(, 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 , 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 . 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 mostly
Middle Class Suburbs .
Burlington is represented in the
Canadian House Of Commons by
Mike Wallace (
Conservative ) and in the
Ontario Legislature by
Cam Jackson (
Progressive Conservative ).
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 .
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.
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 Catholic s 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 .
Burlington has a local
Community Channel provided by the local cable provider,
Cogeco .
Crossroads Television System (
CITS-TV ) is also based in Burlington, from its studios near the junction of the major highways.
The Hamilton-based television station
CHCH , part of the
CH system, bills itself as serving "Hamilton, Halton and Niagara", thus including Burlington.
One radio station,
FM 107.9
CJXY , is
Licensed To Burlington and another, FM 94.9
CIWV , to "Hamilton/Burlington." Both presently broadcast from studios in Hamilton; CJXY, indeed, brands itself "Hamilton's ONLY Rock Station." Burlington listeners are also served by stations licensed to Hamilton, Toronto, and other nearby radio markets.
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
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.
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 .
The has operated in the city since 1947, including members between the ages of 13 and 21. The marching band goes by the nickname ''The Redcoats'' due to the colour of its uniforms, and are regular participants in major International Parades.
Since 1961, of the , The Army Cadet League of Canada, and the Navy League. The CCM is the largest federally funded youth program in Canada, and is open to youth ages 12-18 who are interested in leadership, citizenship, physical fitness, the
Canadian Forces , and personal discipline.
