Burlington is located in the Golden Horseshoe, across the Lake Ontario and Burlington Bay harbour from Hamilton, in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada.

Like most cities of its size in Ontario, manufacturing of various goods sustains Burlington's livelihood, but its proximity to both Hamilton and Toronto means many residents commute to those cities. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), although it is still part of the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. Transportation is served by the Queen Elizabeth Way, Highway 403, Highway 407, as well as Dundas Street, and by both GO Transit and VIA Rail. Burlington Transit is the public transport provider in the city. Rail Service is provided by both CN and Canadian Pacific Railways.

In recent years Burlington has been one of the fastest growing areas of Canada with many new homes being built. The region by the lake has a number of expensive homes while the rest of the community is comfortable middle class suburbs.

History

The land which is now Burlington, was deeded to Chief Joseph Brant in 1798. Settlement on the "Brant Block" started soon afterward. In 1874 the communities of Wellington Square and Port Nelson were incorporated into the Village of Burlington, and later a town in 1915. In 1962, most of the township of Nelson was annexed including Aldershot. It became a city in 1974, upon the creation of the Regional Municipality of Halton. Some land in north and northeast Burlington became part of Milton.

Demographics

According to the mid-2001 census, the population estimates there were 150 836 people residing in the local authority of Burlington, located in the province of Ontario, of whom 48.4 % were male and 51.6 % were female. Children under five accounted for approximately 5.8 % of the resident population of Burlington. This compares with 5.8 % in Ontario, and almost 5.6 % for Canada overall.

In mid-2001, 14.0 % of the resident population in Burlington were of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) compared with 13.2 % in Canada, therefore, the average age is 38.5 years of age comparing to 37.6 years of age for all of Canada.

In the five years between 1996 and 2001, the population of Burlington grew by 10.1 %, compared with an increase of 6.1 % for Ontario as a whole. Population density of Burlington averaged 812.2 people per square kilometre, compared with an average of 12.6, for Ontario altogether.

At the time of the census in May 2001, the resident population of the Burlington city authority had 150 836 people, compared with a resident population in the province of Ontario of 11,410,050 people.

Racial Groups

• 91.9% Caucasian, mostly English, Irish, Scottish, and German
• 2.1% Asian, mostly Indian, and Pakistani
• 1.5% Black, almost exclusively Jamaican
• 1.0% Chinese, mostly from Hong Kong
• 0.5% mixed race, mostly Black and Caucasian mixes

Religion

In the city of Burlington, almost 80.0% of the population practice a form of Christianity. Those who are Protestant number 44.1%, and Roman Catholics number 32.0%. The balance of Christians are made up of the quickly growing Orthodox Christians and other denominations. Most Non-Christian populations number less than 1.0% like Islam, Sikh and Hindu.

Education

Burlington's public elementary and secondary schools are part of the Halton District School Board. Burlington's Catholic elementary and secondary schools are part of the Halton Catholic District School Board

Colleges and Universities

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Burlington Mayor Rob MacIsaac and McMaster University President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Peter J. George on September 30, 2004 acknowledging to work together to bring a McMaster campus to Burlington.

Sites of interest

Burlington is home to the Royal Botanical Gardens, Canada's largest botanical garden, which incorporates both untamed and cultivated landscapes. There are 75 parks and 800 acres of parkland within the city, the largest being Spencer Smith Park, located on the shore of Lake Ontario, which is going through large scale renovations to improve the park. Located in North Burlington is Mount Nemo Conservation Area, the only park in Burlington operated by the Halton Region Conservation Authority.

The Burlington Art Centre shows various exhibits throughout the year from local to national talent, including the renowned Canadian artist Robert Bateman. The Joseph Brant Museum and Ireland House are also popular attractions.

Not widely known to many residents is one of the two naturally occurring magnetic hills in Canada are found in Burlington, on King Road just north of Bayview Park.

Many annual lakefront activities take place in Spencer Smith Park including the Sound of Music Festival.

Notable natives

• Jeff Danna - Film Music Composer
• Jim Carrey - Comedian and actor, attended Aldershot High School
• Jillian Barberie - Actress and television Hostess
• Sarah Harmer - Singer and songwriter
• Finger Eleven - Alternative Rock Band
• Robert Bateman - Acclaimed Naturalist Painter
• Spoons - 1980's New Wave Band
• Torri Higginson - Actress
• Tebey - Country Music Artist
• Mark Appleyard - Pro Skateboarder
• Ryan Gosling - Actor, attended Lester B. Pearson High School
• Melville Marks Robinson - Founder of the Commonwealth Games
• Paula Todd - Television Journalist
• Sandi Coleman - Television Journalist
• Idle Sons - Alternative Rock Band