Toronto

Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. It sits on a harbour at the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With a population of over 2.7 million people, Toronto is also the fourth-most populous city in North America, after Mexico City, New York City, and Los Angeles.

The area has been home to Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. After the British Crown established the town of York in 1793, it became an important place during the War of 1812. The town was later renamed Toronto and grew into a major city.

Today, Toronto is known for its amazing mix of cultures. About half of its residents were born outside of Canada, and over 200 different ethnic origins live there. People speak more than 160 languages in the city, making it one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.

As Canada's largest financial centre, Toronto is home to important banks, businesses, and cultural spots. The city has many museums, theatres, music venues, and sports teams. Every year, millions of visitors come to enjoy its festivals, parks, and exciting atmosphere.

Etymology

Main article: Name of Toronto

The name Toronto has been spelled many ways in French and English, such as Tarento, Tarontha, Taronto, Toranto, Torento, Toronto, and Toronton. The most common early spelling, Taronto, described "The Narrows"—a narrow channel of water where Lake Simcoe flows into Lake Couchiching. The Mohawk people called this spot "tkaronto", meaning "where there are trees standing in the water". This name was recorded as early as 1615. The word Toronto, meaning "plenty", also appeared in a French dictionary of the Wendat language in 1632. Maps from France also used the name Toronto for many places, including parts of Georgian Bay, Lake Simcoe, and several rivers. A path, called the "Toronto Carrying-Place Trail", connected Lake Ontario to Lake Huron, which helped the name become well-known.

History

Main article: History of Toronto

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Toronto history.

Early history

Archaeological sites show evidence of people living in the area that would become Toronto thousands of years ago. The Wendat, an Iroquoian-speaking farming people, lived and farmed the land for centuries until they were displaced by the Haudenosaunee from the south side of Lake Ontario between 1648 and 1650. By the 1660s, the Haudenosaunee had established two villages within what is today Toronto, Ganatsekwyagon (Bead Hill) on the banks of the Rouge River and Teiaiagon on the banks of the Humber River. By 1701, the Mississaugas, an Anishinaabe hunter-gatherer people from Northern Ontario, had taken over the area.

French traders built Fort Rouillé in 1750 but abandoned it in 1759 during the Seven Years' War. After the British defeated the French, the area became part of the British colony of Quebec in 1763.

During the American Revolutionary War, many British settlers arrived as United Empire Loyalists fled to lands north of Lake Ontario controlled by Britain. The Crown granted them land to make up for what they lost in the Thirteen Colonies. The new province of Upper Canada needed a capital. In 1787, the British Lord Dorchester arranged the Toronto Purchase with the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, securing more than a quarter of a million acres of land in the Toronto area. Dorchester intended to name the location Toronto. The first 25 years after the Toronto purchase were quiet, with only occasional fur traders in the area.

Town of York (1793–1834)

In 1793, Governor John Graves Simcoe established the town of York on the Toronto Purchase lands, naming it after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. Simcoe chose to move the Upper Canada capital from Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) to York, believing the new site would be safer from attack by the United States. The York garrison was built at the entrance of the town's natural harbour, protected by a long sand-bar peninsula. The town grew at the harbour's eastern end behind the peninsula, near where Parliament Street and Front Street meet today in the "Old Town" area.

In 1813, during the War of 1812, the Battle of York ended with the town being captured and looted by United States forces. American soldiers destroyed much of the garrison and set fire to the parliament buildings during their five-day occupation. Because of the sacking of York, British troops later retaliated by burning Washington, D.C.

The University of Toronto, then known as King's College, was established in 1827 as the first institution of higher education in Upper Canada.

Incorporation and development (1834–1954)

York became the "City of Toronto" on March 6, 1834, adopting the Indigenous name. Reformist politician William Lyon Mackenzie became the first mayor of Toronto. Mackenzie later led the unsuccessful Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837 against the British colonial government.

Toronto's population of 9,000 included some African-American slaves, some brought by the Loyalists, and Black Loyalists who had been freed by the Crown. By 1834, refugee slaves from America's South were also immigrating to Toronto to gain freedom. Slavery was banned outright in Upper Canada and throughout the British Empire in 1834. Torontonians welcomed people of colour into their society. In the 1840s, an eating house at Frederick and King Streets, a place of mercantile prosperity in the early city, was operated by a black man named Bloxom.

As a major destination for immigrants to Canada, the city grew rapidly through the rest of the 19th century. The first significant wave of immigrants were Irish, fleeing the Great Irish Famine; most of them were Catholic. By 1851, the Irish-born population had become the largest single ethnic group in the city. The Scottish and English population welcomed smaller numbers of Protestant Irish immigrants, some from what is now Northern Ireland, which gave the Orange Order significant and long-lasting influence over Toronto society. Almost every mayor of Toronto was a member of the Orange Order between 1850 and 1950, and the city was sometimes called the "Belfast of Canada" because of Orange influence in municipal politics and administration.

