largest city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from the Mississaugas of the New Credit. The settlement was later established as the Town of York and proclaimed as the new capital of Upper Canada by its lieutenant-governor, John Graves Simcoe. In 1834, York was incorporated as a city and renamed to its present name. The city was ransacked in the Battle of York during the War of 1812 and damaged in two great fires in 1849 and in 1904. Since its incorporation, Toronto has repeatedly expanded its borders through amalgamation with surrounding municipalities, most recently in 1998.

With over 2.6 million residents, it is the fifth most populous city in North America. Its metropolitan area has over 5.5 million residents. 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 has a population of nearly 9 million people as of 2011.^[2][3][4] The census metropolitan area (CMA) had a population of 5,583,064,^[5] and the Greater Toronto Area had a population of 6,054,191 in the 2011 Census.^[6] Its cosmopolitan and international population^[7] reflects its role as an important destination for immigrants to Canada.^[8] Toronto is one of the world's most diverse cities by percentage of non-native-born residents, with about 49% of the population born outside Canada.^[7][8][9] Toronto is also consistently rated as one of the world's most livable cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Mercer Quality of Living Survey.^[10][11]

As Canada's commercial capital and one of the top financial centres in the world, Toronto is considered an alpha world city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) study group.^[12][13] It is home to the Toronto Stock Exchange, the world's seventh largest in terms of market value. Toronto contains more corporate headquarters than any other Canadian city, including those of Canada's five largest banks.^[14] Toronto's leading economic sectors include finance, business services, telecommunications, aerospace, transportation, media, arts, film, music, television production, publishing, software production, medical research, education, tourism, engineering, and sports industries.^[15][16] According to Forbes, Toronto is the tenth-most economically powerful city in the world and one of the fastest growing among the G7 nations, whilst PwC ranks the city as the world's second-best "metro powerhouse".^[17][18] Toronto was ranked twelfth in the world and fourth in the Americas in 2010 for economic innovation by 2thinknow.^[19] The cost of living in Toronto was ranked highest in Canada in 2011^[update].^[20]

History[link]

Before 1800[link]

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.^[21] The name Toronto is likely derived from the Iroquois word tkaronto, meaning "place where trees stand in the water".^[22] 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 grounds in 1750, but abandoned it in 1759.^[23] During the American Revolutionary War, the region saw an influx of British 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 New Credit, thereby securing more than a quarter million acres (1000 km²) of land in the Toronto area.^[24]

In 1793, Governor John Graves Simcoe established the town of York on the existing settlement, naming it after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. Simcoe chose the town to replace Newark as the capital of Upper Canada,^[25] believing the new site would be less vulnerable to attack by the Americans.^[26] Fort York was constructed at the entrance of the town's natural harbour, sheltered by a long sand-bar peninsula. The town's settlement formed at the eastern end of the harbour behind the peninsula, near the present-day intersection of Parliament Street and Front Street (in the Corktown–St. Lawrence area).

1800–1945[link]

Map of Toronto, 1894

In 1813, as part of the War of 1812, the Battle of York ended in the town's capture and plunder by American forces.^[27] 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.^[28] Slavery 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 Protestant Irish immigrants were welcomed by the existing Scottish and English population, giving the Orange Order significant and long lasting influence over Toronto society.

The Great Toronto Fire of 1904.

Toronto was twice for brief periods the capital of the united Province of Canada: first from 1849 to 1852, following unrest in Montreal, and later 1856–1858 after which Quebec became capital until 1866 (one year before Confederation); since then, the capital of Canada has remained Ottawa.^[29] 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. Because of its provincial capital status, the city was also the location of Government House, the residence of the vice-regal representative of the Crown.

Yonge Street in 1900

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 Union Station 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.

Toronto Street, looking north from King Street, 1908

Toronto became the largest alcohol distillation (in particular spirits) centre in North America; the Gooderham and Worts Distillery operations became the world's 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.^[30]

The Great Toronto Fire of 1904 destroyed a large section of downtown Toronto, but the city was quickly rebuilt. The fire caused more than $10 million in damage, and resulted in more stringent fire safety laws and expansion of the city's fire department.

Toronto Harbour, 1919. Union Station can be seen under construction.

The city received new immigrant groups beginning in the late 19th century into early 20th century, particularly Germans, French, Italians, and Jews from various parts of Eastern Europe. They were soon followed by Chinese, Russians, Poles and immigrants from other Eastern European nations, as the Irish before them, many of these new migrants lived in overcrowded shanty type slums, such as "the Ward" which was centred on Bay Street, now the heart of the country's finances. Despite its fast paced growth, by the 1920s, Toronto's 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.

