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Toronto was founded as the Town of York and capital of Upper Canada in 1793 after the Mississaugas sold the land to the British in the Toronto Purchase. [1] For over 12,000 years, Indigenous People have lived in the Toronto area.
- Overview
- Early settlement
- Evolution of the modern city
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, a number of First Nations peoples inhabited the site of the present city of Toronto and the surrounding regions. Their seminomadic settlement patterns included using the Toronto Passage—a portage from the mouth of the Humber River to Georgian Bay—as a trade route. Traditional conflicts had existed between some First Nations peoples, but when the first Europeans arrived, the dynamics of relationships changed, in some instances greatly. The complex relationships that developed were shaped not only by competition between the European colonizers but also by the introduction of firearms and diseases such as smallpox. The French, who initially claimed this territory and realized its potential as a fur trade empire, aligned themselves with the Huron First Nations and sided with them in their traditional conflict with the Iroquois to the south. The Iroquois, in turn, formed an alliance with the British, who wanted to take possession of the French colonies, and the fur trade, in North America. An unfortunate and devastating consequence for all First Nations was the introduction of European diseases (such as smallpox) that eliminated whole tribes of First Nations.
In 1615 Étienne Brûlé (an associate of Samuel de Champlain, the founder of Quebec city) visited the Toronto region, which was under the control of the Huron, although it is questionable whether he actually traveled the Toronto Passage to the location of present-day Toronto itself. By the 1660s the Seneca occupied two sites—Teiaiagon, at the mouth of the Humber River, and Ganatsekwyagon, located near the mouth of the Rouge River. However, these sites were abandoned by the Seneca, and the Mississauga (Ojibwa) occupied the area by the end of that century.
By the early 1700s the fur trade had migrated west and north of the Great Lakes, and the competition between the French and British only intensified. A small French fur trading post was erected at the mouth of the Humber in 1720, but it was too small to compete with the British Fort Oswego, located on the southeastern shore of Lake Ontario. Another small post was in place by 1750, but it too was abandoned in favour of a larger fort 3 miles (5 km) to the east, Fort Rouillé. The British-French conflict escalated with the capture of a number of French forts by 1759, and Fort Rouillé was burned to the ground. In 1763 (under the Treaty of Paris) French territories in North America were surrendered to the British. The Toronto region remained in British North America after the founding of the United States during the American Revolution, after which several thousand United Empire Loyalists resettled in southern Ontario.
In 1787 Sir Guy Carleton (later 1st Baron Dorchester), governor of Quebec, opened negotiations with three Mississauga chiefs for the purchase of a site for the future capital of Ontario. About 250,000 acres (100,000 hectares) fronting the lake were acquired in exchange for £1,700, bales of cloth, axes, and other trading goods.
Ontario’s first parliament met in 1792 at Niagara, but in 1793 Col. John Graves Simcoe, lieutenant governor of Upper Canada, selected the present site of Toronto for his capital because of its fine harbour, its strategic location for defense and trade, and the rich potential of its wilderness hinterland. He changed its name from Toronto to York; two years later (1795) Ontario’s capital consisted of only 12 cottages and a small military establishment on the edge of the wilderness.
While the British were engaged with France in Europe, the United States declared war on Britain. At the beginning of the War of 1812, York, with a population of 700, was practically defenseless. It was taken in April 1813 and was pillaged and occupied by U.S. forces for 11 days before being retaken by the British. The speaker’s mace was carried off but was returned in 1934; the royal standard is still in the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland.
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, a number of First Nations peoples inhabited the site of the present city of Toronto and the surrounding regions. Their seminomadic settlement patterns included using the Toronto Passage—a portage from the mouth of the Humber River to Georgian Bay—as a trade route. Traditional conflicts had existed between some First Nations peoples, but when the first Europeans arrived, the dynamics of relationships changed, in some instances greatly. The complex relationships that developed were shaped not only by competition between the European colonizers but also by the introduction of firearms and diseases such as smallpox. The French, who initially claimed this territory and realized its potential as a fur trade empire, aligned themselves with the Huron First Nations and sided with them in their traditional conflict with the Iroquois to the south. The Iroquois, in turn, formed an alliance with the British, who wanted to take possession of the French colonies, and the fur trade, in North America. An unfortunate and devastating consequence for all First Nations was the introduction of European diseases (such as smallpox) that eliminated whole tribes of First Nations.
In 1615 Étienne Brûlé (an associate of Samuel de Champlain, the founder of Quebec city) visited the Toronto region, which was under the control of the Huron, although it is questionable whether he actually traveled the Toronto Passage to the location of present-day Toronto itself. By the 1660s the Seneca occupied two sites—Teiaiagon, at the mouth of the Humber River, and Ganatsekwyagon, located near the mouth of the Rouge River. However, these sites were abandoned by the Seneca, and the Mississauga (Ojibwa) occupied the area by the end of that century.
