Close to the shores of Lake Ontario and hard by Toronto, Mississauga is a city that has benefited from its literal closeness to its nearest neighbor. It has boomed alongside Toronto’s growth, providing a handy dormitory space for the hundreds of thousands of people who work, play, and shop in the big city. Despite its current booming status, the city is something of a strange place. Let’s learn a bit more about it!
It’s a Bit Liminal!
Rather than forming, like so many other cities, from a small settlement that then grows and spreads out into a village, town, then city, Mississauga was squished together from a couple of different places, rather like a mum gathering up the left-over dough pieces and balling them up to make a last couple of biscuits! In fact, this is relatively a common method of city formation in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), but it is quite rare further afield where small communities tended to be further afield than in this well-populated and resident friendly region. In Mississauga’s case, the town is the result of several settlements running together: various tiny hamlets, three villages, and a couple of townships sort of merged and became this beautiful urban metropolis. This means that the city has a wide open ambiance that is a refreshing change from cities that have grown up claustrophobically around their centers.
It’s Packed with Things to Do
As well as having all the sights and sounds of Toronto a mere half-hour’s commute away, Mississauga has a little bit of something for everyone.
- Retail therapy is waiting for shoppers at the Square One Shopping Centre, which boasts over 360 stores, selling everything from luggage and leather goods to experience days, jewellery and speciality foods, spread over two floors. The center includes five anchor tenants who are all big names in the retail world and sure to remain a draw with visitors from all around the GTA.
- The Rattray Marsh Conservation Area is named for its last owner before the space was designated as protected for conservation. This owner, Major James Rattray, was aware of the value of his property during his lifetime, often inviting friends to come and stay to enjoy the excellent swimming and bird-watching opportunities as well as simply enjoy a break from the hurly-burly of everyday life. After his death, a big push from conservationists saw the region – by now the last remaining patch of natural marshland on this side of the lake, and therefore environmentally significant – preserved from development. The marsh conservation area boasts several well-kept walks that are suitable for hikers of all ages and abilities, and you will see a wealth of migrating waterfowl and other birds, as well as various small animals that have made this green space their home.
- Along the east side of the Rattray Marsh Conservation Area lies the Jack Darlington Memorial Park, a small but beautiful Mississauga park that is home to a rare growth of prairie tallgrass, a plant that was once widespread over the Canadian plains but which is now sadly rare. The park is also home to various picnic sites, a splash pad for those hot summer days, and a toboggan hill for those wintry snow days. The bijou park is the ideal recreation zone for people who have moved to the Mississauga area – whether from abroad (say, the UK) or from relatively nearby (like Edmonton) – as they get used to the region and grow their comfort zone enough to explore more widely. Pet lovers are catered for with not one but two off-leash areas, and there is also a beach for those looking to enjoy some shore tranquillity.
It’s Handy for Travel
A final advantage of living or staying in the Mississauga area is that it is very handy for travel: the USA lies immediately over Lake Ontario, just a ferry ride or slightly longer drive away, and Niagara Falls is just one hour away, so you can visit often and see the magnificent feature at every time of year. The eastern coast is not far away, and, of course, the rest of the world is just a flight away from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. It is always wonderful to travel and see other parts of the world – especially if getting there is a quick and easy process – but getting home is perhaps the best part. This is especially true when you live in a beautiful and welcoming place like Mississauga!
