Typical of much suburban growth in southern Ontario in the last half of the twentieth century, the large land spaces available as fully-detached single-family housing - serviced primarily by big-box stores, large shopping malls and smaller high-end boutiques and eateries - has encouraged the use of automobiles to get from place to place within the city. Burlington bears many similarities to the neighboring town of Oakville, including a high per capita income amongst its residents and a thriving downtown heritage area.
Some of the many Burlington attractions include: Canada's Largest Ribfest, Sound of Music Festival, Burlington Art Centre, all located downtown in close proximity to Spencer Smith Park.
History
Before pioneer settlement in the 19th century, the area was covered by the primeval forest that stretched between the provincial capital of York and the town of Hamilton, and was home to various First Nations peoples. In 1792, John Graves Simcoe, the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada, named the western end of Lake Ontario "Burlington Bay" after the town of Bridlington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. By the time land beside the bay was deeded to Chief Joseph Brant at the turn of the nineteenth century, the name "Burlington" was already in common use. With the completion of the local survey after the War of 1812, the land was opened for settlement.
The sandy, well-drained soil and amenable climate encouraged farming, and the area rapidly became the bread-basket of the region, known for wheat production. Produce from the farms was shipped out via the bustling docks of the lakeside villages of Port Nelson and Wellington Square, as well as Brown's Wharf in the nearby village of Port Flamborough (which was to become Aldershot). Lumber taken from the surrounding forests also competed for space on the busy docks. However, in the latter half of the 19th century, increased wheat production from Western Canada convinced local farmers to switch to fruit and vegetable production.
In 1874, Wellington Square and Port Nelson were incorporated into the Village of Burlington. However, the arrival of large steamships on the Great Lakes made the small docks of the local ports obsolete, and the increased use of railways to ship goods marked the end of the commercial wharves.
Farming still thrived though, and the resultant growth resulted in continued prosperity. By 1906, the town boasted both its own newspaper—the Burlington Gazette--as well as a town library and a local rail line that connected Burlington to nearby Hamilton. During the First World War, 300 local men volunteered for duty in the Canadian Expeditionary Force--38 did not return. In 1915, Burlington was incorporated into a town.
Following the Second World War, cheap electricity from nearby Niagara Falls and better transportation access due to the new Queen Elizabeth Way encouraged both light industry and families to move to Burlington. The population sky-rocketed as new homes were built, encouraging developers to build even more new homes. In 1962, Burlington annexed most of the Township of Nelson, as well as Aldershot, Ontario, formerly a part of East Flamborough Township. By 1967, the last cash crop farm within the city had been replaced by Burlington Mall.
By 1974, with a population exceeding 100,000, Burlington was incorporated as a city. The extremely high rate of growth continued, and between 2001 and 2006, the population of Burlington grew by 9%, compared to Canada's overall growth rate of 5.4%. By 2006, the population topped 160,000. Continued high rates of growth are forecast as farmland north of Dundas Street (former Highway 5) is developed into more suburban housing.
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