Toronto

Toronto is Canada's largest city and the provincial capital of Ontario. Toronto's population is 2,518,772 (Statistics Canada, 2004); that of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is 5,203,686 (Statistics Canada, 2004). Residents of Toronto are called Torontonians (in French: torontois). The city is part of the Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario--a densely populated region of around 7 million people. Approximately 23% of the Canadian population live within the Golden Horseshoe region, and about one-sixth of all Canadian jobs lie within the city limits.

Nicknames

Nicknames for Toronto include:

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• T.O. - from Toronto, Ontario; pronounced Tee-Oh.
• T-dot - short for "t-dot o-dot."
• The Big Smoke - a nickname it shares with many other cities.
• Hogtown - referring to growing livestock trading and markets during the 19th century.
• Toronto the Good - from its history as a bastion of 19th century Victorian morality.
• The Big Banana - a take on New York's moniker "The Big Apple", in reference to the roughly crescent (or banana) shape of the metropolitan area.
• Hollywood North - due to the many TV and movie productions in the city.
• Queen City (French) - the most common Quebecois paraphrase for Toronto. ("La Ville-Reine")
• Muddy York - derived from Toronto's previous name, York, and the weather's effect on its once-largely unpaved streets.
• The 416 - 416 is the area code for much of the amalgamated city's telephone service.
• The Centre of the Universe - a derogatory nickname often used by rural and Western Canadians.
• Hockeytown - due to the popularity of the sport within the city, and the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs are the home team.