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| City Guide - Toronto - City Overview | ||
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City Overview Toronto stands on the northern shore of Lake Ontario - at the water's edge, a glimmering collection of skyscrapers, which give way to a dense city centre with pleasant leafy residential areas and parks. The capital of the Province of Ontario, Toronto is Canada's largest city, both the business and cultural centre of the country. Initially claimed by the French in the eighteenth century, it was not until the American Revolution caused hoards of United Empire Loyalists (loyal to England) to escape to Toronto, that it became an established settlement. Then known as York, the town was exceedingly British in character, functioning as the administrative capital of English-speaking Upper Canada and becoming a thriving manufacturing centre by the nineteenth century. In 1834, the city was renamed Toronto, a Huron Indian word meaning 'meeting place'. The Toronto of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was a law-abiding city, where rules were made and rarely broken, and where the overriding concern was making money. As such, Toronto gained a reputation as a conservative, boring enclave of Protestantism, a reputation that still dogs it to some extent today. Older residents can remember the days when the city would come to a standstill on Sundays and only a handful of the very best restaurants served wine. Towards the end of the 1950s, however, great changes began affecting this sleepy little city. Hoards of immigrants arrived and infused it with new foods, new languages, and, most importantly, new attitudes. Italians, Portuguese and Eastern Europeans arrived first, followed by immigrants from the Caribbean, Asia and India. They settled into what would become the city's great ethnic neighborhoods - Greektown, Little Italy and Chinatown. Toronto gradually grew into its multi-ethnic North American character and shrugged off its colonial identity, although vestiges still remain, such as the English-style pubs, the Queen on the back of Canadian coinage, and the engrained habit among conservative clubs and societies of toasting the Queen before eating. In terms of character, therefore, Toronto strikes a curious pose somewhere in between this English colonial heritage with is Protestant ethic, and the brash modernity of its American neighbours. Toronto has the appearance of an American city at first, albeit a clean one, but closer inspection reveals preserved Victorian and Edwardian buildings and a profusion of neighbourhood pubs. Along with all of Canada, Toronto prides itself on being a fair society. Taxes may be higher than in the United States, but health care is free, the streets are clean and safe, and owning a handgun is associated with mental instability. The Toronto of today is a lively, cultured place with hot summers and cold, dry winters. It is the most economically important city in Canada, the centre of finance, media and services, and home to more corporate head offices than any other. By night, its people indulge themselves at the city's numerous restaurants, bars and clubs, or at the symphony, opera and theatre. More than anything, though, Toronto is defined by its citizenry - friendly, efficient, and one of the most the most multicultural in the world. |
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