Golden Horseshoe

The Golden Horseshoe is a secondary region of Southern Ontario, Canada, which lies at the western end of Lake Ontario, with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Lake Scugog and Lake Simcoe. It includes the Greater Toronto Area and adjacent upper-tier municipalities with substantial urban agglomerations. The region is the most densely populated and industrialized in Canada. With a population of 7,826,367 people in its core and 9,245,438 in its greater area, the Golden Horseshoe accounts for over 21 percent of the population of Canada and more than 55 percent of Ontario's population. It is part of the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor, itself part of the Great Lakes Megalopolis.
The core of the Golden Horseshoe starts from Niagara Falls at the eastern end of the Niagara Peninsula and extends west, wrapping around the western end of Lake Ontario at Hamilton and then turning northeast to Toronto (on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario), before finally terminating at Clarington in Durham Region. The term Greater Golden Horseshoe is used to describe a broader region that stretches inland from the core to the area of the Trent–Severn Waterway, such as Peterborough, in the northeast, to Barrie and Lake Simcoe in the north, and to the Grand River area, including centres such as Brantford, Waterloo Region, and Guelph to the west. The extended region's area covers approximately , out of this, or approximately 22 per cent of the area is covered by the environmentally protected Greenbelt. The Greater Golden Horseshoe forms the neck of the Ontario Peninsula.
Etymology.
The "horseshoe" part of the region's name is derived from the characteristic horseshoe shape of the west end of Lake Ontario with Cootes Paradise between Burlington and Hamilton roughly positioned in the centre. The "golden" part is historically attributed to the region's wealth and prosperity, according to the "Canadian Oxford Dictionary".
The phrase "Golden Horseshoe" was first used by Westinghouse Electric Corporation president Herbert H. Rogge in a speech to the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce on January 12, 1954:
The speech writer who actually penned the phrase was Charles Hunter MacBain, executive assistant to five Westinghouse presidents including Rogge.
Definition.
The Golden Horseshoe has been recognised as a geographic region since the 1950s, but it was only on July 13, 2004, that a report from the provincial Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal entitled "Places to Grow" coined the term "Greater Golden Horseshoe", extending the boundaries west to Waterloo Region, north to Barrie/Simcoe County, and northeast to the county and city of Peterborough. A subsequent edition released February 16, 2005, broadened the term further, adding Brant, Haldimand and Northumberland Counties to the now quasi-administrative region. The Greater Golden Horseshoe region is officially designated in Ontario Regulation 416/05 under the "Places 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 for refugees, qualifying students and certain people working in Ontario) buying residential properties containing one to six units in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH).
The provincial transit authority Metrolinx makes use of the term Greater Golden Horseshoe. The Metrolinx definition is consistent with the original 2004 "Places to Grow" definition. However, the city and county of Peterborough is not included.
Demographics.
The population of the Golden Horseshoe was 7.82 million residents at the 2016 census. The region is projected to grow to 11.5 million people by 2031.
Economy.
The economy of this region is very diverse. The Toronto Stock Exchange is the third-largest in North America by market capitalization (after the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ), and seventh-largest in the world. 
Cities including Hamilton, Oshawa, Oakville, Whitby and Kitchener all contain major large-scale industrial production facilities, Hamilton being dominated by the steel industry and Oakville and Oshawa primarily in the automotive industry. Other significant automotive-production facilities also exist in Brampton, and St. 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.
The Port of Hamilton and the Port of Toronto are the two largest seaports on Lake Ontario. The Welland Canal system handles tanker ship 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 majestic waterfalls, shop in its numerous stores, and visit its many attractions. The winemaking and fruit growing industries of the Niagara Peninsula produce award-winning wines, which are beginning to attract attention around the world, in particular, the ice wine for which the region is known.
As of 2014, sectors such as information technology, health care, Agtech, tourism, research and finance provide the bulk of growth in the Golden Horseshoe. The cities of Brampton, Markham, Waterloo Region and Mississauga, are emerging as hubs for technology and innovation. The region is one of the largest tech cluster in North America outside of Silicon Valley. The area is home to more than 15,000 tech companies, including 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% of the total workforce employed in tech.
Education.
The Golden Horseshoe is home to several universities, including the University of Toronto and McMaster University in Hamilton, which are ranked 1st and 4th in Canada, respectively, by the Academic Ranking of World Universities. Other universities in the region include Brock University in St. Catharines, Trent University in Peterborough, York University in Toronto near Vaughan, OCAD University, University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa, Ryerson University, University of Guelph, University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, and Université de l'Ontario français in downtown Toronto.