For brief periods, Toronto was twice the capital of the united Province of Canada: first from 1849 to 1851, following unrest in Montreal, and later from 1855 to 1859. After this date, Quebec was designated as the capital until 1865 (two years before Canadian Confederation). Since then, the capital of Canada has remained Ottawa, Ontario.

Toronto became the capital of the province of Ontario after its official creation in 1867. The seat of government of Ontario briefly returned to the same building that had served as the Third Parliament Building of Upper Canada, before moving to the Ontario Legislative Building at Queen's Park in 1893. Because of its provincial capital status, the city was also the location of Government House, the residence of the viceregal representative of the Crown in right of Ontario.

Long before the Royal Military College of Canada was established in 1876, supporters of the concept proposed military colleges in Canada. Staffed by British Regulars, adult male students underwent a three-month-long military course at the School of Military Instruction in Toronto. Established by Militia General Order in 1864, the school enabled officers of militia or candidates for commission or promotion in the Militia to learn military duties, drill and discipline, to command a company at Battalion Drill, to drill a company at Company Drill, the internal economy of a company, and the duties of a company's officer. The school was retained at Confederation, in 1867. In 1868, schools of cavalry and artillery instruction were formed in Toronto.

In the 19th century, the city built an extensive sewage system to improve sanitation, and streets were illuminated with gas lighting as a regular service. Long-distance railway lines were constructed, including a route completed in 1854 linking Toronto with the Upper Great Lakes. The Grand Trunk Railway and the Northern Railway of Canada joined in the building of the first Union Station downtown. The advent of the railway dramatically increased the numbers of immigrants arriving, commerce and industry, as had the Lake Ontario steamers and schooners entering port before. These enabled Toronto to become a major gateway linking the world to the interior of the North American continent. Expanding port and rail facilities brought in northern timber for export and imported Pennsylvania coal. Industry dominated the waterfront for the next 100 years.

During the late 19th century, Toronto became the largest alcohol distillation centre in North America. A distillery built by Gooderham and Worts from 1859 to 1861 became the country's largest whisky factory. While the factory has since closed, its buildings have been designated a National Historic Site and have been converted into the Distillery District. The harbour allowed access to grain and sugar imports used in processing.

Horse-drawn streetcars gave way to electric streetcars in 1891 when the city granted the operation of the transit franchise to the Toronto Railway Company. The public transit system passed into public ownership in 1921 as the Toronto Transportation Commission, later renamed the Toronto Transit Commission. The system now has the third-highest ridership of any city public transportation system in North America.

The Great Toronto Fire of 1904 destroyed a large section of downtown Toronto. The fire destroyed more than 100 buildings. The fire claimed one victim, John Croft, who was an explosive expert clearing the ruins from the fire. It caused CA$10,387,000 (equivalent to $390,356,450 in 2025) in damage.

The city received new European immigrant groups from the late 19th century into the early 20th century, particularly Germans, French, Italians, and Jews. They were soon followed by Russians, Poles, and other Eastern European nations, in addition to the Chinese entering from the West. Like the Irish before them, many of these migrants lived in overcrowded shanty-type slums, such as "the Ward", which was centred on Bay Street, now the heart of the country's Financial District.

As new migrants began to prosper, they moved to better housing in other areas, in what is now understood to be succession waves of settlement. Despite its fast-paced growth, by the 1920s, Toronto's population and economic importance in Canada remained second to the much longer established Montreal, Quebec. However, by 1934, the Toronto Stock Exchange had become the largest in the country.

Metro era (1954–1997)

In 1954, the City of Toronto and 12 surrounding municipalities were federated into a regional government known as Metropolitan Toronto. The postwar boom had resulted in rapid suburban development. It was believed a coordinated land-use strategy and shared services would provide greater efficiency for the region. The metropolitan government began to manage services that crossed municipal boundaries, including highways, police services, water and public transit. In that year, a half-century after the Great Fire of 1904, disaster struck the city again when Hurricane Hazel brought intense winds and flash flooding. In the Toronto area, 81 people were killed, nearly 1,900 families were left homeless, and the hurricane caused more than CA$25,000,000 (equivalent to $291,134,752 in 2025) in damage.

In 1967, the seven smallest municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto were merged with larger neighbours, resulting in a six-municipality configuration that included the former city of Toronto and the surrounding municipalities of East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, and York.

In the decades after World War II, refugees from war-torn Europe and Chinese job-seekers arrived, as well as construction labourers, particularly from Italy and Portugal. Toronto's population grew to more than one million in 1951 when large-scale suburbanization began and doubled to two million by 1971. Following the elimination of racially based immigration policies by the late 1960s, Toronto became a destination for immigrants from all over the world. By the 1980s, Toronto had surpassed Montreal as Canada's most populous city and chief economic hub. During this time, in part owing to the political uncertainty raised by the resurgence of the Quebec sovereignty movement, many national and multinational corporations moved their head offices from Montreal to Toronto and Western Canadian cities.

