Canadian City

.With a population of approximately 2.4 million people, Toronto is Canada's largest city and the main business center. It is also the country's most ethnically diverse metropolitan region with more than 80 distinct communities from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

The city, on the north shore of Lake Ontario, was established on March 6, 1834 when the British settlement of York - founded as the capital of the new province of Upper Canada by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe in the 1790s - was renamed Toronto. By then, the settlement had a population of approximately 10,000 people and was well on its way to becoming Canada's dominant center. Today the greater Toronto region has a population of approximately 4.7 million.

The city is home to three professional sports teams that play in north American premier leagues - the Blue Jays (baseball), the Maple Leafs (hockey), the Raptors (basketball), - and boasts the third largest English-language theater district in the world after New York and London. There are also an estimated 7,000 restaurants in the city and some of the finest shopping in the world. Fortune Magazine has ranked Toronto as "the best international city in which to live".

Distinct neighborhoods include little Italy (west of College/Bathurst, Queen Street West (a soho-style strip east of Spadina Avenue), the Entertainment district (boundedby Front and King Streets, University and Spadina Avenues), the fashion district (Spadina and King), Greektown on Danforth Avenue, Little India (Gerrard Street East), and three Chinatowns.

English is the predominant language of Toronto, although both English and French are official languages. Most government services are available in either language. There are large ethnic populations including 350,000 Chinese, 400,000 Italians, and 127,000 Greeks. Dual-language street signs can be found in areas such as Chinatown, Little Italy, Little Portugal, and other communities.

The climate is considered to be temperate with average temperatures of 7.4C (45.3F) in spring, 20.7C (69.3F) in summer, 10.8C (51.4F) in autumn, and -3.3C (26.1F) in winter.

International cost-of-living comparisons show Toronto to be one of the least expensive major cities in the world. According to Statistics Canada, the average household in Toronto spent approximately $58,860 in 1996 (the latest available figures) of which approximately 25 per cent was for personal taxes 19 per cent for shelter 11per cent for food, 12 per cent for transportation, 5 per cent for recreation, 5 per cent for security and 4 per cent for clothing. After Vancouver, Toronto is the second most expensive city in which to live in Canada.

Compared to other leading cities around the world housing costs in Toronto are relatively low, but are considered high in North American terms. The average house prices are the second highest in Canada after Vancouver and among the highest in North America. However, residential electricity rates in Toronto are considerably lower than in the United States.

The city has one of the world's most highly skilled workforce's and is a leading North American center for the emerging high-tech sector. Anestimated 40 per cent of people over 18 have university degree, trade certificate of college diploma, and 56 per cent have at least one year of post-secondary education. Lower labor costs compared to other major financial centers, the skilled labor force, and air links to more than 300 destinations all over the world makes Toronto a sought after location for international businesses.

People keep coming up with different ways to identify this vibrant, exciting place. Hardly anyone fails to mention Toronto's multiethnicity, but more and more people, from style makers to financial wizards, are discovering new adjectives for Toronto: hot, fun, friendly, stylish, efficient and lots more.

Some Interesting Facts about the City of Toronto.....