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The Greater Toronto Area is one of North America's fastest-growing regions. As an economic area, the GTA consists of 25 municipalities and four regions in a total area of over 7,000 square kilometers with a population of 5.6 million. With a work force of approximately 2.9 million people, more than 100,000 companies and a US $305 billion gross domestic product, CDN $360 billion, the GTA is Canada's undisputed business and manufacturing capital. The GTA is home to a number of postsecondary educational institutions, including 4 universities and 7 colleges. Some municipalities that are considered part of the GTA are not within the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). These places are not considered part of the official CMA by the Census and form part of other CMA's such as Oshawa. However, some nearby municipalities, such as Hamilton, Barrie or Kitchener-Waterloo, have their own CMA and are not considered part of the GTA. Ultimately, all the mentioned municipalities are part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe . The following Regional Governments are included in describing the Greater Toronto Area:
The City Of Hamilton , Regional Municipality Of Niagara and City Of Guelph all have significant ties to Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. Nonetheless, they are geographically distant enough not to be considered part of the GTA, officially or otherwise. It is expected that with current rate of regional growth these areas will one day in the future become part of the Greater Toronto Area. In some cases the provincial government already includes Hamilton in Niagara as part of the GTA for record keeping purposes as well as for transportation planning. In 2001 , Statistics Canada included a new level of census management called Census Regions , roughly equivalent to an American Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA). The Extended Golden Horseshoe Census Region includes all of the Greater Toronto Area listed above, as well as Niagara, Hamilton, Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo . Combined, the Extended Golden Horseshoe has a population of more than 6.7 million people {Link without Title} and contains roughly one quarter of Canada's population. AREA CODES The Toronto Region / GTA are served by six distinct Area Code s. Prior to 1993, the Golden Horseshoe used the 416 area code. In a 1993 zone split, the City of Toronto retained the 416 code, while the rest of the Greater Toronto Area was assigned the new area code 905. This division by area code has become part of the local culture to the point where local media refer to something inside Toronto as "The 416ers" and outside of Toronto as "The 905ers." Though for the most part this was correct, it isn't entirely true as some portions of Durham Region are area code 705, and some portions of Halton and Peel Regions are area code 519. As well, there are areas, such as Port Hope that are in the 905 area code, but not part of the GTA, or even the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Maestro (Wes Williams) composed a song called ''416/905 (TO Party Anthem)''. Things became even more complicated by the addition of two overlay area codes in the area with 647 being overlaid on 416 in March, 2001 and 289 on 905 in July, 2001 . As well, individuals within the 905 area code region may have to dial long distance to reach each other; although residents of Mississauga and Hamilton share the same area code (905), an individual from Toronto, for example, would have to dial "1" (long distance code before 905) to reach Hamilton, but not to reach Mississauga. Ten-digit telephone dialing, including the area code for local calls, is required throughout the Golden Horseshoe region. As of October 21, 2006, the 519 area code will have an overlay area code of 226. TRANSPORTATION Most of the GTA is served by GO Transit , a regional transportation authority that connects Toronto's suburban areas to its downtown. The GTA also has the largest and busiest freeway network in Canada, consisting mainly of 400-Series Highways and supplemented by Municipal Expressways . POLITICS There has been a growing tension between Toronto and the surrounding GTA area since the mid 1990s, with Toronto complaining that it has been economically exploited by its neighbours. The election of the Harris government was attributed to his support base in the suburban "905" region. During his time in office, many provincial services were downloaded to the municipal level, which caused great financial strain on an already indebted city. Although the succeeding McGuinty government has attempted to address this imbalance, Torontonians feel that his attempts are half-hearted because McGuinty also had significant "905" support during his 2003 election victory. The "905" municipalities have few cultural institutions, despite their significant population, due to their proximity to Toronto. For instance, Mississauga is one of the largest cities in Canada by population but has no daily newspaper, television stations, or commercial radio stations. Despite having attracted significant investment over the last few decades, the surrounding cities are still considered bedroom suburbs to Toronto rather than independent municipalities, and as a result they are virtually unknown outside of Ontario. EXTERNAL LINKS
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