Toronto, University of, at Toronto, Ont., Canada; nondenominational; provincially supported; coeducational; founded 1827 as King's College. It achieved university status in 1849 and is governed under the Univ. of Toronto Act (1971). The largest university in Canada, it administers more than 30 centers dedicated to research and education, including the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Royal Ontario Museum. There are faculties of arts and science, architecture and landscape architecture, music, dentistry, education, management studies, applied science and engineering, library and information science, social work, forestry, law, medicine, nursing, and pharmacy. University colleges include Erindale, Innis, New, Scarborough, University, and Woodsworth. The Univ. of St. Michael's College with its affiliate, the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, is a federated university, as are the Univ. of Trinity College and Victoria Univ. There are also United Church of Canada, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and Anglican theological colleges and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. The Univ. of Toronto Press is one of Canada's largest book publishers.

Toronto, city (1998 est pop. 2,400,000), provincial capital, S Ont., Canada, on Lake Ontario. Toronto is the largest city in Canada and since the 1970s has been one of the fastest-changing cities in North America, experiencing an enormous growth in foreign-born residents. In 1998, the cities of Metropolitan Toronto (Toronto, York, East York, North York, Etobicoke, and Scarborough) were merged as Toronto, instantly becoming the continent's fifth largest city.

Economy and People

The city is a port of entry and an important commercial, financial, and industrial hub as well as Canada's banking and stock-exchange center and chief wholesale-distribution point. Its importance as a port and transshipment point has increased since the opening (1959) of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Ontario's wealth of raw materials and hydroelectric power make Toronto an industrial powerhouse. The city and surrounding area produces more than half of Canada's manufactured goods.

Toronto's industries include slaughtering and meatpacking, printing and publishing, and the manufacture of aircraft, farm implements, electrical machinery, and metal products. The city has the country's leading service sector and attracts a growing amount of high-tech businesses. It is also a major tourist center. The influx of many Arab, Asian, African, and Caribbean immigrants has dramatically diversified the ethnic composition; roughly a tenth of the population is now ethnically Chinese. Suburbanization and redevelopment of the downtown and waterfront have changed the city's character.

Landmarks and Institutions

Toronto has many parks and historic buildings, such as the factories in the Distillery Historic District, now converted largely to commercial and artistic uses. The Toronto city hall is a modernistic structure completed in 1965. The 1,815-ft (553-m) CN Tower (1976), a telecommunications spire, was long the world's tallest freestanding structure, but in 2007 the Burj Dubai, under construction in Dubai, passed it. Exhibition Park is the site of the annual Canadian National Exhibition. The Skydome, a baseball stadium for the Toronto Blue Jays, was completed in 1989. The Maple Leafs (National Hockey League), Raptors (National Basketball Association), and Argonauts (Canadian Football League) also play in the city.

The Univ. of Toronto was chartered in 1827 and opened in 1843 as King's College. It was renamed in 1850 and is Canada's largest university and most important graduate research center. York Univ. and Ryerson Univ. are also in Toronto. Other notable institutions include the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies; the Osgoode Hall law school; the Ontario Science Centre; the Art Gallery of Ontario; and the Royal Ontario Museum, housing an important collection of Chinese art. Toronto has Anglican and Roman Catholic bishoprics and is the headquarters of the United Church of Canada.

History

The site was an early fur-trading post. The French built (1749) Fort Rouille there to counteract British influence in the Niagara country, but the post was destroyed (1759) to prevent its occupation by the British. The British purchased the site from the Native Americans in 1787 and it became the home of many American Loyalists. It was chosen by Sir John Simcoe in 1793 to be the capital of Upper Canada (see Ontario) and was named York. In the War of 1812 the city was raided twice by the Americans, and many buildings were destroyed. In 1834 it was incorporated as Toronto. The city was the scene of the insurrection led by William Lyon Mackenzie in 1873.

New Toronto, part of metropolitan Toronto, S Ont., Canada, on Lake Ontario.

Public university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1843 and reorganized in 1853 and 1887. It comprises nine undergraduate colleges, three formerly independent but now federated universities, four affiliated theological colleges, and numerous other academic units. It offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in all major disciplines. Notable among its research units are centres for the study of medieval culture and society, religion, Russia and eastern Europe, international relations, drama, comparative literature, biomedical engineering, history of science and technology, and aerospace science.

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Public university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1843 and reorganized in 1853 and 1887. It comprises nine undergraduate colleges, three formerly independent but now federated universities, four affiliated theological colleges, and numerous other academic units. It offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in all major disciplines. Notable among its research units are centres for the study of medieval culture and society, religion, Russia and eastern Europe, international relations, drama, comparative literature, biomedical engineering, history of science and technology, and aerospace science.

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City (pop., 2006: city, 2,503,281; metro. area, 5,113,149), capital of Ontario, Canada. Canada's most populous metropolitan area, it lies on the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Originally inhabited by Seneca tribes, its site was occupied by a tiny French fort in the mid-18th century. It was founded in 1793 as York by American colonists loyal to the British. U.S. troops pillaged it during the War of 1812. In 1834 it received its city charter and current name. It became the capital of Ontario in 1867. In 1953–54 it joined neighbouring villages, towns, and townships to form the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. In 1967 those 13 municipalities were reduced to six (Toronto, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York, and the borough of East York), which amalgamated to form the City of Toronto in 1998. It is Canada's financial and commercial centre, the seat of the Toronto Stock Exchange, and a major international trading centre, with access to Atlantic shipping via the Saint Lawrence Seaway and to major U.S. ports via the Great Lakes. It produces more than half of Canada's manufactured goods. Extensive immigration (1950s–70s) brought a variety of foreign cultures that transformed it into one of the liveliest cities on the continent. It is the site of the CN Tower (1,815 ft [553 m] tall), the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the annual Canadian National Exhibition. Its educational institutions include the University of Toronto (1827).

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