"Megacity" era (1998–present)

On January 1, 1998, Toronto was greatly enlarged, not through traditional annexations, but as an amalgamation of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto and its six lower-tier constituent municipalities: East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York, and the original city itself. They were dissolved by an act of the Government of Ontario and formed into a single-tier City of Toronto (colloquially dubbed the "megacity"), replacing all six governments.

The merger was proposed as a cost-saving measure by the Progressive Conservative provincial government under premier Mike Harris. The announcement touched off vociferous public objections. In March 1997, a referendum in all six municipalities produced a vote of more than 3:1 against amalgamation. However, municipal governments in Canada are creatures of the provincial governments, and referendums have little to no legal effect. The Harris government could thus legally ignore the referendum results and did so in April when it tabled the City of Toronto Act. Both opposition parties held a filibuster in the provincial legislature, proposing more than 12,000 amendments that allowed residents on streets of the proposed megacity to take part in public hearings on the merger and adding historical designations to the streets. This only delayed the bill's inevitable passage, given the Progressive Conservatives' majority.

North York mayor Mel Lastman became the first "megacity" mayor, and the 62nd mayor of Toronto, with his electoral victory. Lastman gained national attention after multiple snowstorms, including the January Blizzard of 1999, dumped 118 centimetres (46 in) of snow and effectively immobilized the city. He called in the Canadian Army to aid snow removal by use of their equipment to augment police and emergency services. The move was ridiculed by some in other parts of the country, fuelled in part by what was perceived as a frivolous use of resources.

The city attracted international attention in 2003 when it became the centre of a major outbreak. Public health attempts to prevent the disease from spreading elsewhere temporarily dampened the local economy. From August 14 to 17, 2003, the city was hit by a massive blackout which affected millions of Torontonians (it also affected most of Southern Ontario and parts of the United States), stranding some hundreds of people in tall buildings, knocking out traffic lights and suspending subway and streetcar service across the city during those aforementioned days.

On March 6, 2009, the city celebrated the 175th anniversary of its inception as the City of Toronto in 1834. Toronto hosted the 4th G20 summit during June 26–27, 2010. This included the largest security operation in Canadian history. Following large-scale protests and rioting, law enforcement arrested more than 1,000 people, the largest mass arrest in Canadian history.

On July 8, 2013, severe flash flooding hit Toronto after an afternoon of slow-moving, intense thunderstorms. Toronto Hydro estimated 450,000 people were without power after the storm and Toronto Pearson International Airport reported 126 millimetres (5.0 in) of rain had fallen over five hours, more than during Hurricane Hazel. Within six months, from December 20 to 22, 2013, Toronto was brought to a near halt by the worst ice storm in the city's history, rivalling the severity of the 1998 Ice Storm (which mainly affected southeastern Ontario, and Quebec). At the height of the storm, over 300,000 Toronto Hydro customers had no electricity or heating. Toronto hosted WorldPride in June 2014, and the Pan and Parapan American Games in 2015.

In January 2020, the first cases arrived in Canada in Toronto and the resulting pandemic killed 4,940 people in the city within four years.

In the 2010s, the city continued to grow and attract immigrants. A 2019 study by Toronto Metropolitan University (then known as Ryerson University) showed that Toronto was the fastest-growing city in North America. The city added 77,435 people between July 2017 and July 2018. The large growth in the Toronto metropolitan area was attributed to international migration to Toronto. After a drop around the beginning of the pandemic, Toronto's population surged to an estimated 3.28 million in 2024, a 17% increase from the 2021 census population. During this time, Greater Toronto Area was the fastest-growing metropolitan area in Northern America, and this growth was "driven by Canada's high levels of international immigration in recent years". In 2025, the city's population began dropping as Canada experienced its largest population decrease in history, mostly due to the Carney administration's restrictions on international students and immigration.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Toronto

Toronto covers an area of 631 square kilometres, with a maximum north–south distance of 21 kilometres. It has a maximum east–west distance of 43 kilometres, and it has a 46-kilometre long waterfront shoreline, on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. The Toronto Islands and Port Lands extend out into the lake, allowing for a somewhat sheltered Toronto Harbour south of the downtown core. Toronto's limits are formed by Lake Ontario to the south, and several roads and waterways to the west, north, and east.