By the early 1700s the fur trade had migrated west and north of the Great Lakes, and the competition between the French and British only intensified. A small French fur trading post was erected at the mouth of the Humber in 1720, but it was too small to compete with the British Fort Oswego, located on the southeastern shore of Lake Ontario. Another small post was in place by 1750, but it too was abandoned in favour of a larger fort 3 miles (5 km) to the east, Fort Rouillé. The British-French conflict escalated with the capture of a number of French forts by 1759, and Fort Rouillé was burned to the ground. In 1763 (under the Treaty of Paris) French territories in North America were surrendered to the British. The Toronto region remained in British North America after the founding of the United States during the American Revolution, after which several thousand United Empire Loyalists resettled in southern Ontario.
In 1787 Sir Guy Carleton (later 1st Baron Dorchester), governor of Quebec, opened negotiations with three Mississauga chiefs for the purchase of a site for the future capital of Ontario. About 250,000 acres (100,000 hectares) fronting the lake were acquired in exchange for £1,700, bales of cloth, axes, and other trading goods.
Ontario’s first parliament met in 1792 at Niagara, but in 1793 Col. John Graves Simcoe, lieutenant governor of Upper Canada, selected the present site of Toronto for his capital because of its fine harbour, its strategic location for defense and trade, and the rich potential of its wilderness hinterland. He changed its name from Toronto to York; two years later (1795) Ontario’s capital consisted of only 12 cottages and a small military establishment on the edge of the wilderness.
While the British were engaged with France in Europe, the United States declared war on Britain. At the beginning of the War of 1812, York, with a population of 700, was practically defenseless. It was taken in April 1813 and was pillaged and occupied by U.S. forces for 11 days before being retaken by the British. The speaker’s mace was carried off but was returned in 1934; the royal standard is still in the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland.
Canada’s shift from British colonial status to independent nation-state resulted in Toronto being named as the capital of the province of Ontario, adding administrative and public service employment to the already diverse range of industrial occupations. Railway developments to western Canada in the 1880s and, by the early 1900s, to northern Ontario and Quebec allowed Toronto to expand its manufacturing and service market.
The Great Depression of the 1930s reversed the employment trend, with approximately one-fourth of the Toronto population unemployed, and caused severe financial problems for suburban Toronto. Capital debt payments could not be met, and expenditure on public services—sewage and piped water supply in places remote from the lake, for example—had to be postponed. However, World War II’s demands for war supplies, and soldiers, soon changed the employment picture. Following the war, and into the 1960s, times were prosperous throughout North America, and Toronto’s economy diversified and boomed, greatly altering the cultural and spatial pattern of the city.
Other factors after the war included the baby boom, demand for single-family dwellings, and the proliferation of the automobile. Suburban sprawl was assisted by the increase in road networks and freeways, thereby consuming some of the best agricultural land in the region. By 1953 a reorganization of local government had been created, along with the Corporation of Metropolitan Toronto, in an attempt to control development in the surrounding regions. Suburban growth continued and in 1966 new City of Toronto boundaries were drawn, amalgamating 13 communities, with the Metropolitan government still in place. By the 1976 census, Toronto passed Montreal to become the largest city in Canada, and the gap between these two cities continued to grow. The present City of Toronto limits were set in 1998, dissolving the Metropolitan system and amalgamating the five adjacent boroughs.
As the 21st century unfolded, both Toronto’s population and its skyline were expanding dramatically. In 2015 there were more than 40 skyscrapers rising higher than 500 feet (150 metres), whereas there had been only 13 in 2005. Toronto stood as one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world. In the 2010s more than half of Torontonians had been born abroad, and more than half of the region’s residents were classified by the census as members of a “visible minority.” One of modern Toronto’s most distinguishing characteristics was its celebration of its diversity and its welcoming of immigrants in an era when anti-immigrant sentiment and policies were on the rise in many cities and countries in the Western world. The soaring cost of housing in Toronto in the early 21st century, however, provided a huge challenge for the provincial and federal governments as they sought to meet the housing needs of immigrants and the poorest members of the city’s society.
Mar 17, 2013 · While the building systems have mostly been imported, Toronto designers have made their marks on them. The lines of high-peaked Victorian brick homes in the older city, for example, have a distinctly Toronto character. Population. Toronto is known for being one of the most multicultural cities in the world.
2 days ago · Toronto, city, capital of the province of Ontario in southeastern Canada, on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. It is the most populous metropolitan area in Canada and the most important city in Canada’s most prosperous province. It is a multicultural city and Canada’s financial and commercial center.
Apr 16, 2024 · Sports and recreation have always been an integral part of Toronto’s history. Throughout Canada’s timeline, Toronto has played a significant role in shaping the country’s passion for sports. One of the earliest documented sports played in Toronto is lacrosse, which has been enjoyed by Indigenous communities for centuries.
Apr 16, 2024 · The transformation of the Toronto Islands reflects the changing needs and priorities of the city. From a quiet farming community to a bustling recreational hub, the islands have always been an important part of Toronto’s history. If you have any more questions about the history of Toronto or the Toronto Islands, feel free to ask.
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This timeline of the history of Toronto documents all events that occurred in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, including historical events in the former cities of East York, Etobicoke, North York, Toronto, Scarborough, and York. Events date back to the early-17th century and continue until the present in chronological order.
