Toronto

The city stretches along Lake Ontario across roughly 630 square kilometers (243 square miles) with more than 70 distinct neighborhoods. High-rise buildings dominate the skyline, and the CN Tower reaches 553 meters (1,815 feet), making it the tallest freestanding structure in the Western Hemisphere. The street grid follows a regular pattern with Yonge Street serving as the main north-south axis.

John Graves Simcoe established a military post named York in 1793 on the north shore of Lake Ontario. The settlement was renamed Toronto and incorporated as a city in 1834. Growth accelerated after World War II through immigration from Europe, Asia and other regions. Highway construction and the amalgamation of surrounding municipalities in 1998 expanded the urban boundaries considerably.

The city serves as the financial hub of Canada, hosting the Toronto Stock Exchange and major banking headquarters. Theater, film and music events draw international performers throughout the year, while the annual Toronto International Film Festival ranks among the world's largest and reinforces the city's cultural importance on a global scale.

The Toronto Transit Commission runs subways, streetcars and buses connecting different parts of the metropolitan area. Pearson International Airport sits roughly 27 kilometers (17 miles) northwest of downtown with train and bus connections to the city center. Summer months from June through August see the highest visitor numbers, while spring and fall offer more comfortable temperatures and smaller crowds.

The underground PATH system spans 30 kilometers and links roughly 75 buildings in the downtown core, allowing pedestrians to move through the business district during extreme weather. More than 200,000 people use this climate-controlled walkway daily, accessing offices, shops, restaurants and subway stations without stepping outside.