The city is mostly flat or gentle hills, and the land gently slopes upward away from the lake. The flat land is interrupted by the Toronto ravine system, which is cut by numerous creeks and rivers of the Toronto waterway system. Most of the ravines and valley lands in Toronto today are parklands and recreational trails are laid out along the ravines and valleys. The original town was laid out in a grid plan on the flat plain north of the harbour, and this plan was extended outwards as the city grew. Toronto has many bridges spanning the ravines. Large bridges such as the Prince Edward Viaduct were built to span broad river valleys.

Despite its deep ravines, Toronto is not remarkably hilly, but its elevation does increase steadily away from the lake. Elevation differences range from 76.5 metres above sea level at the Lake Ontario shore to 209 m above sea level near the York University grounds in the city's north end. There are occasional hilly areas; in particular, midtown Toronto, as well as the Silverthorn and Fairbank neighbourhoods, have several sharply sloping hills.

The other major geographical feature of Toronto is its escarpments. Today, a series of escarpments mark a former boundary, known as the "Iroquois Shoreline". The escarpments are most prominent from Victoria Park Avenue to the mouth of Highland Creek, where they form the Scarborough Bluffs.

The geography of the lakeshore has dramatically changed since the first settlement of Toronto. Much of the land on the harbour's north shore is landfill, filled in during the late 19th century. Until then, the lakefront docks were set back farther inland than today. Much of the adjacent Port Lands on the harbour's east side was a wetland filled in early in the 20th century. The shoreline from the harbour west to the Humber River has been extended into the lake. Further west, landfill has been used to create extensions of land such as Humber Bay Park.

The Toronto Islands were a natural peninsula until a storm in 1858 severed their connection to the mainland, creating a channel to the harbour. The peninsula was formed by longshore drift taking the sediments deposited along the Scarborough Bluffs shore and transporting them to the Islands area.

The other source of sediment for the Port Lands wetland and the peninsula was the deposition of the Don River, which carved a wide valley through the sedimentary land of Toronto and deposited it in the shallow harbour. The harbour and the channel of the Don River have been dredged numerous times for shipping. The lower section of the Don River was straightened and channelled in the 19th century. The former mouth drained into a wetland; today, the Don River drains into the harbour through a concrete waterway, the Keating Channel. To mitigate flooding in the area, as well as to create parkland, a second more natural mouth was built to the south during the first half of the 2020s, thereby creating a new island, Ookwemin Minising.

Toronto encompasses an area formerly administered by several separate municipalities that were amalgamated over the years. Each developed a distinct history and identity over the years, and their names remain in common use among Torontonians. Former municipalities include East York, Etobicoke, Forest Hill, Mimico, North York, Parkdale, Scarborough, Swansea, Weston and York. Throughout the city, there exist hundreds of small neighbourhoods and some larger neighbourhoods covering a few square kilometres.

The many residential communities of Toronto express a character distinct from the skyscrapers in the commercial core. Victorian and Edwardian-era residential buildings can be found in enclaves such as Rosedale, Cabbagetown, The Annex, and Yorkville. The Wychwood Park neighbourhood, historically significant for the architecture of its homes, and for being one of Toronto's earliest planned communities, was designated as an Ontario Heritage Conservation district in 1985. The Casa Loma neighbourhood is named after "Casa Loma", a castle built in 1911 by Sir Henry Pellat. Spadina House is a 19th-century manor that is now a museum.

The pre-amalgamation City of Toronto covers the downtown core and older neighbourhoods to the east, west, and north. It is the most densely populated part of the city. The Financial District contains the First Canadian Place, Toronto-Dominion Centre, Scotia Plaza, Royal Bank Plaza, Commerce Court and Brookfield Place. This area includes, among others, the neighbourhoods of St. James Town, Garden District, St. Lawrence, Corktown, and Church and Wellesley. From that point, the Toronto skyline extends northward along Yonge Street.

Old Toronto is also home to many historically wealthy residential enclaves, such as Yorkville, Rosedale, The Annex, Forest Hill, Lawrence Park, Lytton Park, Deer Park, Moore Park, and Casa Loma, most stretching away from downtown to the north. East and west of downtown, neighbourhoods such as Kensington Market, Chinatown, Leslieville, Cabbagetown and Riverdale are home to bustling commercial and cultural areas as well as communities of artists with studio lofts, with many middle- and upper-class professionals. Other neighbourhoods in the central city retain an ethnic identity, including two smaller Chinatowns, the Greektown area, Little Italy, Portugal Village, and Little India, among others.

The inner suburbs are contained within the former municipalities of York and East York. These are mature and traditionally working-class areas, consisting primarily of post–World War I small, single-family homes and small apartment blocks. Neighbourhoods such as Crescent Town, Thorncliffe Park, Flemingdon Park, Weston, and Oakwood Village consist mainly of high-rise apartments, which are home to many new immigrant families. During the 2000s, many neighbourhoods became ethnically diverse and underwent gentrification due to increasing population and a housing boom during the late 1990s and the early 21st century. The first neighbourhoods affected were Leaside and North Toronto, gradually progressing into the western neighbourhoods in York.

