The Greater Toronto Area (called the GTA by local residents) is the largest metropolitan area in Canada and is centred around Toronto, which is the fifth largest city in North America (by population within city limits), after Mexico City, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The GTA has a population of over 5.6 million people (2005). In addition to the City of Toronto, it includes four surrounding Regional Municipalities, York, Halton, Peel and Durham. The GTA contains 15.9% of Canada's population and 41.8% of Ontario's population. The term GTA came into usage in the mid-1990's after it was used in a widely discussed report on municipal governance restructuring in the region.

The Greater Toronto Area is one of North America's fastest-growing regions. As an economic area, the GTA consists of 25 municipalities and four regions in a total area of over 7,000 square kilometers with a population of 5.6 million. With a work force of approximately 2.9 million people, more than 100,000 companies and a US $305 billion gross domestic product, CDN $360 billion, the GTA is Canada's undisputed business and manufacturing capital. The GTA is home to a number of postsecondary educational institutions, including 4 universities and 7 colleges.

Some municipalities that are considered part of the GTA are not within the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). These places are not considered part of the official CMA by the Census and form part of other CMA's such as Oshawa. However, some nearby municipalities, such as Hamilton, Barrie or Kitchener-Waterloo, have their own CMA and are not considered part of the GTA. Ultimately, all the mentioned municipalities are part of the Greater Golden Horsehoe.

The City of Hamilton, Regional Municipality of Niagara and City of Guelph all have significant ties to Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. Nonetheless, these ties aren't strong enough for them be considered part of the GTA, officially or otherwise. It is expected that with current rate of regional growth these areas will one day in the future become part of the Greater Toronto Area. In some cases the provincial government already includes Hamilton in Niagara as part of the GTA for record keeping purposes as well as for transportation planning. In 2001, Statistics Canada included a new level of census management called Census Regions, roughly equivalent to an American Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA). The Extended Golden Horseshoe Census Region includes all of the Greater Toronto Area listed above, as well as Niagara, Hamilton, Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo. Combined, the Extended Golden Horseshoe has a population of more than 6.7 million people [1] and contains roughly one quarter of Canada's population.

The Toronto Region / GTA are served by six distinct area codes. Prior to 1993, the provincial telephone codes were 416 and 519, with the former being used for all of the GTA. In a 1993 zone split, the City of Toronto itself retained the 416 code, while the rest of the Greater Toronto Area was assigned the new area code 905. This division by area code has become part of the local culture to the point where local media refer to something inside Toronto as "The 416" and outside of Toronto as "The 905." Though for the most part this was correct, it isn't entirely true as some portions of Durham Region are area code 705, and some portions of Peel Region are area code 519. As well, there are areas, such as Port Hope that are in the 905 area code, but not part of the GTA, or even the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Things became even more complicated by the addition of two overlay area codes in the area with 647 being overlaid on 416 in March, 2001 and 289 on 905 in July, 2001. 10-digit telephone dialing, including the area code for local calls, is required throughout all of the GTA as well as Hamilton and Niagara. In many cases, Toronto media has acquired the habit of using the term GTA to describe the City of Toronto only, in place of the former term "Metro".

Most of the GTA is served by GO Transit, a regional transportation authority that connects Toronto's suburban areas to its downtown. The GTA also has the largest and busiest freeway network in Canada, consisting mainly of 400-Series Highways and supplemented by municipal expressways.

There has been a growing tension between Toronto and the surrounding GTA area since the mid 1990s, with Toronto complaining that it has been economically exploited by its neighbours. The election of the Harris government was attributed to his support base in the suburban "905" region. During his time in office, many provincial services were downloaded to the municipal level, which caused great financial strain on an already indebted city. Although the succeeding McGuinty government has attempted to address this imbalance, Torontonians feel that his attempts are half-hearted because McGuinty also had significant "905" support during his 2003 election victory.

If you do a local move into an apartment or into your new home, it can be demanding on your time and emotions. We a can help minimize the demand. Remember no matter how big or small the job, we have the experience and the staff to handle all your local and residential moving needs in the GTA.

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We offer Free Online Estimates and Moving Supplies with Free Delivery. One of our professionally trained consultants is available to come to your home, at your convenience, to plan your move.

At iMove Canada, we try to provide you with the most professional and fastest move possible because we know that your time is money.

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