Sunday, August 9, 2015

Understanding What Makes Up the Greater Toronto Area

City of Toronto - 2015

Which Towns & Cities Make Up the Greater Toronto Area?

If you're planning to visit or move to Toronto, you'll find the information here to be a useful, educational guide.
The "Greater Toronto Area", known to local residents as the "GTA", is the largest metropolitan area in Canada.
When we speak about the "GTA" we are referring to the City of Toronto and the four surrounding regions of York, Durham, Halton & Peel. Within these Regions are various town's, cities, and rural communities.

York Region - Communities in York

AURORA - Slogan: "You're in Good Company" The Town of Aurora is situated on rolling hills of Oak Ridges Moraine, just 30 minutes north of Toronto. Population in 2010 approximately 53,000.
EAST GWILLIMBURY - Slogan: "Thinking Green" The Town of East Gwillimbury is located on the East Holland River. It encompasses the Villages of Holland Landing, Queensville, Sharon & Mount Albert. Population as of 2011 approximately 22,473.
GEORGINA - The Town of Georgina is the northernmost municipality in the Region of York
Humber Bay Shores - Condos - City of Toronto
. It's incorporated as a Town, but operates as a Township where several surrounding communities share an Administrative Council. These communities include; Keswick, Sutton, Jackson's Point, Pefferlaw, Port Bolster, Udora and Willow Beach. The population as of 2011 was approximately 43,517.
KING - The Township of King is known for its gorgeous countryside, rolling hills, and prestigious horse and cattle farms. There are three predominant communities in the Township of King; King City, Nobleton & Schomberg. The population as of 2011 was approximately 19,899.
MARKHAM - Slogan: "Leading While Remembering" The City of Markham is made up of numerous original 19th century communities listed here. The population of Markham, at 2011 was approximately 301,709.
*Neighbourhoods and Communities that Make up Markham, Ontario - Located in the Region of York in the Greater Toronto Area
Almira, Angus Glen, Armadale, Berczy Village, Box Grove, Brown's Corners, Buttonville, Cachet, Cashel, Cathedraltown, Cedar Grove, Cornell, Crosby, Downtown Markham, Dickson's Hill, German Mills, Greensborough, Hagermans Corners, Langstaff, Legacy, Locust Hill, Markham Village, Milliken Mills, Mongolia, Mount Joy, Quantztown, Raymerville - Markville East, Rouge Fairways, Sherwood - Amber Glen, Thornhill, Underwood, Unionville, Victoria Square, Vinegar Hil, Wismer Commons.
NEWMARKET - Slogan: "Prudence" The Town of Newmarket is situated conveniently between Bradford and Toronto, Ontario. It's located on the picturesque Holland River and
City of Toronto - Taken from Top of CN Tower - Island Airport-Left
provides a lovely balance of country and city living. The estimated population of Newmarket for 2011 is 87,000.
RICHMOND HILL - Slogan: "En la rose, je fleuris" (In the Rose, I Flourish) The Town of Richmond Hill acquired it's slogan from once being considered the Rose capital of the world. It's centrally located in York Region. It's located about halfway between Lake Simcoe and the City of Toronto. The population of Richmond Hill in 2011 was approximately 185,541.
VAUGHAN - Slogan: "The City Above Toronto" The City of Vaughan was Canada's fastest growing municipality for ten years from 1996 to 2006. There are five communities that make up the City of Vaughan: Woodbridge, Maple, Thornhill, Concord, and Kleinburg. The population of Vaughan as of 2011 was approximately 288,301.
WHITCHURCH-STOUFFVILLE - Slogan: "Country Close to the City" The beautiful countryside Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville encompasses several area communities, with the largest being Stouffville itself, and the rest being; Ballantrae, Bethesda, Bloomington, Cedar Valley, Gormley, Lemonville, Lincolnville, Musselman Lake, Pine Orchard, Pleasantville, Preston Lake, Ringwood, Vandorf, Vivian, and Wesley Corners. At 2011 the population was approximately 37,628.

