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Toronto History, Ontario

Toronto  means ‘Meeting Place’ in the language of the Huron people. It is noted in the history that it was Teiaiagon, where the primary settlement took place in the whole Toronto. Teiaiagon was inhabited firstly by Seneca Indians and then Mississauga Indians also settled on the banks of Humber River which is located in Canada.

Toronto Passage

Etienne Brule, being a French explorer was the first European who stood on the coast of Lake Ontario. The area where Etienne stood at that point of time is now known as Toronto. He started form the west and north of Canada and voyaged till the Gulf of Mexico with the water routes, but it proved to be very important. The Toronto Passage is an essential shortcut between the upper Great Lakes and Lake Ontario, which follows the Humber River.

Toronto was born

The American Revolution started in 1776 and lasted till 1783. The citizens again returned to the British territories which they left earlier. The provinces which are there in the region of upper Canada were created in the year 1791. The reason for this was that the loyalists that settled there were situated in Saint Lawrence as well as lower areas of the lake.

The plans for establishing a new town near the York were conceived by the First Governor of the upper region of Canada, John G.Simcoe. This town was given the name Toronto afterwards.

From York to Toronto

The Toronto city was integrated in the year 1834 because more than nine thousand residents inhabited in it. It also had a civic government which was elected and the lweader was William Lyon Mackenzie who became the first mayor of Toronto. The growth of Canada then rose its pace.

The 1800's in the year 1867, the capital

In the year 1867, the city of Toronto became the capital of Ontario which was a new province at the Confederation. Industrialization also progressed here during 1870’s. it expanded up to 5 times its original size in the year 1891 which was only populated with thirty thousand residents in the year 1851. the industrial tariff protection passed after 1879, Casmir Gzowski (the railway engineer) and  Timothy Eaton (the department store maker) did a lot of help to promote Canada.

The 1900's

Till the twentieth century the Western Canada had earned immense progress with the help of its mines and forests of Ontario. Hydroelectricity was produced from the Niagara Falls which was a cheap source of energy. The banks, insurance companies, investment companies and the factories were very well supported by it. The manufacturing and investments scope of Toronto was enhanced due to the First World War

The new mega city

In 1998, Toronto was entitled as a mega city. There was a population of 2.4 million people and it claimed to be the fifth largest city of North America. The population of Toronto was more than in other provinces of Canada.


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  • mohds2Great clubs and music in Toronto
    review by mohds2 posted more then 30 days ago
    Still a youth town by worldwide principles, Toronto is rising up fast and pleasingly. It’s Canada's largest and most significant city, and its international framework is helping as an inspiring instance to the rest of the world. French writer Azouz Begag called Toronto 'the city of...
  • MadSuhGreat days spent in Toronto
    review by MadSuh posted more then 30 days ago
    This is my second time in Toronto. I really liked this place even though I had only little time to see a lot of things. We were mainly busy talking business to some really nice guys. After a day of talking, good lunch and beers, we ended up strolling around in the city and checking out Jeff...
  • travelgrove-editorWeather forecast for North America
    review by travelgrove-editor posted more then 30 days ago
    Alaska - Denali National Park The summer months are pleasant, as July to August gets the most visitors. May and September usually offer a more quiet time to travel. October gets Blizzards and the months between November and February get lots of snow Canada - Ontario, Toronto Pick...
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  • eratoToronto Music Garden
    travel tip by erato posted more then 30 days ago
    What could be better than walking on the beautiful waterfront of Toronto? The answer is doing that along Toronto Music Garden. I've heard somewhere that that the only problem with life is that there is not background music. Well,...
  • zangazangaDistillery District in Toronto
    travel tip by zangazanga posted more then 30 days ago
    Even the name sounds wonderful... Destillery District. The area is a group of period buildings from the late 19th century, built in Victorian style, of red brick, and houses a number of great galleries, caffes, restaurants and even a...
  • BelindaBata Shoe Museum
    travel tip by Belinda posted more then 30 days ago
    If you want to see a really special place, you have to come to Bata Shoes Museum. The museum displays the shoes ollection of the Bata family with more that 10.000 (pair of) items. The main exhibition os about the hitory of footwear from...
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Toronto City Ratings

  • Rating85%
    City Rank105
     
  • History & Culture: rated for 100%
  • Night Life & Entertainment: rated for 100%
  • Family & Fun: rated for 80%
  • Outdoors Activities: rated for 60%
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