Our country is made up of some incredible cities – check out the top 5 biggest (and some cool facts about each one!).
Toronto
Toronto is the fifth largest city in North America. Larger cities include Mexico City, New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago.
The city of Toronto started off as York, the capital of Upper Canada in 1793. York was incorporated and renamed Toronto in 1834.
Toronto is the world’s fourth most livable city.
Toronto has more than 8000 restaurants (HikeBikeTravel.com)
Montreal
The city is named after Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill in the heart of Montreal that rises to 764 feet above sea level.
The world’s first recorded indoor ice hockey game was played in Montreal on March 3rd, 1875 at the Victoria Skating Rink. Organized by McGill University student James Creighton, the hockey game was played between two nine-member teams using a wooden puck.
In 1879, the McGill University Hockey Club became the world’s first organized hockey team (Traveling With The Jones).
Vancouver
Vancouver was recently ranked as the third most livable place in the world, and it’s ranked as the 10th cleanest city in the world.
Vancouver has the highest real estate prices in Canada. In 2011, the average price of a detached home was a staggering $1,204,587. Some say this is close to rivaling New York City and London.
Stanley Park, an urban oasis, is 10% larger than New York City’s Central Park. It is a staggering 1001 acres (GEOS Languages Plus).
Ottawa
Ottawa was originally called Bytown named for Colonel John By, the engineer who oversaw construction of the Rideau Canal. In 1855 Bytown was incorporated and became Ottawa.
In 1857 Queen Victoria chose Ottawa to be the capital of Canada.
The name Ottawa comes from the Algonquin word Adawe – which means to trade.
Ottawa is the seventh coldest capital in the world (Hike Bike Travel).
Calgary
Calgary is referred to as Cowtown by some and it still has the Wild West image.
The Calgary Stampede, an annual 10 day event (starting this year on Friday, July 6th) bills itself as “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.” It features the world’s largest rodeo, concerts, a midway, First Nations exhibits, chuckwagon racing, agricultural competitions, stage shows and a parade. Good luck finding somewhere to stay – as it attracts over one million visitors.
More than 120 languages are spoken in the city (Hike Bike Travel).
Photo: Toronto Tourism
