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The Toronto area
was home to a number of First Nations groups of people - who lived on the shore of Lake
Ontario.
York was the name of Toronto, Ontario,
between 1793 and 1834. The town of York
was established in 1793 by Governor John Graves Simcoe, with a new 'Fort York' on the site of the
last French 'Fort Toronto'. York was attacked by American forces during the Battle of York, part of
the War of 1812. It was occupied, pillaged and then partially burned down on April 27,
1813. On March 6, 1834, York was incorporated as
the City of Toronto. The first mayor of Toronto was William Lyon
Mackenzie.
Toronto grew rapidly in the late 19th century, the population increasing
from 30,000 in 1851 to 56,000 in 1871, 86,400 in 1881 and 181,000 in
1891.
Great Fire of Toronto (1849) was
the first major fire to destroy part of the City and the second in the 19th
century.
The Great Fire of Toronto of
1904 was the second great fire that
destroyed a large section of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada on April 19, 1904 but it was
quickly rebuilt.
A continuous influx of newcomers from Atlantic
Canada and large numbers of immigrants from around the world have contributed to the steady
growth of Toronto and its surroundings since the Second World War. The large numbers of
immigrants helped Toronto's population swell to over one million by 1951, and double to over
two million, by 1971. Today, Toronto is the primary destination for new immigrants to Canada,
the vast majority from the developing world.
In 1998, the six municipalities comprising
Metropolitan Toronto – East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York, and the former
City of Toronto were amalgamated into a single City of
Toronto.
According to
a United
Nations report, Toronto has
the second-highest proportion of immigrants in the world, after Miami, Florida. Almost half
of Toronto's residents were born outside Canada.
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