Toronto Canada Travel Information
Toronto
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Toronto is a Canadian city and the provincial capital of Ontario; it is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With a population of 2,481,494, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fifth most populous in North America (after Mexico City, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.) The population of the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) is estimated at 5,304,100 in 2005 (Statistics Canada (external)). The Greater Toronto Area (GTA), slightly larger than the Toronto CMA, is defined by provincial authorities for urban planning purposes. Residents of Toronto are called Torontonians. The city is part of the Golden Horseshoe, a densely populated region in Ontario of over eight million people. Approximately one-quarter of the Canadian population lives within the Golden Horseshoe, and about one-sixth of all Canadian jobs lie within the city limits. It currently holds the tallest freestanding structure on land in the world in the CN Tower, and the first ever stadium to have a retractable roof, the Rogers Centre (formerly the SkyDome), which was built in 1989.
Toronto is a global city, exerting significant regional, national, and international influence, and is one of the world's most multicultural and ethnically diverse cities: 42% of the population was born outside of Canada. Toronto is Canada's financial centre and economic engine, as well as one of the country's most important cultural, art, and health sciences centres. In January 2005, it was designated by the federal government as one of Canada's cultural capitals.
In 1998, the current City of Toronto was amalgamated from its six prior municipalities and regional government. The current mayor of Toronto is David Miller.
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Attractions
Toronto's most famous landmark is the CN Tower, a 553 metre (1,815 ft) tall steel and concrete transmission tower, the tallest free-standing land structure in the world. Directly west of it is the Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome), the world's first sporting arena to feature a fully retractable roof. It is currently home to the Toronto Blue Jays and the Toronto Argonauts. Nearby, the Air Canada Centre is the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Raptors, and the Toronto Rock. It was originally built to replace the legendary Maple Leaf Gardens.
Toronto's City Hall is one of the city's most distinctive landmarks. Built to replace its predecessor — now known simply as Old City Hall — its modernist style still impresses today. (It has been used as a backdrop in American films to depict a city of the future.) Directly in front of City Hall is Nathan Phillips Square, a public space that frequently houses concerts, art displays, a weekly farmers' market, and other public events. It is also the site of a reflecting pool that, during the winter, becomes a popular skating rink. Dundas Square, nearby, is the city's newest and flashiest public square, located across the street from the Toronto Eaton Centre, a large, popular shopping mall. Another popular shopping mall Yorkdale even has it's own subway station which can be reach using the convenient TTC subway system. Queen's Park, a historic scenic park and public space, surrounds Ontario's Legislative Assembly.
The Toronto Islands form part of the largest car-free urban community in North America. Accessible by ferry, "the Islands" include a public park and a children's amusement park, Centreville. The Islands are also home to the Toronto City Centre Airport. The city has several large parks, the best known being High Park to the west of downtown. The city is crisscrossed by a network of ravines that are still almost wholly undeveloped.
Other popular attractions include the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Ontario Science Centre, the Leslie Street Spit, the Toronto Zoo, Little Glenn, and the city's oldest cathedrals, the Roman Catholic St. Michael's Cathedral and the Anglican St. James' Cathedral, both on Church Street. Casa Loma, a castle overlooking downtown Toronto, is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.




