TORONTO
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. |