Public primary and secondary schooling is typically provided by school boards, largely organized at the municipal or county/regional level. The only school board that operates throughout the Golden Horseshoe is Conseil scolaire Viamonde, a public French-language school board, and Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir, a public French-language separate school board. Both of these public French-language school boards operate across the Ontario Peninsula.
Attractions.
The CN Tower in Toronto is among the most internationally notable attractions in the Golden Horseshoe.
The region is home to several shopping malls such as Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Toronto Eaton Centre, Fairview Mall, Scarborough Town Centre, and Sherway Gardens. Located in the suburbs of Toronto are Vaughan Mills in Vaughan, Bramalea City Centre in [[Brampton], [[Square One Shopping Centre]] in [[Mississauga]], and the [[Pacific Mall]], in [[Markham, Ontario|Markham]].
Annual cultural festivals that draw tourists and local alike include the Peeks Caribbean Carnival (formerly known as [[Caribana]]) and [[Taste of the Danforth]] in Toronto.
[[File:Webster Falls - Laslovarga1.jpg|thumb|left|View of [[Webster's Falls]] in Hamilton. The falls is a part of the [[Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve]], which runs across the western portion of the Golden Horseshoe.]]
The [[Niagara Escarpment]], a world [[Man and the Biosphere Programme#Biosphere reserves|biosphere reserve]] as designated by the United Nations, runs from the north at Bruce Peninsula and then east through the region cutting the Niagara Gorge at Niagara Falls. The [[Bruce Trail]] runs along the escarpment through mostly protected woodlands. The [[Cheltenham Badlands]] in [[Caledon, Ontario|Caledon]] is an [[Environmental degradation|environmentally degraded]] area along the Niagara Escarpment. Similar protection of some wooded areas exists on the [[Oak 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 major [[wine]]-production areas in Canada. The Golden Horseshoe contains many small towns with tourist-jammed, historic main streets, most notably the community of [[Niagara-on-the-Lake]], located at the mouth of the [[Niagara River]]. [[Niagara Falls, Ontario|Niagara Falls]] is one of the world's largest waterfalls, and attracts millions to [[Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls|Clifton Hill]], a neighbourhood featuring hundreds of amusements, souvenir stores, restaurants and skyline-defining hotels. Casinos here are also a huge draw, particularly [[Casino Niagara]] and [[Fallsview Casino]].
[[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]] has the historical reputation of being a blue-collar city; however, waterfront redevelopments and large-scale [[gentrification]] have been rapidly changing the perception of the city, although it retains a dominant industrial base. Hamilton has over [[List of waterfalls in Hamilton, Ontario|100 waterfalls]] and cascades throughout the region.
[[File:Leviathan Lift and Sculpture.jpg|thumb|View of [[Leviathan (roller coaster)|the Leviathan roller coaster]] at [[Canada's Wonderland]]. Located in [[Vaughan]], Canada's Wonderland.]]
Seasonal [[Amusement park|theme parks]] in the Golden Horseshoe include [[Canada's Wonderland]], run by [[Cedar Fair]] in Vaughan, [[Wet'n'Wild Toronto]] (formerly Wild Water Kingdom) in [[Brampton]], [[African Lion Safari]] in [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]] and [[Cambridge, Ontario|Cambridge]], and [[Marineland of Canada|Marineland]] in Niagara Falls. Though not a theme park per se, the [[Exhibition Place]] hosts the annual [[Canadian National Exhibition]].
Sports.
[[File:Toronto vs Tampa Aug 11 2018.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Toronto Blue Jays]] game at the [[Rogers Centre]] in [[2018 Toronto Blue Jays season|2018]]]]
The Golden Horseshoe is home to a number of amateur and professional sports clubs, and university and college varsity programs. Many professional sports clubs in the city form a part of a larger [[sports league]]. Most university varsity programs is regulated by [[U Sports]], while college varsity programs are regulated by the [[Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association]]. 
In addition to the number of sports clubs and programs based in the region, the Golden Horseshoe has also hosted a number of international [[multi-sport event]]s, including the [[1930 British Empire Games]] (predecessor to the Commonwealth Games), the [[1976 Summer Paralympics]], the [[2015 Pan American Games]] and [[2015 Parapan American Games|Parapan American Games]], the [[2017 Invictus Games]], the [[2017 North American Indigenous Games]], and the [[2018 NACAC Championships]]. Although the [[1976 Summer Olympics]] was held in [[Montreal]], several matches for the [[Football at the 1976 Summer Olympics|event's soccer tournament]] were played in Toronto. 
