Golden Horseshoe | |
|---|---|
Secondary region | |
 Location of the Golden Horseshoe in Ontario. ██ Core area██ Greater Golden Horseshoe | |
| Coordinates:43°36′N79°44′W / 43.6°N 79.73°W /43.6; -79.73 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Area | |
• Total | 31,561.57 km2 (12,185.99 sq mi) |
| • Core area | 10,097.45 km2 (3,898.65 sq mi) |
| • Extended area | 21,464.12 km2 (8,287.34 sq mi) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 9,765,188 |
• Estimate (2024) | 11,139,265[1] |
| • Core area | 7,759,635 |
| • Extended area | 2,005,553 |
| GDP | |
| • Total | CA$574.7 billion[2] US$433.2 billion (2019) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Postal code prefixes | |
| Area codes | 226,249,289,365,416,437,519,548,647,705,905 |
TheGolden Horseshoe (French:Fer à cheval doré) is a secondary region ofSouthern Ontario, Canada, which lies at the western end ofLake Ontario, with outer boundaries stretching south toLake Erie and north toLake Scugog,Lake Simcoe andGeorgian Bay ofLake Huron. The region is the most densely populated andindustrialized in Canada. Based on the2021 census, with a population of 7,759,635 people in its core and 9,765,188 in its greater area, the Golden Horseshoe accounts for over 20 percent of the population of Canada and more than 54 percent of Ontario's population.[3] The population of the greater area is estimated to have exceeded 11,000,000 people in 2024.[1] The Golden Horseshoe is part of theQuebec City–Windsor Corridor, itself part of theGreat Lakes megalopolis.
The core of the Golden Horseshoe starts fromNiagara Falls at the eastern end of theNiagara Peninsula bordering theUnited States viaNew York and extends west, wrapping around the western end of Lake Ontario atHamilton and then turning northeast toToronto (on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario), before finally terminating atClarington inDurham Region. The termGreater Golden Horseshoe is used to describe a broader region that stretches inland from the core to the area of theTrent–Severn Waterway, such asPeterborough, in the northeast, toBarrie and Lake Simcoe in the north, and to theGrand River area, which includes cities such asBrantford andGuelph, to the west. The extended region's area covers approximately 33,500 km2 (13,000 sq mi), out of this, 7,300 km2 (2,800 sq mi) or approximately 22 percent of the area is covered by the environmentally protectedGreenbelt. The Greater Golden Horseshoe forms the neck of theOntario Peninsula.
Thehorseshoe part of the region's name is derived from the characteristichorseshoe shape of the west end of Lake Ontario. Thegolden part is historically attributed to the region's wealth and prosperity, according to theCanadian Oxford Dictionary.[4]
The phraseGolden Horseshoe was first used byWestinghouse Electric Corporation president Herbert H. Rogge in a speech to the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce on January 12, 1954:
Hamilton in 50 years will be the forward cleat in a "golden horseshoe" of industrial development from Oshawa to theNiagara River ... 150 miles [240 km] long and 50 miles [80 km] wide ... It will run from Niagara Falls on the south to about Oshawa on the north and take in numerous cities and towns already there, including Hamilton and Toronto.[5]
The speech writer who actually penned the phrase was Charles Hunter MacBain, executive assistant to five Westinghouse presidents including Rogge.[6]
The Golden Horseshoe was officialized on July 13, 2004, in a report from the provincial Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal titledPlaces to Grow, in which the region's borders extended west toWaterloo Region, north toBarrie /Simcoe County, and northeast to thecounty and city ofPeterborough.[7] A subsequent edition released on February 16, 2005, broadened the term further, addingBrant,Haldimand andNorthumberland Counties to the region. The Greater Golden Horseshoe region is officially designated in Ontario Regulation 416/05[8] under thePlaces to Grow Act. The designation Greater Golden Horseshoe has legal significance with respect to taxation: in April 2017, the Government of Ontario announced plans to impose a 15 per cent Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST) on non-Canadian citizens, non-permanent residents and non-Canadian corporations (with exceptions or rebates forrefugees, qualifying students and certain people working in Ontario[9]) buying residential properties containing one to six units in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH).[10]
The provincial transit authorityMetrolinx makes use of the term Greater Golden Horseshoe. The Metrolinx definition is consistent with the original 2004Places to Grow definition. However, the city and county of Peterborough is not included.[11]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 5,982,668 | — |
