Destination Overview
The most heavily populated city in Canada, Toronto is a vibrant,
cosmopolitan, financial, commercial and cultural centre with a rich
multi-cultural heritage of more than 80 ethnic groups, speaking
more than 100 languages. It has a lively stock exchange, soaring
futuristic architecture, museums, art galleries, performing arts
companies, fine restaurants, large shopping complexes, a waterfront
and hundreds of parks.The city is sited on the north shore of Lake Ontario, and sports
distinctive neighbourhoods as well as the longest street in the
world, Yonge Street, as its main north-south artery. Toronto's main
landmark is the CN Tower, which is the world's tallest
free-standing structure with glass-fronted elevators that rise
1,815ft (553m) to indoor and outdoor observation decks. The city
also boasts the 'Skydome', which is a multi-purpose entertainment
complex with a retractable roof, billed as the world's greatest
entertainment centre.In the 17th century Toronto was a small French colony; then came
the American Revolution which encouraged scores of families whose
loyalties lay with the British to flee north. Many settled beside
the lake establishing a town known as York, which slowly grew in
importance as an administrative and manufacturing centre. In 1834
the name was changed to Toronto, an Indian word meaning 'meeting
place'. The new name proved worthy when about a century later the
city's English character began to be buried beneath the
conglomeration of cultures brought in by a massive tide of
immigrants from all corners of the world. Old English pubs and
Victorian and Edwardian architecture survive among the skyscrapers,
but Toronto is today a lively and cosmopolitan city and Canada's
commercial capital.
