59 Toronto Facts: Visit This Fifth Largest City In North America
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Toronto is North America's fifth largest city, with Mexico City, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago leading the way.
The city started as York and served as the capital of Upper Canada in 1793. The city was incorporated into Canada and renamed Toronto in 1834.
Today, Toronto is Canada's most populated city and serves as Ontario's provincial capital, and the Greater Toronto Area is the most populated metropolitan region in Canada. The city is renowned as the international center of finance, business, culture, arts and is recognized as one of the most diverse and sophisticated cities in the world.
The city, in global rankings, is positioned alongside London and New York in terms of English theatre and has an abundance of modern and historic theatres such as the Royal Alexandra Theatre, the Princess of Wales Theatre, and Ed Mirvish Theatre.
Climate Of Toronto
The city experiences cold winters and hot summers because of its continental weather. These climate facts will help you figure out when you should visit the city.
Toronto is known for its continental climate, which is modified because of the city's proximity to the Great Lakes.
Toronto's residents experience average temperatures of -20 F (-28.9 C ) in January. The city experiences an average temperature of 70 F (21.1 C) in July. However, the temperature in summer can sometimes exceed 90 F (32.2 C), with 100% humidity.
On January 4, 1981, Toronto experienced its coldest ever recorded temperature at -24.3 F (-31.3 C) at the airport.
The highest ever recorded temperature in the city was 105.8 F (41 C) on July 10, 1936.
Tourist Attractions In Toronto
Toronto is one of the prime tourist destinations in Canada. As of 2017, the city was visited by 43.7 million tourists who were attracted to the natural beauty and cultural life of Toronto. Learn more with these Toronto tourist attractions facts:
Toronto is known for its unique relationship with graffiti! There is a 1.2 mi (2 km) alley in the city covered with beautiful graffiti sanctioned by the city. There is also a graffiti car parked in Kensington market, and it is the only car in the area that is allowed to be parked legally.
You can also visit the 300-year-old red oak tree in North York.
Toronto's CN Tower is the star attraction of the city and draws around 1.5 million tourists each year. The Niagara Falls can be viewed from the glass-bottom viewing platform. The tower is the key feature of the Toronto skyline.
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is Canada's premier museum and has an international reputation for being excellent! The museum houses an impressive collection, which covers art, natural history, and culture, from a great mixture of historic periods from all around the world.
Among the biggest museums in North America is the Art Gallery of Ontario. The museum has a collection of more than 95,000 pieces that come from around the world. It houses an excellent exhibition of Canadian Art, alongside contemporary art and European masterpieces.
Toronto's Casa Loma is the only real castle in North America! It was built by Sir Henry Pellatt in 1914, a Canadian businessman who was the first to recognize the promising prospects of Niagara Falls as a money-making site.
High Park, a 165 ac (66.8 ha) country property, is known for its nature trails, streams, natural ponds, hanging basket gardens, and sunken gardens.
The High Park Zoo, located within High Park, is home to various animals, including reindeer, wallabies, bison, llamas, and the famous Capabara couple Bonnie and Clyde, who infamously escaped the zoo.
The Toronto Zoo is another popular tourist attraction that gets its fair share of visitors yearly. The zoo has approximately 5000 animals including lions, pygmy hippos, penguins, giraffes, tigers, and orangutans.
Some of the other features of the Toronto Zoo include the Great Barrier Reef; the Tundra Trek, featuring polar bears; and the Gorilla Rainforest. The Discovery Zone in the zoo is popular with families.
The Nathan Phillips Square, named after the mayor of Toronto from 1995-1962, hosts a variety of activities and special events that are free to the public and are created by charitable or non-profits to celebrate the cultural diversity of Toronto.
The Toronto Islands is just a ferry ride away from downtown Toronto, and houses the biggest urban car-free population in all of North America. Toronto Island rests on a 900 ac (364.2 ha) floating sandbag. The Islands serve as a metropolitan haven for tourists and residents alike.
Formerly known as the Island of Hiawatha, the Toronto Islands are 15 islands that are joined by bridges in Lake Ontario. The island covers an estimated 820 ac (331.8 ha) of land and is the sole island chain situated in the western region of Lake Ontario.
Economy Of Toronto
Toronto's economy is the largest contributor to the Canadian economy, an estimated 20% of the national GDP. These facts will help you learn more:
Toronto is an international center for finance and business. The city is considered to be the industrial and financial capital of Canada. It has a high concentration of brokerage firms and banks on Bay Street.