| 2006 | 6,487,892 | +8.4% |
| 2011 | 7,005,491 | +8.0% |
| 2016 | 7,402,321 | +5.7% |
| 2021 | 7,759,635 | +4.8% |
| Source:Statistics Canada | ||
| Section | Census division | 2024 Population Estimate[1] | 2023 Population Estimate[12] | 2021 Population Census[13] | Area (km2) | Population Density (/km2) in 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core | Durham Region | 792,615 | 766,855 | 696,992 | 2,524 | 276 |
| Core | Halton Region | 656,926 | 642,955 | 596,637 | 964 | 619 |
| Core | Hamilton | 632,111 | 615,244 | 569,353 | 1,118 | 509 |
| Core | Niagara Region | 539,180 | 525,352 | 477,941 | 1,854 | 258 |
| Core | Peel Region | 1,662,864 | 1,585,424 | 1,451,022 | 1,247 | 1,164 |
| Core | Toronto | 3,273,119 | 3,110,984 | 2,794,356 | 630 | 4,434 |
| Core | York Region | 1,285,154 | 1,248,078 | 1,173,334 | 1,758 | 667 |
| Core | Total core | 8,841,969 | 8,494,892 | 7,759,635 | 10,096 | 769 |
| Extended | Brant (County of Brant andBrantford) | 174,324 | 168,477 | 144,771 | 916 | 158 |
| Extended | Dufferin County | 72,358 | 71,384 | 66,257 | 1,486 | 45 |
| Extended | Haldimand-Norfolk County | 130,217 | 128,572 | 116,872 | 1,250 | 93 |
| Extended | Kawartha Lakes | 84,988 | 85,215 | 79,247 | 3,084 | 26 |
| Extended | Northumberland County | 96,257 | 95,826 | 89,365 | 1,905 | 47 |
| Extended | Peterborough (Peterborough County and the city ofPeterborough) | 167,979 | 162,808 | 147,681 | 3,834 | 39 |
| Extended | Simcoe (Simcoe County,Barrie andOrillia) | 598,785 | 588,560 | 533,169 | 4,946 | 108 |
| Extended | Waterloo Region | 706,875 | 675,227 | 587,165 | 1,369 | 429 |
| Extended | Wellington (Wellington County andGuelph) | 265,513 | 262,165 | 241,026 | 2,753 | 88 |
| Extended | Total extended | 2,297,296 | 2,238,234 | 2,005,553 | 21,545 | 93 |
| Total | all | 11,139,265 | 10,733,126 | 9,765,188 | 31,640 | 309 |
The Golden Horseshoe is among the mostmulticultural regions in Canada.
In2021, there were 3,762,090 people of European heritage, forming a plurality of the population (49.0%); the next largest groups were those of South Asian descent (1,273,525 people or 16.6%) and those of East Asian heritage (813,015 people or 10.6%)
| Panethnic group | 2021 | 2016 | 2011 | 2006 | 2001 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |||||
| European[b] | 3,762,090 | 49% | 3,998,525 | 54.69% | 4,093,475 | 59.16% | 4,069,110 | 63.28% | 4,085,430 | 68.87% | ||||
| South Asian | 1,273,525 | 16.59% | 1,023,140 | 13.99% | 868,125 | 12.55% | 712,975 | 11.09% | 494,850 | 8.34% | ||||
| East Asian[c] | 813,015 | 10.59% | 754,190 | 10.31% | 638,740 | 9.23% | 585,980 | 9.11% | 488,990 | 8.24% | ||||
| Black | 563,330 | 7.34% | 493,510 | 6.75% | 435,750 | 6.3% | 385,400 | 5.99% | 333,540 | 5.62% | ||||
| Southeast Asian[d] | 424,690 | 5.53% | 366,470 | 5.01% | 345,015 | 4.99% | 260,385 | 4.05% | 200,375 | 3.38% | ||||
| Middle Eastern[e] | 327,375 | 4.26% | 254,730 | 3.48% | 189,875 | 2.74% | 143,570 | 2.23% | 105,040 | 1.77% | ||||
| Latin American | 179,580 | 2.34% | 149,995 | 2.05% | 131,925 | 1.91% | 111,560 | 1.74% | 83,195 | 1.4% | ||||
| Indigenous | 82,395 | 1.07% | 80,475 | 1.1% | 63,200 | 0.91% | 46,465 | 0.72% | 35,405 | 0.6% | ||||
| Other/Multiracial[f] | 251,470 | 3.28% | 190,805 | 2.61% | 152,685 | 2.21% | 114,365 | 1.78% | 105,490 | 1.78% | ||||
| Total responses | 7,677,470 | 98.94% | 7,311,815 | 98.78% | 6,918,750 | 98.76% | 6,429,855 | 99.11% | 5,932,330 | 99.16% | ||||
| Total population | 7,759,635 | 100% | 7,402,321 | 100% | 7,005,491 | 100% | 6,487,892 | 100% | 5,982,668 | 100% | ||||
| Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses 2021 census sources:[14][15][16][17][18][19][20] 2016 census sources:[21][22][23][24][25][26][27] 2011 census sources:[28][29][30][31][32][33][34] 2006 census sources:[35][36][37][38][39][40][41] 2001 census sources:[42][43][44][45][46][47][48] | ||||||||||||||
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(July 2012) |
The economy of this region is very diverse. As of 2007[update], theToronto Stock Exchange is the third-largest in North America by market capitalization (after theNew York Stock Exchange andNasdaq), and seventh-largest in the world.[49]
Cities including Hamilton, Oshawa, Oakville, Whitby and Kitchener all contain major large-scale industrial production facilities, Hamilton being dominated by thesteel industry and Oakville and Oshawa primarily in theautomotive industry. Other significant automotive-production facilities also exist inBrampton, andSt. Catharines. While manufacturing remains important to the economy of the region, the manufacturing sector has experienced a significant decline since 2000 as a result of unfavourable currency exchange rates, increasing energy costs, and reduced demand from the United States, which is by far the largest market for Ontario's goods.