The outer suburbs comprising the former municipalities of Etobicoke (west), Scarborough (east) and North York (north) largely retain the grid plan laid before post-war development. Sections were long established and quickly growing towns before the suburban housing boom began and the emergence of metropolitan government, existing towns or villages such as Mimico, Islington and New Toronto in Etobicoke; Willowdale, Newtonbrook and Downsview in North York; Agincourt, Wexford and West Hill in Scarborough where suburban development boomed around or between these and other towns beginning in the late 1940s. Upscale neighbourhoods were built, such as the Bridle Path in North York, the area surrounding the Scarborough Bluffs in Guildwood, and most of central Etobicoke, such as Humber Valley Village, and The Kingsway. One of the largest and earliest "planned communities" was Don Mills, parts of which were first built in the 1950s. Phased development, mixing single-detached housing with higher-density apartment blocks, became more popular as a suburban model of development. During the late 20th century, North York City Centre and Scarborough City Centre developed separate downtown districts outside Downtown Toronto after the former boroughs were promoted to cities. High-rise development in these areas has given these former municipalities distinguishable skylines of their own, with high-density transit corridors serving them.

In the 1800s, a thriving industrial area developed around Toronto Harbour and the lower Don River mouth, linked by rail and water to Canada and the United States. This industrial area expanded west along the harbour and rail lines and was supplemented by the infilling of the marshlands on the east side of the harbour to create the Port Lands. A garment industry developed along lower Spadina Avenue, the "Fashion District". Beginning in the late 19th century, industrial areas were set up on the outskirts, such as West Toronto / The Junction, where the Stockyards relocated in 1903. The Great Fire of 1904 destroyed a large amount of industry in the downtown. Some companies moved west along King Street, and some moved as far west as Dufferin Street, where the large Massey-Harris farm equipment manufacturing complex was located. Over time, pockets of industrial land mostly followed rail lines and later highway corridors as the city grew outwards. This trend continues to this day; the largest factories and distribution warehouses are in the suburban environs of Peel and York Regions, but also within the current city: Etobicoke (concentrated around Pearson Airport), North York, and Scarborough.

Many of Toronto's former industrial sites close to (or in) downtown have been redeveloped, including parts of the Toronto waterfront, the rail yards west of downtown, and Liberty Village, the Massey-Harris district and large-scale development is underway in the West Don Lands. The Gooderham & Worts Distillery produced spirits until 1990 and is preserved today as the "Distillery District", the largest and best-preserved collection of Victorian industrial architecture in North America. Some industry remains in the area, including the Redpath Sugar Refinery. Similar areas that retain their industrial character but are now largely residential are the Fashion District, Corktown, and parts of South Riverdale and Leslieville. Toronto still has some active older industrial areas, such as Brockton Village, Mimico and New Toronto. In the west end of Old Toronto and York, the Weston/Mount Dennis and The Junction areas still contain factories, meat-packing facilities and rail yards close to medium-density residential. However, the Junction's Union Stockyards moved out of Toronto in 1994.

The brownfield industrial area of the Port Lands, on the east side of the harbour, is one area planned for redevelopment. Formerly a marsh that was filled in to create industrial space, it was never intensely developed—its land unsuitable for large-scale development—because of flooding and unstable soil. It still contains numerous industrial uses, such as the Portlands Energy Centre power plant, port facilities, movie and television production studios, concrete processing facilities, and low-density industrial facilities. The Waterfront Toronto agency has developed plans for a naturalized mouth to the Don River and to create a flood barrier around the Don, making more of the land on the harbour suitable for higher-value residential and commercial development. A former chemicals plant site along the Don River is slated to become a large commercial complex and transportation hub.

Toronto's buildings vary in design and age, with many structures dating back to the early 19th century, while other prominent buildings were just newly built in the first decade of the 21st century. Lawrence Richards, a member of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Toronto, has said, "Toronto is a new, brash, rag-tag place—a big mix of periods and styles." Bay-and-gable houses, mainly found in Old Toronto, are a distinct architectural feature of the city.

Toronto is a city with a substantial amount of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings. The city has 106 skyscrapers taller than 150 metres, the 16th-most in the world and the most in Canada by far. There are currently three "supertall" skyscrapers (taller than 300 metres) under construction in the city, and more have been approved. Defining the Toronto skyline is the CN Tower, a telecommunications and tourism hub. Completed in 1976 at a height of 553.33 metres, it was the world's tallest freestanding structure until 2007 when it was surpassed by Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Through the 1960s and 1970s, significant pieces of Toronto's architectural heritage were demolished to make way for redevelopment or parking. In contrast, since 2000, amid the Canadian property bubble, Toronto has experienced a condo construction boom and architectural revival, with several buildings opened by world-renowned architects. Daniel Libeskind's Royal Ontario Museum addition, Frank Gehry's remake of the Art Gallery of Ontario, and Will Alsop's distinctive OCAD University expansion are among the city's new showpieces. The mid-1800s Distillery District, on the eastern edge of downtown, has been redeveloped into a pedestrian-oriented arts, culture and entertainment neighbourhood. This construction boom has some observers call the phenomenon the Manhattanization of Toronto after the densely built island borough of New York City.

