Greater Toronto Area

The Greater Toronto Area (called the GTA by local residents) is the largest metropolitan area in Canada and fifth largest in North America, after Mexico City, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The GTA is centred around Toronto, with a population of about 5,800,000 (2005). In addition to the City of Toronto, it includes four distinct Regional Municipalities (plus some other municipalities in two other counties)

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 $109 billion gross domestic product, the GTA is Canada's undisputed business and manufacturing capital.

From its thriving business climate to its lucrative markets, from its modern transportation and telecommunications to its talented human resources, the GTA rivals the greatest economic regions of the world. A recent report by KPMG, Competitive Alternatives 2002, found that the GTA has overall business costs that were lower than most of the international cities reviewed in the study.

The GTA is home to an impressive number of postsecondary educational institutions, including 4 universities and 7 colleges. Its safety, cleanliness and ethnic diversity, combined with racial harmony, set it apart from other large urban centers. The GTA is consistently ranked as one of the urban areas with the best quality of life in the world.

Some municipalities are not within the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), but are within the Greater Toronto Area Association of Municipalities (GTAAM). Likewise, some municipalities are not part of the GTAAM but part of the Toronto CMA. Some municipalities, such as Barrie, are in neither the GTAAM nor CMA but still considered part of the GTA by local residents. The official list of GTA is much smaller and less spread out. Ultimately, all the 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

The list below comprises 8 cities, 18 towns, 5 townships, and 1 municipality, for a total of 32.

Municipality	Population	Region	Association
Adjala-Tosorontio, Township of	11,000	Simcoe	Unofficial
Ajax, Town of	80,000	Durham	GTAAM, CMA
Aurora, Town of	48,000	York	GTAAM, CMA
Barrie, City of	130,000	Simcoe	Unofficial
Bradford West Gwillimbury, Town of	24,000	Simcoe	CMA
Brampton, City of	405,000	Peel	GTAAM, CMA
Brock, Township of	12,000	Durham	GTAAM
Burlington, City of	162,000	Halton	GTAAM
Caledon, Town of	55,000	Peel	GTAAM, CMA
Clarington, Municipality of	81,000	Durham	GTAAM
East Gwillimbury, Town of	22,000	York	GTAAM, CMA
Georgina, Town of	45,000	York	GTAAM, CMA
Halton Hills, Town of	54,000	Halton	GTAAM, CMA
Innisfil, Town of	32,000	Simcoe	Unofficial
King, Township of	20,000	York	GTAAM, CMA
Markham, Town of	255,000	York	GTAAM, CMA
Milton, Town of	51,000	Halton	GTAAM, CMA
Mississauga, City of	692,000	Peel	GTAAM, CMA
Mono, Town of	7,000	Dufferin	CMA
Newmarket, Town of	74,000	York	GTAAM, CMA
New Tecumseth, Town of	28,000	Simcoe	CMA
Oakville, Town of	175,000	Halton	GTAAM, CMA
Orangeville, Town of	29,000	Dufferin	CMA
Oshawa, City of	152,000	Durham	GTAAM
Pickering, City of	98,000	Durham	GTAAM, CMA
Richmond Hill, Town of	162,000	York	GTAAM, CMA
Scugog, Township of	21,000	Durham	GTAAM
Toronto, City of	2,500,000	Toronto	GTAAM, CMA
Uxbridge, Township of	17,000	Durham	GTAAM, CMA
Vaughan, City of	235,000	York	GTAAM, CMA
Whitby, Town of	105,000	Durham	GTAAM
Whitchurch-Stouffville, Town of	25,000	York	GTAAM, CMA
Total Population:	5,805,000

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] (http://geodepot.statcan.ca/Diss/Highlights/Page9/Page9a_e.cfm) 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. 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 (http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/PlaceSearchForm1.cfm)
• Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance (http://www.greater.toronto.on.ca/)
• The Greater Toronto Area Clean Air Council (http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/gtacac/partners.htm)