Greater Toronto Area
From Freepedia
The Greater Toronto Area (called the GTA by local residents) is the largest metropolitan area in Canada and is centred around the fifth largest city in North America, Toronto, after Mexico City, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The GTA has a population of 5,203,686 people (2005). In addition to the City of Toronto, it includes four distinct Regional Municipalities (plus some other municipalities in two other counties, but they are NOT part of the official GTA). The GTA contains 15.9% of Canada's population and 41.8% of Ontario's population.
The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is one of North America's fastest-growing regions. As an economic area, the GTA consists of 25 municipalities and four regions in a total area of over 7,000 square kilometers with a population of 5 million. With a work force of approximately 2.9 million people, more than 100,000 companies and a US $305 billion gross domestic product, the GTA is Canada's undisputed business and manufacturing capital. The GTA is home to a number of postsecondary educational institutions, including 4 universities and 7 colleges.
Some municipalities are not within the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), but are within the Greater Toronto Area Association of Municipalities (GTAAM). Places in the GTAAM are still not considered part of the official CMA by the Census. Likewise, some municipalities are not part of the GTAAM but part of the Toronto CMA. Some municipalities, such as Hamilton, are in neither the GTAAM nor CMA but still considered part of the GTA by some local residents. The official list of GTA is much smaller and less spread out. Ultimately, all the mentioned municipalities will be a part of the Greater Golden Horsehoe.
The following regional governments are often included in the Greater Toronto Area, under either the GTAAM, the Toronto CMA or unofficially but with close ties to Toronto:
- City of Toronto
- Regional Municipality of Durham
- Regional Municipality of Halton
- Regional Municipality of Peel
- Regional Municipality of York
- Certain parts of southern Simcoe County and southeastern Dufferin County (outside the official Toronto CMA)
The list below comprises 8 cities, 18 towns, 5 townships, and 1 municipality, for a total of 32. This also shows places around the official Toronto CMA.
The City of Hamilton, Regional Municipality of Niagara and City of Guelph all have significant ties to Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. Nonetheless, these ties aren't strong enough for them be considered part of the GTA, officially or otherwise. It is expected that with current rate of regional growth these areas will one day in the future become part of the Greater Toronto Area. In some cases the provincial government already includes Hamilton in Niagara as part of the GTA for record keeping purposes as well as for transportation planning. In 2001, Statistics Canada included a new level of census management called Census Regions, roughly equivalent to an American Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA). The Extended Golden Horseshoe Census Region includes all of the Greater Toronto Area listed above, as well as Niagara, Hamilton, Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo. Combined, the Extended Golden Horseshoe has a population of more than 6.7 million people [1] and contains roughly one quarter of Canada's population.
Toronto and the GTA are served by six distinct area codes. It is often thought that Toronto itself is area code 416, while the Greater Toronto Area is area code 905. This division by area code has become part of the local culture to the point where local media would refer to something inside Toronto as "The 416s" and outside of Toronto as "The 905s." Though for the most part this was correct, it isn't entirely true as some portions of Durham Region are area code 705, and some portions of Peel Region are area code 519. As well, there are areas, such as Port Hope that are in the 905 area code, but not part of the GTA, or even the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Things became even more complicated by the addition of two overlay area codes in the area with 647 being overlaid on 416 in March, 2001 and 289 on 905 in July, 2001. 10-digit telephone dialing, including the area code for local calls, is required throughout all of the GTA as well as Hamilton and Niagara.
Most of the GTA is served by GO Transit, a regional transportation authority that connects Toronto's suburban areas to its downtown.
External links
- Statistics Canada 2001 Community Profiles
- Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance
- The Greater Toronto Area Clean Air Council