Professional sports teams based in the Golden Horseshoe include:
Note that the Toronto Blue Jays and the Toronto Raptors are temporarily playing their home games in the United States due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in North America]].
Transportation.
[[File:QEW into Mississauga.png|thumb|The [[Queen Elizabeth Way]] is a major [[controlled-access highway]] that connects Greater Toronto with the Niagara Peninsula.]]
[[File:Davisville_TTC_Rocket_5836_d40.JPG|thumb|A [[Toronto Rocket]] train at the [[Toronto subway]]'s [[Davisville station]]]]
The Golden Horseshoe is served by an [[400-series highways|network of expressways]], the backbone of which are the [[Queen Elizabeth Way]] and [[Ontario Highway 401|Highway 401]], one of the widest and busiest expressways in the world. Public transit in the region is coordinated by [[Metrolinx]]. Regional transit is provided by [[GO Transit]] trains and buses, and by intercity bus operators such as [[Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services|Ontario Northland]] and [[Coach Canada]]. GO Transit's train network encompasses 7 commuter rail lines linking municipalities in the Golden Horseshoe to Toronto's [[Union Station (Toronto)|Union Station]], which is the busiest railway station in Canada and the second busiest railway station in North America, with 72 million passengers per year. [[GO Transit Regional Express Rail|Expansion]] is underway to facilitate all-day 15-minute or better commuter train service, electrification and increased ridership on five of the busiest lines. Local transit is provided by municipal agencies, the largest of which is the [[Toronto Transit Commission]], which operates [[Toronto subway|three subway lines and one light metro line]] and an extensive [[Toronto Transit Commission bus system|bus]] and [[Toronto streetcar system|streetcar network]]. Rapid transit systems outside Toronto include the [[Viva Rapid Transit|VIVA bus rapid transit]] in York Region, the [[Ion rapid transit|ION light rail system]] in Kitchener-Waterloo, and the [[Mississauga Transitway|Mississauga transitway]]. [[Line 5 Eglinton|Line 5]] and [[Line 6 Finch West|Line 6]] are under construction LRT/subway lines in Toronto. The [[Hurontario LRT]] is currently under construction in Peel Region, as well as various bus rapid transit projects in Peel and York Regions.
The primary airport of the region is [[Toronto Pearson International Airport]] (officially Lester B. Pearson International Airport), located in Mississauga. Handling 49.5 million passengers in 2018, it is the busiest in Canada and the [[List of busiest airports by passenger traffic|31st busiest in the world]]. Other regional airports of significance include [[John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport]] located in southern Hamilton, which is a major regional freight and courier location as well as the [[Region of Waterloo International Airport]] in Kitchener; [[Buttonville Municipal Airport|Buttonville Airport]] and [[Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport|Billy Bishop airport]] in the [[Greater Toronto Area]]. Within driving distance is [[Buffalo Niagara International Airport]] in [[Cheektowaga, New York]], in the United States. Buffalo Niagara carries the second largest passenger volume in the region, serving over 5 million passengers in 2018. It is frequently used by Canadian passengers flying to US destinations.
Divisions.
[[File:Downtown Toronto in September 2018 (Early Sunday Morning, view from a kayak).jpg|right|thumb|alt=A spear-like tower is between a white-domed structure and small buildings on the left, and increasingly taller buildings to the right. In the foreground is a lake, with a few visible buoys, and the background is a deep blue sky with a few clouds near the horizon.|Skyline of [[Downtown Toronto]]. The city is the financial anchor of the Golden Horseshoe.]]
[[Image:HamiltonOntarioSkylineC.JPG|right|thumb|alt=A tree-lined highway is in the foreground, angled diagonally from bottom right to middle left of the image. Buildings are in the centre, and the background is a sky meeting rolling hills in the distance.|[[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]] lies at the western edge of [[Lake Ontario]].]]
[[File:Cataratas del Niágara 31.jpg|thumb|alt=A spike tower with a pod is lit along its length on the right. Other buildings sit on the right while a river and large waterfall occupies the left.|[[Niagara Falls, Ontario|Niagara Falls]] is a major tourist destination, situated at the southern portion of the Golden Horseshoe.]]
Census metropolitan areas.
Population figures are from the 2016 census.
The [[census metropolitan area]]s listed below are within the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Not all land within the Greater Golden Horseshoe is part of a Census Metropolitan Area; some Census Metropolitan Areas are partly in the Golden Horseshoe and partly outside it.
External links.
[[Category:Golden Horseshoe| ]]
[[Category:Metropolitan areas of Ontario]]
[[Category:Geographic regions of Ontario]]
[[Category:1950s neologisms]]