Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Communities

Toronto is the Huron Indian word for "place of meeting".  The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is home to over 5 million people. More than half of those residents were born outside of Canada. This rich diversity makes Toronto one of the most multicultural cities in the world. It also makes it an exciting place to work and live. With this many people from so many different places living in the same city it is not surprising that different parts of the city have developed different characters. Furthermore, there is much that is comforting about the culture in which we were raised thus certain people groups have tended to gravitate to the same areas of the city. Where people congregate services develop to meet their needs. Thus, particular neighbourhoods have community centres, stores, restaurants and places of worship that reflect the people living in them. Attention to these specific neighbourhoods is valuable both for those new to Canada and to anyone who wants to understand the GTA. All of this takes place in the large context of Canada as a country. Comparisons with our neighbours to the south are common. (See for example Michael Adam's book Fire and Ice.) However, a discussion of contemporary Canada would be incomplete without a discussion of the changing face of Canada. 

The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has a population of 5,555,912 (2006 Census). It includes the city of Toronto and four regional municipalities. It is a total land area of 7125 km (2751 miles). The city of Toronto has a population of 2.48 million, 45% of GTAs. The city of Toronto has 52.4 % of all GTA immigrants. For more information about the diverse population in the GTA visit the diversity page or the Statistics Canada Social Atlas page on the City of Toronto's website.

Interactive Map of the GTA

Click on one of the regions to find more resources

for each of the communites of that region.

Learn about the Changing Face of Canada

Learn about the City of Toronto