The Toronto Stock Exchange is the seventh-largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization. The 'Big Five', Canada's biggest financial institutions, have their national offices in Toronto.
Greater Toronto is the production house of more than half of the manufactured goods in Canada!
Toronto attracts an estimated 47 million visitors each year, and commercial areas like the PATH network are a major attraction, bringing in millions of dollars to the economy.
Various Multinational companies have their Canadian headquarters in Toronto. The city plays host to companies such as Apple Canada, ASUS, BMG Music Canada, Google Canada, Intel, Marriot International, McDonald's Canada, and Microsoft Canada.
The Canadian city provides 28,000 jobs and brings in an estimated $1.5 billion each year through the Entertainment Industry!
Population And Culture Of Toronto
Toronto is known for its culturally diverse community, which is made up of minority populations from all races and religions. Learn more about the population and culture of Toronto with these facts:
The urban community of Toronto dates back to 1793 when the Town of York was founded by British colonial officials. The village grew at a stable rate to become the City of Toronto in 1834.
Toronto is the regional capital of the province of Ontario, and it is also the most populous city in all of Canada, with a population of 2.93 million. The Greater Toronto Area has a population of 5.93 million.
The top 5 observable minority groups in the city comprise of a community of 12% South Asians, 11.4% Chinese, 8.4% African Americans, 4.1% Filipinos, and 2.6% Latin Americans. Half of the city's population is believed to have been born outside Canada.
There are an estimated 180 languages and several dialects spoken in Toronto. English is the most spoken, followed by Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi, French, Italian, Farsi, Korean, Urdu, and Tagalog.
Because of this diversity, Toronto was referred to as the 'most multicultural city' in the world by BBC Radio.
Toronto's universities are globally renowned for their educational success. The University of Toronto, Western, and McMaster are mentioned in the list of the 200 best universities in the world.
An estimated 64% of Toronto's population between the ages of 25-64 have achieved post-secondary education.
Caribana, a multi-weekend cultural extravaganza aimed at celebrating Caribbean culture, is one of Toronto's most celebrated customs. The celebration is attended by over 2 million people each year.
According to various references, Toronto is believed to be the safest metropolitan region in North America. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranks Toronto as the fourth-best livable city globally behind Vienna, Sydney, and Brisbane.
Did You Know...
Learn more about Toronto with these random fun facts:
There are 8 professional sports teams based in Toronto! The city is home to the Toronto Raptors (NBA), Toronto F.C. (MLS), Toronto Marlies (AHL), Toronto Blue Jays (MLB), Toronto Nationals (MLL), Toronto Argonauts (CFL), Toronto Rock (NLL), and Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL).
The Toronto Raptors won their first NBA Championship in 2019. To pay homage to the Raptors, an 18 ft (5.5 m) statue was revealed at City Hall.
The Skydome (currently known as the Rogers Centre) was the first-ever stadium to have a retractable roof!
The famous beverage Mountain Dew is sold caffeine-free in Toronto because of government regulations.
Most of the New York City subway scenes in movies are shot in the unused lower Bay Stations located in the Yorkville neighborhood.
FAQs
Q. How old is Toronto?
A. Toronto is believed to be about 229 years old!
Q. What makes Toronto unique?
A. Toronto is Canada's biggest city and has more than 8,000 restaurants that cater to the palates of tourists and locals alike.
Q. What is special about Toronto?
A. Toronto is home to the Toronto Islands, a collection of 15 islands that are linked by Lake Ontario bridges. The Islands attract tourists all year round.
Q. Why is Toronto called the 6?
A. Rapper Drake is credited with the popularization of Toronto as the 6ix or 6. The term is believed to have come from Drake's album 'View From The 6'. The rapper appeared on Jimmy Fallon, where he clarified he wanted to call it the 4 but decided on calling it the 6ix.
Q. What is Toronto's nickname?
A. Toronto is also known as 'The Big Smoke.'
Q. Why is Toronto called the Big Smoke?
A. There are several theories behind the origin of the Big Smoke nickname given to Toronto.
The most popular theory states that the name was used by Alan Rayburn, an Australian writer, and was popularised in Canada by Alan Fotheringham. Fotheringham used the term to portray Toronto's reputation as a giant with nothing to show for it.
Another theory states that the nickname for the city stemmed from the Great Fire of Toronto that destroyed downtown Toronto.
Q. What is Toronto's slogan?
A. Toronto's slogan is 'Diversity Our Strength.'
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English
Rajnandini RoychoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English
With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature.
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