Milton (2006 census population 53,939) is a town in Southern Ontario, part of the Greater Toronto Area, located 40 km west of Toronto on Highway 401, and is the western terminus for the Milton line commuter train and bus corridor operated by GO Transit. Milton is part of Halton Region, and is on the edge of Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO world biosphere reserve and the Bruce Trail.
Milton received a tremendous amount of publicity following the release of the results of the 2006 Census, which indicated that Milton was the fastest growing community in Canada, with a 71.4% increase in population between 2001 and 2006. As of the mid-summer census in 2008, Milton's population had grown to 72,500 and showed no signs of slowing.

History

The town took root out of a settlement by Jasper Martin along the Sixteen Mile Creek; Martin immigrated from Newcastle, England with his wife Sarah and two sons on May 17, 1818. Martin was granted 100 acres of land, from the Crown in 1820, designated Lot 14, Concession 2, Township of Trafalgar, Halton County, in the District of Gore. Martin later built a grist mill along the creek and created a pond, known as Mill Pond, to power his mill.

The mill became the center of settlement for others as they settled in the region. In 1837 the area had a population of approximately 100 people and was named Mill Town. The town, as it is today, soon after became known as Milton. The two principal property owners of the young town were the Martins and the Fosters. The current site of Milton's town hall was donated from Mr. Hugh Foster (and thus, Hugh Foster Hall).

Milton was incorporated into a town in 1857, after being chosen as county seat for Halton. In 1974, the present municipal structure was created when the Regional Municipality of Halton, replaced Halton County.
The new town of Milton added parts of the former township of Esquesing (most of this township comprises Halton Hills), all of Nassagaweya Township including the village of Campbellville, and the northern sections of Trafalgar and Nelson from (a 1962 annexation of the former townships) Oakville and Burlington respectively.

With the addition of the Niagara Escarpment lands, tourism, recreation, and heritage conservation have increased in importance. The Halton Region Museum which has a large number of historic agricultural buildings and the Halton County Radial Railway museum are located in Milton, as is Country Heritage Park (formerly the Ontario Agricultural Museum). Five large parks operated by Conservation Halton reside in the town and Mohawk Raceway is located near Campbellville.