The city of Toronto has a hot summer humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfa), though was on the threshold of a warm summer humid continental climate (Dfb) until the 20th century due to the urban heat island but still found in the metropolitan region, with warm, humid summers and cold winters. According to the classification applied by Natural Resources Canada, the city of Toronto is in plant hardiness zone 7a. Some suburbs and nearby towns have lower zone ratings.

The city experiences four distinct seasons, with considerable variance in length. As a result of the rapid passage of weather systems (such as high- and low-pressure systems), the weather is variable from day to day in all seasons. Owing to urbanization and its proximity to water, Toronto has a fairly low diurnal temperature range. The denser urbanscape makes for warmer nights year-round; the average nighttime temperature is about 3.0 °C warmer in the city than in rural areas in all months. However, it can be noticeably cooler on many spring and early summer afternoons under the influence of a lake breeze, since Lake Ontario is cool relative to the air during these seasons. These lake breezes mostly occur in summer, bringing relief on hot days. Other low-scale maritime effects on the climate include lake-effect snow, fog, and delaying of spring- and fall-like conditions, known as seasonal lag.

Winters are cold, with frequent snow. During the winter months, temperatures are usually below 0 °C. Toronto winters sometimes feature cold snaps when maximum temperatures remain below −10 °C, often made to feel colder by wind chill. Occasionally, they can drop below −25 °C. Snowstorms, sometimes mixed with ice and rain, can disrupt work and travel schedules while accumulating snow can fall anytime from November until mid-April. However, mild stretches also occur in most winters, melting accumulated snow. The summer months are characterized by very warm temperatures. Daytime temperatures are usually above 20 °C, and often rise above 30 °C. However, they can occasionally surpass 35 °C accompanied by high humidity. Spring and autumn are transitional seasons with generally mild or cool temperatures with alternating dry and wet periods. Daytime temperatures average around 10 to 12 °C during these seasons.

Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, but summer is usually the wettest season, the bulk falling during thunderstorms. The average yearly precipitation is 822.7 mm, with an average annual snowfall of 121.5 cm. Toronto experiences an average of 2,066 sunshine hours or 45 per cent of daylight hours, varying between a low of 28 per cent in December to 60 per cent in July.

Climate change has affected Toronto, and as a consequence, the Toronto City Council declared a climate emergency, setting a net-zero carbon emissions target by 2040 through the TransformTO climate action plan.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Toronto was 40.6 °C on July 8, 9 and 10, 1936, during the 1936 North American heat wave. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −32.8 °C on January 10, 1859.

Toronto has diverse public spaces, from city squares to public parks overlooking ravines. Nathan Phillips Square is the city's main square in downtown, contains the Toronto Sign, and forms the entrance to City Hall. Sankofa Square, near City Hall, has also gained attention in recent years as one of the busiest gathering spots in the city. Other squares include Maple Leaf Square, next to Scotiabank Arena, and the civic squares at the former city halls of the defunct Metropolitan Toronto, most notably Mel Lastman Square in North York.

There are many large downtown parks, which include Allan Gardens, Christie Pits, Grange Park, Little Norway Park, Moss Park, Queen's Park, Riverdale Park and Trinity Bellwoods Park. An almost-hidden park is the compact Cloud Gardens, which has both open areas and a glassed-in greenhouse, near Queen Street and Yonge Street. South of downtown are two large parks on the waterfront: Tommy Thompson Park on the Leslie Street Spit, which has a nature preserve and is open on weekends, and the Toronto Islands, accessible from downtown by ferry.

Large parks in the outer areas managed by the city include High Park, Humber Bay Park, Centennial Park (Etobicoke), Downsview Park, Guild Park and Gardens, Sunnybrook Park and Morningside Park (Scarborough). Toronto also operates several public golf courses. Most ravine lands and river bank floodplains in Toronto are public parklands. After Hurricane Hazel in 1954, construction of buildings on floodplains was outlawed, and private lands were bought for conservation. In 1999, Downsview Park, a former military base in North York, initiated an international design competition to realize its vision of creating Canada's first urban park. Approximately 8,000 hectares, or 12.5 per cent of Toronto's land base, is maintained parkland. Morningside Park in Scarborough is the largest park managed by the city, which is 241.46 hectares in size.

