Etobicoke is the western part of Toronto nestled between the Humber River and the Etobicoke River, dotted with parklands and recreational areas, and close to the city’s airport (and not beneath its main runways). There is great history and attractions in the south, between Bloor and the lakeshore, and newer areas and more touristy attractions to the north.
Etobicoke is strategically located in the centre of Canada’s major consumer and industrial market, the “Golden Horseshoe” of Ontario. It sits on the western edge of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), only 90 minutes from the U.S. border. It lies on the eastern edge of Toronto’s Pearson Airport, and is served north-south by Highway 427, and connects to the rest of the GTA by east-west Highway 400, Hihgway 407 in the north and the QEW in the south.
One of the first grants in 1795, was to Samuel Bois Smith, a captain in the Queen’s Rangers, received a grant of 1530 acres, from Kipling Avenue to Etobicoke Creek, extending north to Bloor Street. By 1805, 84 people lived in Etobicoke, and in 1806 a grist and lumber mills was built on the Humber River, just south of Dundas Street, and in 1816 the Dundas Street Bridge was built. In the early 1840s, Montgomery’s Inn was built as a stop on the colonial coach road between Toronto and Hamilton.
Formed in 1967, when Etobicoke was merged with Long Branch, New Toronto and Mimico, to become
a borough in Metropolitan Toronto, and in 1984 was incorporated as a city.
In 1998, six municipalities merged to form an amalgamated City of Toronto. Etobicoke had a population of 341,000 residents (2006 census) and is nestled between the Humber River and Etobicoke Creek and is the gateway to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
Etobicoke has excellent access to transit with service by the Toronto Transit Commission, GoTrain rail and bus service. For drivers, the community has excellent highway access to the QEW in the south, the 401 in the north, with Highway 427 connecting the two, as well as Pearson International Airport.
Approximately half the community’s 18,000 businesses are in the manufacturing, product distribution or corporate sectors. Etobicoke ranks as the fourth largest head office centre in the country. The strongest business sectors in Etobicoke are pharmaceuticals, electronics, computer, chemical and transportation (automotive) parts and equipment.
The community has excellent recreational facilities and parks, including Centennial Park (with ski hill, among numerous other facilities), and access to recreational pathways along both the Humber River and along Etobicoke Creek. The community has two campuses of Humber College, and numerous cultural facilities. The various business districts around Etobicoke sponsor a rich variety of festivals around the year.
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