Toronto History, Ontario

Toronto  means ‘Meeting Place’ in the language of the Huron people. It is noted in the history that it was Teiaiagon, where the primary settlement took place in the whole Toronto. Teiaiagon was inhabited firstly by Seneca Indians and then Mississauga Indians also settled on the banks of Humber River which is located in Canada.

Toronto Passage

Etienne Brule, being a French explorer was the first European who stood on the coast of Lake Ontario. The area where Etienne stood at that point of time is now known as Toronto. He started form the west and north of Canada and voyaged till the Gulf of Mexico with the water routes, but it proved to be very important. The Toronto Passage is an essential shortcut between the upper Great Lakes and Lake Ontario, which follows the Humber River.

Toronto was born

The American Revolution started in 1776 and lasted till 1783. The citizens again returned to the British territories which they left earlier. The provinces which are there in the region of upper Canada were created in the year 1791. The reason for this was that the loyalists that settled there were situated in Saint Lawrence as well as lower areas of the lake.

The plans for establishing a new town near the York were conceived by the First Governor of the upper region of Canada, John G.Simcoe. This town was given the name Toronto afterwards.

From York to Toronto

The Toronto city was integrated in the year 1834 because more than nine thousand residents inhabited in it. It also had a civic government which was elected and the lweader was William Lyon Mackenzie who became the first mayor of Toronto. The growth of Canada then rose its pace.

The 1800's in the year 1867, the capital

In the year 1867, the city of Toronto became the capital of Ontario which was a new province at the Confederation. Industrialization also progressed here during 1870’s. it expanded up to 5 times its original size in the year 1891 which was only populated with thirty thousand residents in the year 1851. the industrial tariff protection passed after 1879, Casmir Gzowski (the railway engineer) and  Timothy Eaton (the department store maker) did a lot of help to promote Canada.

The 1900's

Till the twentieth century the Western Canada had earned immense progress with the help of its mines and forests of Ontario. Hydroelectricity was produced from the Niagara Falls which was a cheap source of energy. The banks, insurance companies, investment companies and the factories were very well supported by it. The manufacturing and investments scope of Toronto was enhanced due to the First World War

The new mega city

In 1998, Toronto was entitled as a mega city. There was a population of 2.4 million people and it claimed to be the fifth largest city of North America. The population of Toronto was more than in other provinces of Canada.

email to a friendAsk our travel experts a question about Toronto
ask now

Things about Toronto you may be interested in

• Toronto Guide Books
• Toronto Reviews
• Toronto Travel tips

 

+ list your site

 

ReviewsTravel TipsWrite a reviewWrite a travel tip

 

 

Read our members' reviews about Toronto

• Great clubs and music in Toronto
  review by mohds2 posted more then 30 days ago
  Still a youth town by worldwide principles, Toronto is rising up fast and pleasingly. It’s Canada's largest and most significant city, and its international framework is helping as an inspiring instance to the rest of the world. French writer Azouz Begag called Toronto 'the city of...
• Great days spent in Toronto
  review by MadSuh posted more then 30 days ago
  This is my second time in Toronto. I really liked this place even though I had only little time to see a lot of things. We were mainly busy talking business to some really nice guys. After a day of talking, good lunch and beers, we ended up strolling around in the city and checking out Jeff...
• Weather forecast for North America
  review by travelgrove-editor posted more then 30 days ago
  Alaska - Denali National Park The summer months are pleasant, as July to August gets the most visitors. May and September usually offer a more quiet time to travel. October gets Blizzards and the months between November and February get lots of snow Canada - Ontario, Toronto Pick...

view all

 

Read our members' travel tips about Toronto

• Fort York
  travel tip by travelller posted more then 30 days ago
  Lt. Gov. John Graves Simcoe saw the newborn USA as a threat, so he established the base of Fort York in 1793 to defend Toronto (known as 'little muddy York' at that time). Sacked in 1812 it was rebuilt a year later and used by...
• Art Gallery of Ontario
  travel tip by Sandro posted more then 30 days ago
  Frank Gehry, a Toronto born architect lead the renovation of the Art Gallery of Ontario from 2007. The building is like a totally new one, with interesting architectural solutions. I really like the wood-made staircase that goes to the...
• Black Creek Pioneer Village
  travel tip by zsoldicsa posted more then 30 days ago
  I think Black Creek Pioreer Village is one of the greatest attractions of Toronto. The original village was founded 1816 by a newlywed settler couple. Now it has got more than 30 builgings and it's a living museum of the 19th...

view all

 

 

Community

Members Who Have Been to Toronto

See who has been to Toronto and ask them a question (membership required)

MadSuh ask a question add to friends

david79 ask a question add to friends

skiing4fun ask a question add to friends

123travelman ask a question add to friends

 

show all

 

Community Galleries About Toronto

Browse our members' Toronto galleries to get a better impression of the place

view gallery

view gallery

view gallery

 

show alladd gallery

 

 

the best travel deals provided by TravelZoo...