In addition to public parks managed by the municipal government, parts of Rouge National Urban Park, the largest urban park in North America, is in the eastern portion of Toronto. Managed by Parks Canada, the national park is centred around the Rouge River and encompasses several municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Toronto

In the 2021 Census of Population led by Statistics Canada, Toronto had a population of 2,794,356 people. The city covers an area of 631.1 km² (243.7 sq mi), making it quite crowded with about 4,427.8 people for each square kilometer.

The city is part of a bigger area called the Golden Horseshoe, which includes many towns and cities around the western end of Lake Ontario. In 2021, about 9.8 million people lived in this area, and experts think it could reach 11.1 million by 2024.

Toronto is known for its many different cultures. In 2021, more than one in two people were born in another country. The most common countries people came from were the Philippines, China, and India. Because of this mix, Toronto is one of the most diverse cities in the world.

Race and ethnicity

In 2016, many people in Toronto came from different backgrounds. Over half the city’s residents were from a group called a “visible minority.” The largest groups were from South Asia, East Asia (like China), and Africa. These groups help make Toronto’s neighborhoods colorful and full of different traditions.

Religion

According to the 2021 census, many people in Toronto follow different beliefs. Over 40% of people were Christian, but almost 31% said they did not follow any religion. Other groups include Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.

Education

Main article: Education in Toronto

Further information: List of secondary schools in Ontario § City of Toronto

Toronto has four main school boards that offer education for children and teenagers. These include the Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir, the Conseil scolaire Viamonde (CSV), the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), and the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). CSV and TDSB are non-religious schools, while MonAvenir and TCDSB are religious schools. CSV and MonAvenir teach in French, and TCDSB and TDSB teach in English.

TDSB has the most schools, with many elementary and secondary schools as well as adult learning centers. TCDSB, CSV, and MonAvenir also have several schools for children and teenagers.

Toronto is home to five public universities. Four of these are located in downtown Toronto: OCAD University, Toronto Metropolitan University, the Université de l'Ontario français, and the main St. George campus of the University of Toronto. The University of Toronto is the largest university in Canada, with three campuses in and around Toronto. York University is the only Toronto-based university not located in downtown Toronto.

There are also four public colleges in Toronto: Centennial College, George Brown Polytechnic, Humber Polytechnic, and Seneca Polytechnic. These colleges have many campuses throughout the city.

Human resources

Public health

Main article: Health in Toronto

See also: List of hospitals in Toronto

Toronto has twenty public hospitals, including The Hospital for Sick Children, Mount Sinai Hospital, St. Michael's Hospital, and others. Many of these hospitals work with the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

There are also special hospitals, like the Baycrest Health Sciences for older adults, the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital for children with disabilities, and Casey House for people affected by a health condition.

The Discovery District in Toronto is a key place for research in biomedicine. It covers a large area in downtown Toronto and includes the MaRS Discovery District, started in 2000 to support research and innovation in Ontario.

Toronto is also home to many health-focused groups that help people with different illnesses. These include Crohn's and Colitis Canada, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society, and others.

Public library

The Toronto Public Library is the largest public library system in Canada. In 2008, it had more books and items borrowed per person than any other library system in the world. It started in 1830 and now has 100 branches with over 12 million items.

Culture and contemporary life

Main article: Culture in Toronto

See also: Annual events in Toronto, List of festivals in Toronto, and Recreation in Toronto

Toronto has a rich and lively culture with many places to see shows and performances. The city has more than fifty dance groups, six opera groups, two big orchestras, lots of music places, and many theatres. Famous groups include the National Ballet of Canada, the Canadian Opera Company, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Popular venues for shows include the Four Seasons Centre, Roy Thomson Hall, and Massey Hall.

Ontario Place used to have the world’s first permanent IMAX movie theatre, called the Cinesphere, and an open-air music venue. But in 2012, Ontario Place closed, and the Cinesphere is no longer used. There are plans to bring it back. Rogers Stadium in Downsview Park is also a big place for concerts. Toronto’s Caribana festival happens every summer from mid-July to early August. It started in 1967 and now draws over one million people each year. Pride Week in late June is one of the largest celebrations for the LGBTQ+ community in the world.

Sports

Main article: Sports in Toronto

See also: Amateur sport in Toronto and List of sports teams in Toronto

Toronto has many famous sports teams. It has teams in five big leagues: hockey, baseball, basketball, football, and soccer. Some of these teams have won big prizes many times. The city also has old and important sports clubs that started a long time ago.

Professional sports

Toronto is home to the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the oldest hockey teams. The city has hosted many hockey championships. The Toronto Blue Jays are the city's baseball team and have won big prizes too. The Toronto Raptors basketball team won their first big prize in 2019. The Toronto Argonauts football team has won many prizes as well. The Toronto FC soccer team has won several important trophies.

Collegiate sports

The University of Toronto held the first college football game ever in 1861. Many schools in Toronto have teams that compete in big sports events.

