Toronto is the biggest city and financial center of Canada. In recent years, it has seen a massive growth, becoming a prominent center of music, theater, cinema, and TV productions. Although it has a population of over two million people (to be precise, 2 731 571 live in the Toronto area), making it the fourth most populated city in North America, it is considered one of the safest cities to live in the world.
In 2017, the Economist considered it the fourth best city to live in the entire world, and it is one of the safest cities in Canada and the American continent. Toronto is also considered a truly multicultural city since its population comes from all over the world. It is still one of the main destinations for immigrants that come to Canada, and the city is a reflection of that diversity:
You can find many different products from many different countries, and even neighborhoods that reflect a certain culture, like Chinese or Mexican streets, giving the city a truly diversified environment.
The main ethnic neighborhoods in Toronto are Little India, Greektown, Corso Italia, Chinatown, and Little Jamaica. If you can, pay a visit to these places and enjoy the atmosphere of each one. You won’t regret it. Over 50% of Toronto’s population belongs to an ethnic minority, and there are over 200 different ethnic origins coexisting in the city.
In a sense, we can almost say we can travel around the world and meet a lot of people that have different backgrounds without even having to leave Toronto. Although the majority of the population speaks English, due to the ethnic diversity present in the city, there are over 160 different languages spoken around Toronto, with the two main being English and French.
In a 2016 report, done by Social Planning Toronto, it was revealed that 85.9% of people in the city spoke English only, and 9.1% of the population spoke both English and French. But the biggest surprise of that study was the revelation of the number of people that can’t speak in English or French (the official languages): 4.9% of people couldn’t do it.
Currently, the city is working on this issue, helping these families learn English and strive to provide services in more languages. But diversity in Toronto isn’t just about language and ethnicity, it’s also about religion. Having a lot of immigrants living in the city makes way for different beliefs and practices that are truly diversified.
Almost half of the population is Christian, with 28% being Catholic, and the others being Protestant, Orthodox or belong to different denominations. Other common religions are Islamism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism. However, almost a quarter of the city’s population has no religious affiliation.
So, if you want to get to know a truly multicultural place and meet people from all over the world, Toronto might just be the place for you. With a friendly population and with a very safe environment, the city has a lot to offer to its citizens and visitors, and is definitely a place to visit at least once in your life!