- published: 10 Apr 2013
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Brampton ( /ˈbræmptən/ or /ˈbræmtən/) is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) of Ontario, Canada and the seat of Peel Region. As of the 2011 census, Brampton's population was 523,911, making it the ninth largest city in Canada. With the median age at 33.7, it is the youngest community in the GTA. Brampton has the largest concentration of South Asians in Canada, making up 31.7% of Brampton's population.
Brampton was incorporated as a village in 1853, taking its name from the rural town of Brampton, in Cumbria, England. Brampton was once known as The Flower Town of Canada, a title it earned due to the city's large greenhouse industry. This included Dale's Flowers, a company that won many international rose awards for nearly half a century. Today, the city's major economic sectors include advanced manufacturing, retail administration and logistics, information and communication technologies, food and beverage, life sciences and business services.
Prior to the 1800s, the only building of consequence at the corner of Main and Queen streets, the recognized centre of Brampton, was William Buffy's tavern. At the time, the area was referred to as "Buffy's Corners". All real business in Chinguacousy Township took place 1 mile distant at Martin Salisbury's tavern. By 1834, John Elliott laid out the area in lots for sale, and applied the name "Brampton" to the area, which was soon adopted by others.