Toronto, Ontario

Toronto is a global city with population of approx. 2.5 million (a further 2.5 million live in its environs), exerting significant regional and international influence, and is one of the world's most multicultural and ethnically diverse cities. It is Canada's financial centre and economic engine, as well as one of the country's most important cultural, artistic, and health sciences centres. Toronto was named the world's most livable city in 1994 by The Economist. It was displaced in 2005 by Vancouver, but is still ranked among the top ten. Professional sports teams: Toronto FC (Major League Soccer), Blue Jays (baseball), Argonauts (CFL football), Raptors (basketball), Rock (lacrosse) and Maple Leafs (ice hockey).

'Toronto' is Iroquois for 'place where trees stand in the water'. It was first explored by French traders who established a fort here in 1750. At the time it was inhabited by Huron Native Americans. The territory was ceded to the British in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. During the American Revolution, American Loyalists fled to the city to remain under British rule. In 1793 the British established the town of York here, naming it after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. It became the capital of Upper Canada in 1797.

In 1813, during the War of 1812, American forces captured and burned the city, which motivated the later British burning of Washington. It was incorporated in 1834 as Toronto, given its original native name. The unsuccessful Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837 was centered here. It became the center of immigration to Canada, especially for Irish immigrants during the Great Potato Famine. It served as the capital of the Province of Canada from 1849 to 1852 and then 1856-58. When the province of Ontario was created in 1867, Toronto became its capital. The construction of the railway and a distillery industry were major factors in Toronto's growth.

Much of the city was destroyed in the Toronto Fire of 1904. Waves of immigration entered the city in the late 1800s and after World War Two. In 1954 Toronto and several surrounding municipalities were amalgamated into a regional government.

www.toronto.ca/