Events

Toronto holds many big sports events every year. These include a tennis tournament, a marathon, and horse racing. The city hosted big games in 2015 and will help host a world soccer event in 2026.

Government and politics

Main article: Municipal government of Toronto

See also: Politics of Toronto and Public services in Toronto

Government

Toronto is a city managed by a mayor and a group of elected leaders called a council. The mayor is chosen by voters to lead the city, while the council includes 25 members, each representing a different area of Toronto. They all work together to make important decisions for the city. The mayor and council members serve for four years before voters choose new leaders.

The city has many groups and committees that help make decisions on different topics, like public transportation and safety. These groups include leaders from the council and sometimes citizens who volunteer their time.

Crime

Main article: Crime in Toronto

See also: Crime in Canada and Gun politics in Canada

Toronto is known for being a safe city compared to many other big cities. Over the years, the city has had changes in safety levels, with some years having more incidents than others. The city works hard to keep its communities safe and has programs to help prevent harmful activities.

Transportation

Main articles: Transportation in Toronto and Public transportation in Toronto

Toronto is a key place for travel by road, train, and airplane in Southern Ontario. The city has many ways to get around, including highways and public transit. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the main group that runs public transportation in the city. Toronto also has many bicycle lanes and paths for walking and other activities.

Rail

Toronto has many types of rail transport, such as streetcars, light rail, heavy rail, and trains that go between cities and freight rail. The main part of its public transport system is the Toronto subway, which is a fast way to travel under and above ground, and is run by the TTC. The Toronto subway has three main lines that go across the city, and two lighter rail lines that also run east to west.

The TTC also runs streetcars mainly in the downtown area where there are no subways.

Union Station, in downtown, is the main place for trains in the city and connects to trains that go to other places. GO Transit, owned by the government, runs trains from Union Station to places around Toronto. Via Rail, which is owned by Canada, connects Toronto to other cities. The Maple Leaf, worked on by Via Rail and Amtrak, goes between Toronto and New York City.

There have been many plans to add more subway and light rail lines, but money problems have stopped many of them. Building started on Line 5 Eglinton, a light rail line, in November 2011. It was meant to finish in 2020 but is now planned for 2026. The Line 6 Finch West light rail line opened in 2025. In 2019, the government of Ontario shared plans for more train lines and extensions in the Greater Toronto Area.

Toronto’s Union Station is being upgraded to handle more trains. Building started on a new bus station at Union Station in 2017 and finished in 2020. A new transit place at the East Harbour is planned to open in 2028. Toronto’s transit also connects to networks in nearby areas.

Bus

The TTC runs many buses that go to parts of the city not covered by subways. In 2025, the TTC bus system had over 389 million trips each year.

GO Transit runs buses from Union Station to places in the Golden Horseshoe area. Other bus companies also run long-distance trips from Union Station to cities in Ontario, nearby areas, and the United States. The Toronto Coach Terminal was the main place for these buses from 1931 until 2021, when it stopped being used.

Sea

The Port of Toronto in the Toronto Harbour handles a lot of goods each year. The Toronto Island ferries go from the mainland to the Toronto Islands. In 2024, these ferries carried over 1.4 million people.

Air

The busiest airport in Canada, Toronto Pearson International Airport, is right at the city’s western edge, close to Mississauga. The Union Pearson Express train goes directly from Pearson to Union Station. It started in June 2015.

There is also the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the Toronto Islands, which offers flights to places in Canada and the United States. Downsview Airport closed forever in April 2024.

Other airports close by, like Hamilton’s John C. Munro International Airport and Buffalo’s Buffalo Niagara International Airport, can also be used. There are also private airports for helicopters, mostly used for special flights to hospitals.

Streets and highways

The main streets in Toronto were set up in a grid pattern, with big roads spaced far apart. Many big roads go east to west, following the shore of Lake Ontario, and others go north to south. There are also big highways like Highway 401, which is one of the busiest roads in the world, going across the city. Other important highways include Highway 400 and Highway 404. Toronto has a lot of traffic, being one of the busiest places for driving in North America.

Sister cities

Main article: Sister cities of Toronto

Toronto has many sister cities around the world. These cities work together in friendship and share ideas.

Partnership cities

• Chicago, Illinois, United States (1991)
• Chongqing, China (1986)
• Frankfurt, Germany (1989)
• Milan, Italy (2003)
• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (2006)
• Kyiv, Ukraine (1992)
• Quito, Ecuador (2006)
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2015)
• Sagamihara, Japan (1991)
• Warsaw, Poland (1990)

International project agreement

• Lisbon, Portugal
• Matera, Italy

Notable people

Main article: List of people from Toronto

Toronto has been home to many famous people throughout history. Some well-known individuals come from this lively city, contributing to its rich cultural heritage.