Durham Region: Communities in Durham

AJAX - Slogan: "Ajax by the Lake" The lovely Town of Ajax is approximately 25 kilometers east of the City of Toronto and rests on the shores of Lake Ontario. It's name sake is from the a Royal Navy Cruiser called the HMS Ajax that served in World War II. At 2006 the
CN Tower - City of Toronto
population of Ajax was approximately 90,000.
BROCK - Slogan: "A Community With a Heart" The Township of Brock is approximately 1 hour northeast of the City of Toronto. It encompasses several hamlets, beautiful countryside living and urban areas. Beaverton and Cannington are the larger urban areas, and included are the following smaller communities: Blackwater, Cedar Beach, Creightons Corners, Derryville, Gamebridge, Layton, Maple Beach, Pinedale, Saginaw, Sunderland, Thorah Beach, Vallentyne, Vroomanton, Wick and Wilfrid.
CLARINGTON - Slogan: "Wisdom, Knowledge and Trust" The Municipality of Clarington is located to the East of the City of Toronto. It includes four larger urban communities; Bowmanville, Courtice, Newcastle, & Orono. The rural communities are: Bond Head, Brownsville, Burketon, Clarke, Crooked Creek, Enfield, Enniskillen, Gaud Corners, Hampton, Haydon, Kendal, Leskard, Maple Grove, Mitchell Corners (sometimes called Mitchell's Corners), New Park, Newtonville, Port Darlington, Port Granby,Salem, Solina, Starkville, Taunton (split with Oshawa along Townline Road), Tyrone, West Side Beach & Wilmot Creek.
OSHAWA - Slogan: "Prepare to be Amazed" Oshawa is situated approximately 60kms east of the City of Toronto on the shoreline of Lake Ontario. Although Oshawa has it's own CMA (Census Metropolitan Area) it is still considered part of the Greater Toronto Area. Oshawa is the largest municipality within the Durham Region with a population in 2006 of approximately 142,000.
PICKERING - The City of Pickering is situated east of Toronto and located on the shores of Lake Ontario. The southern part of the city is typically urban with the northern part of the municipality being mostly rural. As of 2006 the approximate population of Pickering was 89,000.
Humber Bay Shores City Park - City of Toronto
SCUGOG - The gorgeous Township of Scugog is located North east of Toronto. According to "Place Names of Ontario" by Alan Rayburn, the name Scugog is said to mean "waves leap over a canoe", however other sources say it's a native word that means "swampy or marshy land". Port Perry is the main urban center and the following smaller communities are also part of the Township: Aldreds Beach, Blackstock, Burketon, Cadmus, Caesarea, Carnegie Beach, Cedar Shores, Epsom, Fralicks Beach, Gerrows Beach, Greenbank, Highland Beach, Honey Beach, Lakeside Beach, Manchester, Marsh Hill, Nestleton, Nestleton Station, Pine Point, Port View Beach, Prince Albert, Prospect, Purple Hill, Saintfield, Scugog, Scugog Centre, Scugog Point, Seagrave, Shirley, Strattonville, Sunrise Beach, Utica, Victoria Corners and Williams Point
UXBRIDGE - The Township of Uxbridge is located in South Central Ontario. The main center is the Town of Uxbridge and the smaller communities included in the Township are: Coppins Corners, Goodwood, Leaskdale, Roseville, Sandford, Sandy Hook, Siloam, Victoria Corners and Zephyr. In 2006 the approximate population was 19,000.
Lighthouse on Pier in Whitby, Ontario - Canvas
WHITBY - Slogan: "Durham's Business Center"- Whitby is located east of the City of Toronto on the north shores of Lake Ontario. The southern portion of Whitby is mostly an urban economic and business hub with the northern sections consisting of these rural areas: Ashburn, Brooklin, Myrtle and Myrtle Station. In 2006 the population of Whitby was approximately 112,000.

Halton Region - Communities in Halton

BURLINGTON - Slogan: "Stand By" Burlington is a City located in the "West End", meaning it's west of the City of Toronto. It's close to Hamilton, and a drive to Niagara Falls would only take about an hour. The city is rated as one of Canada's best places to live. In 2006 the population of the city was approximately 175,799.
HALTON HILLS - The Town of Halton Hills is located in the West End. It's a community that has been amalgamated with the former Esquesing Township and the two major urban centers, Georgetown and Acton. Much of the magnificent picturesque countryside is protected by Conservation Halton, Credit Valley Conservation & the Grand River
Taken at SpringRidge Farm - Milton, Ontario
Conservation Authority. In 2011 the population was approximately 59,008.
MILTON - The Town of Milton was the fastest growing community in Canada in 2006, and it is still growing at quite a clip. It's convenient location may have something to do with that. It's located in the west end, north of Burlington and Oakville. It provides easy access to the 401, 407, and the 403. In 2011 the population of Milton was approximately 84,362.
OAKVILLE - Slogan: "Avancez" (French for Advance) - The Town of Oakville, located in the West end, on the shores of Lake Ontario, is one of the most affluent towns in Canada. It's conveniently situated between the City of Toronto and City of Hamilton. The population of Oakville in 2011 was approximately 182,520.