ThePort of Hamilton and thePort of Toronto are the two largestinland ports onLake Ontario. TheWelland Canal system handles tanker ships and recreational traffic through the Great Lakes. Large rail and truck distribution facilities are located in Toronto,Vaughan and Brampton. Food processing is also a key ingredient in the economy.
Niagara Falls has one of the world's largest per-capita tourist economies, benefiting from millions of tourists coming to see its waterfalls, shop in its numerous stores, and visit its many attractions. The winemaking and fruit-growing industries of theNiagara Peninsula produce wines, in particular, theice wine for which the region is known.
As of 2014[update], sectors such asinformation technology, health care, Agtech, tourism, research and finance provide the bulk of growth in the Golden Horseshoe. The cities ofBrampton,Markham,Waterloo Region andMississauga are emerging as hubs for technology and innovation.[50] The region is one of the largest tech cluster in North America outside ofSilicon Valley. The area is home to more than 15,000 tech companies, including over 5,000 startups, and nearly 300,000 employees in high-tech industries. About two-thirds of those employees are classified as “tech workers,” which includes programmers, developers, etc. with 8 percent of the total workforce employed in tech.[51][52]
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The Golden Horseshoe is home to severaluniversities, including theUniversity of Toronto andMcMaster University in Hamilton, which are ranked 1st and 4th in Canada, respectively, by theAcademic Ranking of World Universities.[53] Other universities in the region includeBrock University in St. Catharines,Trent University in Peterborough,York University in northern Toronto near Vaughan,OCAD University in downtown Toronto,Ontario Tech University in Oshawa,Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), theUniversity of Guelph, theUniversity of Waterloo,Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, and theUniversité de l'Ontario français in downtown Toronto. The Golden Horseshoe is also home to many colleges.[54]
Public primary and secondary schooling is typically provided byschool boards, largely organized at the municipal or county/regional level. The only school boards that operate throughout the Golden Horseshoe areConseil scolaire Viamonde, a public French-language school board, andConseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir, a public French-languageseparate school board. Both of these public French-language school boards operate across theOntario Peninsula.[55]
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TheCN Tower indowntown Toronto is among the most internationally notable attractions in the Golden Horseshoe. Other major attractions in downtown Toronto include theRoyal Ontario Museum, theArt Gallery of Ontario,Ripley's Aquarium, and theHockey Hall of Fame.
The region is home to severalshopping malls such asYorkdale Shopping Centre,Toronto Eaton Centre,[56]Fairview Mall,Scarborough Town Centre, andSherway Gardens. Located in the suburbs of Toronto areVaughan Mills inVaughan,Bramalea City Centre in Brampton,Square One Shopping Centre inMississauga, andPacific Mall andMarkville Shopping Centre inMarkham.
Annual cultural festivals that draw tourists and locals alike include the Toronto Caribbean Carnival (formerly known asCaribana) andTaste of the Danforth in Toronto.
TheNiagara Escarpment, a worldbiosphere reserve as designated by the United Nations, runs from the north at the tip ofBruce Peninsula and then east through the region cutting the Niagara Gorge at Niagara Falls. TheBruce Trail runs along the escarpment through mostly protected woodlands. TheCheltenham Badlands inCaledon is anenvironmentally degraded area along the Niagara Escarpment. Similar protection of some wooded areas exists on theOak Ridges Moraine running east–west in the north end of the Greater Toronto Area, although development pressures continue to threaten the natural habitat.
The Niagara Region has become one of the majorwine-production areas in Canada. The Golden Horseshoe contains many small towns with historic main streets, most notably the community ofNiagara-on-the-Lake, located near theNiagara River.Niagara Falls hasone of the world's largest waterfalls and attracts millions toClifton Hill, a neighbourhood with souvenir stores, small attractions, restaurants and skyline-defining hotels. There are also two casinos:Casino Niagara andNiagara Fallsview Casino Resort.
Hamilton has the historical reputation of being a blue-collar city; however, waterfront redevelopments and large-scalegentrification have been rapidly changing the perception of the city, although it retains a dominant industrial base. Hamilton has overa hundred waterfalls and cascades throughout the region.