V-E Day celebrations on Bay Street, May 1945

Since 1945[link]

Following the Second World War refugees from war-torn Europe and Chinese job-seekers arrived, as well as 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. Toronto's 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 Canada's most populous city and the chief economic hub. 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 Western Canadian cities.^[31]

In 1954, the City of Toronto and 12 surrounding municipalities were federated into a regional government known as Metropolitan Toronto.^[32] 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 highways, 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.^[33]

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 City of Toronto and the surrounding municipalities of East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough and York. 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 amalgamated into a single municipality, creating the current City of Toronto, with Mel Lastman as its first mayor (after being mayor of North York). David Miller was the second mayor and Rob Ford is the third and 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 4th G-20 summit during June 26–27, 2010, for which the largest security operation in Canadian history took place amidst large-scale protests. Toronto will host the Pan American Games in 2015.

Geography[link]

A simulated-colour image of Toronto taken by the NASA Landsat 7 satellite from 2004. Yonge Street can clearly be seen bisecting the city just right of centre in the image. The other prominent road, running east-west, is Highway 401.

Toronto covers an area of 630 square kilometres (243 sq mi),^[34] with a maximum north-south distance of 21 kilometres (13 mi) and a maximum east-west distance of 43 km (27 mi). It has a 46-kilometre (29 mi) long 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.^[35] The city's borders are formed 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.

Topography[link]

The city is intersected by three rivers and numerous tributaries: the Humber River in the west end and the Don River east of downtown at opposite ends of the Toronto Harbour, and the Rouge River at the city's eastern limits. 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 ravines, and provide ideal sites for parks and recreational trails. However, the ravines also interfere with the city's 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 city's vast storm sewer system during heavy rains, but some sections, particularly near the Don River are prone to sudden, heavy floods.

During the last ice age, the lower part of Toronto was beneath Glacial Lake Iroquois. Today, a series of escarpments mark the lake's former boundary, known as the Iroquois Shoreline. The escarpments are most prominent from Victoria Park Avenue to the mouth of Highland Creek, where they form the Scarborough Bluffs. Other observable sections include the area near St. Clair Avenue West between Bathurst Street and the Don River, and north of Davenport Road from Caledonia to Spadina Road; the Casa Loma grounds sit above this escarpment. Despite its deep ravines, Toronto is not remarkably hilly, but does increase in elevation steadily away from the lake. Elevation differences range from 75 metres (246 ft) above-sea-level at the Lake Ontario shore to 209 m (686 ft) ASL near the York University grounds in the city's north end at the intersection of Keele Street and Steeles Avenue.^[36] There are occasional hilly areas, in particular midtown Toronto has a number of rolling hills, some of which are of considerable height. Lake Ontario remains occasionally visible from the peaks of these ridges as far north as Eglinton Avenue, 7 to 8 kilometres (4.3 to 5.0 mi) inland.

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[link]

Toronto's climate is moderate for Canada owing to its southerly location within the country. It has a humid continental climate (Köppen 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.

Toronto winters sometimes feature short cold snaps where maximum temperatures remain below −10 °C (14 °F), 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 5 to 12 °C (41 to 54 °F) 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 23 °C (73 °F) to 31 °C (88 °F), daytime temperatures occasionally surpass 35 °C (95 °F) 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 830 mm (32.7 in), with an average annual snowfall of about 133 cm (52 in). 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.^[37]

Cityscape[link]

360-degree panorama of Toronto as seen from the CN Tower. The Toronto Islands and the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on Lake Ontario are visible on the left side of the image while buildings of Downtown Toronto are visible on the right.

Architecture[link]

Art Gallery of Ontario

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."^[39] Toronto buildings vary in design and age with many structures dating back to the mid-19th century, while other prominent buildings were just newly built in the first decade of the 21st century.

Defining the Toronto skyline is the CN Tower, completed in 1976. At a height of 553.33 metres (1,815 ft 5 in) it was the world's tallest^[40] freestanding structure until 2007 when it was surpassed by Burj Khalifa, but it is still the tallest tower in the western hemisphere surpassing the Willis Tower by 110 metres. It is an important telecommunications hub and a centre of tourism in Toronto.

Allen Lambert Galleria in Brookfield Place

Toronto is a city of high-rises, having 1,800 buildings over 30 metres (98 ft), second only to New York City (which has over 5,000 such buildings) in North America.^[41] 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. As of December 2011, Toronto had 132 high-rise buildings under-construction, which was the highest among all cities in North America, significantly beating Mexico City (88), New York City (86), and Chicago (17).^[42]

Through the 1960s and 1970s, significant pieces of Toronto's architectural heritage were demolished to make way for redevelopment or, simply, parking. In contrast, since the 2000s, Toronto is experiencing a period of architectural revival, with several buildings by world-renowned architects having opened in the last five years. Daniel Libeskind's Royal Ontario Museum addition, Frank Gehry's remake of the Art Gallery of Ontario, and Will Alsop's distinctive Ontario College of Art & Design expansion are among the city's new showpieces.^[43] The historic Distillery District, located on the eastern edge of downtown, is North America's 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 city's centre. Trump International Hotel and Tower, Ritz-Carlton Toronto, Four Seasons Hotel and Residences, and 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[link]