Peel Region: Communities in Peel Region

BRAMPTON - Slogan: "Flower City" - The City of Brampton, located in the North West End of Toronto is the third largest city in the GTA with a population in 2006 of approximately 434,000, and has a large South Asian community. Brampton was once known as the "Flower Town of Canada" because of it's large Greenhouse industry. Today Brampton's economic industries include, manufacturing, sciences, retail, logistics, and more.
CALEDON - The Town of Caledon is located in the North West end of the city, and does have some urban elements to it, but is primarily rural, and features a magnificent picturesque countryside. Some of the wealthiest citizens own estates in Caledon. Caledon is actually an amalgamation of urban areas, hamlets, and villages.The major urban center in Caledon, is Bolton. These are the smaller communities in Caledon: Albion, Alloa, Alton, Belfountain, Boston Mills, Brimstone, Caledon, Caledon East,Caledon village Campbells Cross, Castlederg, Cataract, Cedar Meadows, Cedar Mills, Cheltenham, Claude, Coulterville, Ferndale, Forks of the Credit, The Grange, Humber, Humber Grove, Inglewood, Kilmanagh, Lockton, Mayfield West, Macville, Melville, McLeodville, Mono Mills, Mono Road, New Glasgow, Palgrave, Queensgate, Rockside, Rosehill, Sandhill, Silver Creek, Sleswick, Sligo, Snelgrove, Stonehart, Taylorwoods, Terra Cotta, Tormore, Valleywood and Victoria. In 2006 the population of Caledon was approximately 57,000.
MISSISSAUGA - Slogan: "Pride in Our Past, Faith in Our Future" The City of Mississauga is located just to the West of Toronto proper and as of 2010 had a population of approximately 738,000 people.The growth of Mississauga has a lot to do with how convenient and close it is to the City of Toronto. Over 60 of the Fortune 500 base their Global or Canadian Head Offices in Mississauga. Mayor McCallion, the Mayor of Mississauga, is Canada's longest serving Mayor. She was also runner-up in 2005 for the longest serving Mayor in the world.

The City of Toronto - The 'actual city'

CITY OF TORONTO - Slogan: "Diversity is Our Strength" Toronto is the largest city in Canada with over 2.6 million people. It's also the capital of Ontario. Toronto is at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (the GTA), and part of the "Golden Horseshoe" which has a total populace of approximately 8.6 million people. Toronto was formally divided up into six municipalities; East York, North York, Etobicoke, City of Toronto, Scarborough and York. In 1998 all of these municipalities were amalgamated into the current City of Toronto. People, however, still identify areas of Toronto by these names.



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7 comments:

  1. I can certainly understand why "Diversity is our strength" is the slogan of Toronto. What an amazing area! Thanks for the tour, Barb!

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    1. Thanks Susan, Toronto is certainly very diverse :)

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  2. This actually helps me a lot! It explains why I felt so confused when I was recently in Toronto. Prior to finding out that our daughter was moving to Canada, I always thought Toronto and Ontario were two different places. I was reading across all of the names in this article and found myself wondering just where did I leave my daughter! When we go back to visit, I would love to just tour around and visit. I feel quite certain it would not seen so confusing if I actually put feet on the ground. I also think I need a better map than my atlas :)

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    Replies
    1. Cynthia, Toronto's actually quite easy to grasp once you start to get a feel for the city (in terms of layout and areas I mean) - I know I would feel the same way you described in any city I was unfamiliar with as well though. I'm sure your daughter will be giving you tours the next time you go!

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  3. I have never been to Toronto but this virtual tour makes me want to visit the area some day soon.

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  4. I've never been to Toronto, which is surprising since I grew up less than 3 hours away in the Rochester, NY area and my grandfather came from Toronto. Most of my relatives have visited, my brother just this summer for a Blue Jays baseball game. Although I've been to Niagara Falls and other parts of Canada, I've yet to make it to Toronto. Definitely a visit that needs to be put on my 'bucket list'. Your city is so fascinating. I had no idea there were so many areas to the city, each unique in it's own way.

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    Replies
    1. Pat, it's a beautiful city for sure, you'd enjoy yourself - save a few dollars and have dinner at the top of the CN Tower

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