Before the European explorers arrived, Toronto was called the "place of meeting" for the beginning of an Indian portage route linking Lake Ontario to Lake Huron. When the French arrived in the early 17th century, the portage entrance became an important meeting place for the fur trade. In 1750, the French built Fort Rouille on the site of modern day Toronto. It was built to protect against increasing English interface with French trading, but was abandoned in 1759 during the Seven Years' War. Many Loyalists came to British North America after the American Revolution. To settle them, the government bought land from the Mississauga Indian tribe and built a small town. In 1793, Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe named the town York. In 1796, Simcoe moved the capital of Upper Canada from Niagra(modernly Niagra-on-the-Lake)to York, and work on the first parliament buildings began. The town of York became a city in 1834, and its name was changed to Toronto. The city grew and changed. Massive fires in 1849 and 1904 wiped out much of Toronto's downtown. Sewers and gas lighting arrived in the 1840's. The railway came in the 1850's connecting Toronto with the United States and Quebec. This increased the city's role as a financial and commercial center.
Today, Toronto is not only the second largest city in Canada, but also the fastest growing. It's the industrial, educational, and cultural center of English-speaking Canada. It was ranked fourth of world cities for quality of life by the Corporate Resources Group of Geneva and in the top ten of Fortune Magazine's best cities in the world to do business. Toronto has one of North America's largest medical communities, with more than 50 hospitals, 8,000 physicians and more than 50,000 health care professionals. English and French are the offical languages of Toronto, however, more people speak Chinese than French. This shows how Toronto is a home for people of all different ethnic backgrounds. The city of Toronto is a melting pot.
Before the European explorers arrived, Toronto was called the "place of meeting" for the beginning of an Indian portage route linking Lake Ontario to Lake Huron. When the French arrived in the early 17th century, the portage entrance became an important meeting place for the fur trade. In 1750, the French built Fort Rouille on the site of modern day Toronto. It was built to protect against increasing English interface with French trading, but was abandoned in 1759 during the Seven Years' War. Many Loyalists came to British North America after the American Revolution. To settle them, the government bought land from the Mississauga Indian tribe and built a small town. In 1793, Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe named the town York. In 1796, Simcoe moved the capital of Upper Canada from Niagra(modernly Niagra-on-the-Lake)to York, and work on the first parliament buildings began. The town of York became a city in 1834, and its name was changed to Toronto. The city grew and changed. Massive fires in 1849 and 1904 wiped out much of Toronto's downtown. Sewers and gas lighting arrived in the 1840's. The railway came in the 1850's connecting Toronto with the United States and Quebec. This increased the city's role as a financial and commercial center.