Seasonalamusement parks and large outdoor attractions in the Golden Horseshoe includeCanada's Wonderland, run bySix Flags, in Vaughan;Wet'n'Wild Toronto (formerly Wild Water Kingdom) inBrampton;African Lion Safari inHamilton andCambridge; and the defunctMarineland in Niagara Falls. Though technically aprovincial fair, theExhibition Place just west of downtown Toronto hosts the annualCanadian National Exhibition, while the nearbyOntario Place is being redeveloped.
The Golden Horseshoe is home to many amateur and professional sports clubs, and university and college varsity programs. Many professional sports clubs in the city form a part of a largersports league. Most university varsity programs are regulated byU Sports, while college varsity programs are regulated by theCanadian Collegiate Athletic Association.
In addition to the number of sports clubs and programs based in the region, the Golden Horseshoe has also hosted several internationalmulti-sport events, including the1930 British Empire Games (predecessor to theCommonwealth Games), the1976 Summer Paralympics, the2015 Pan American Games andParapan American Games, the2017 Invictus Games, the2017 North American Indigenous Games, and the2018 NACAC Championships. Although much of the1976 Summer Olympics was held inMontreal, several matches for theevent's soccer tournament were played in Toronto. Toronto is among various cities in North America to host select matches for the2026 FIFA World Cup.
Note that the Toronto Blue Jays temporarily played their home games in the United States (more specificallyDunedin, Florida andBuffalo, New York) due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in North America in2020 and2021, while the Toronto Raptors played their home games in the United States (more specificallyTampa, Florida) during the pandemic to minimize cross-border travel.
In May 2024, theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced that its 14th franchise had been awarded to Toronto-basedKilmer Sports Ventures.[57] Known as theToronto Tempo, the team is expected to play its home games at theCoca-Cola Coliseum in Exhibition Place starting in its debut in2026.
The Golden Horseshoe is served by anetwork of expressways; central among these are theQueen Elizabeth Way andHighway 401, the latter of which is one of the widest and busiest expressways in the world.
Public transit in the region is coordinated byMetrolinx.[58] Regional transit is provided byGO Transit trains and buses, and by intercity bus operators such asOntario Northland andCoach Canada. GO Transit's train network encompasses seven commuter rail lines linking municipalities in the Golden Horseshoe to Toronto'sUnion Station, which is the busiest railway station in Canada and the second-busiest railway station in North America, with 72 million passengers per year.[59]Expansion is underway to facilitate all-day 15-minute or better commuter train service, electrification and increased ridership on five of the busiest lines.[60] Local transit is provided by municipal agencies, the largest of which is theToronto Transit Commission, which operatesthree subway lines and one former light metro line and an extensivebus andstreetcar network. Rapid transit systems that operate primarily outside Toronto include theVIVA bus rapid transit in York Region, theION light rail system inKitchener-Waterloo, and theMississauga transitway.Line 5 andLine 6 are under construction LRT lines in Toronto that are part of its subway system and will open in the fourth quarter of 2025. TheOntario Line is another subway line under construction in Toronto, albeit using different technology. TheHurontario LRT is currently under construction in Peel Region, as well as various bus rapid transit projects in Peel and York Regions.[61]
The primary airport of the region isToronto Pearson International Airport (officially Lester B. Pearson International Airport), located in Mississauga. Handling 50.5 million passengers in 2019, it is the busiest in Canada and the31st busiest in the world. Other regional airports of significance includeJohn C. Munro Hamilton International Airport located in southern Hamilton, which is a major regional freight and courier location as well as theRegion of Waterloo International Airport in Kitchener;Buttonville Airport (closed since November 2023) andBilly Bishop Airport in theGreater Toronto Area. Within driving distance isBuffalo Niagara International Airport inCheektowaga, New York, in the United States. Buffalo Niagara carries the second-largest passenger volume in the region, serving over 5 million passengers in 2018.[62] It is frequently used by Canadian passengers flying to US destinations.[63]
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ORIGIN: So called with reference to the area's wealth and horseshoe-like shape.
introducing a 15 per cent Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST) on non-Canadian citizens, non-permanent residents and non-Canadian corporations buying residential properties containing one to six units in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH).
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Golden Horseshoe travel guide from WikivoyageSubdivisions ofOntario | |
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| Counties | |
| Districts | |
| Regional municipalities | |
| Single-tier municipalities | |
| Separated municipalities | |
| Regions | |
Places adjacent to Golden Horseshoe | |
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Great Lakes megalopolis as defined by theRPA | ||
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Includes all metropolitan areas that have a population of 150,000 or greater according to the most recent national census. | ||
| Great Lakes region cities |  | |
| Surrounding cities |
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| Cities of states south of region | ||
| Other metro-regions | ||
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