Ajax, Suburban municipality in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada
Ajax is a municipality on the shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Durham, located east of Toronto and characterized by residential areas and commercial zones. The area shows a mix of older settlements near the waterfront and newer housing developments that spread further inland.
The settlement emerged in 1941 as the site of a munitions factory that employed thousands of workers during World War II and was initially built as a wartime community. After the war ended, the buildings were repurposed and the community evolved over the following decades into a residential suburb.
The name comes from the British warship HMS Ajax, which served during World War II and later inspired the naming of the community. Some parks and streets still carry names that recall the military past.
The municipality sits along Highway 401 and is accessible by regional trains that offer connections to Toronto. The waterfront is publicly accessible and provides paths for walking or cycling along the water.
A horse racing facility on the outskirts offers races with quarter horses, a specialty discipline rarely seen in Canada. The venue sits away from main roads and attracts enthusiasts of these fast short-distance races.
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