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London, Ontario
*** Shopping-Tip: London, Ontario
{{Canadian City|
Header Format=Custom Flag| Flag Image=londonflag.PNG|
Location Image=onmsxlondon.PNG|
motto=
Nickname: "The Forest City"|
Latitude Longitude={{coor dm|43|02|N|81|09|W|region:CA}}
(London Airport)|
CCMapSource=goto coor|d1=42|m1=58|d2=81|m2=15|EP=(432,451)_scale:200000|
Elevation=251|
Time zone=EST|
Postal Code=N5V-N6P|
Population description= - City (
2001)
- Metro (2001)
- Cdn. Mun. Rank|
Population=336,539 {{ref label|Stats_Canada|1|1(sc)}}
432,451 {{ref label|Stats_Canada|1|1(sc)}}
List of the 100 largest cities in Canada Ranked 15th|
Population Density={{ref label|Stats_Canada|1|1(sc)}} 797.9|
scArea=421.77|
City Mayor=
Anne Marie DeCicco|
Governing Body=
London City Council
| Canadian House of Commons MPs
|
| Sue Barnes, Joe Fontana, Irene Mathyssen, Joe Preston
|
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario MPPs
|
| Chris Bentley, Deb Matthews, Steve Peters, Khalil Ramal |
|
website= [http://www.london.ca/ City of London]|
Census Year=2001|
Footnotes=|
}}
'''London''' is a city in
Southwestern Ontario,
Canada, along the
Quebec City-Windsor Corridor with a metropolitan area population of about 433,000; the city proper had a population of 336,539 in the
Canada 2001 Census 2001 Canadian census.
London is the seat of
Middlesex County, Ontario Middlesex County, at the forks of the
Thames River, Ontario Thames River, halfway between
Toronto and
Detroit,
Michigan. It is located at {{coor dm.html">Kitchener-Waterloo and
Windsor, Ontario Windsor.html" title="Meaning of 2|N|81|9|W|}}._London and the surrounding area (roughly, the territory between Windsor">Windsor) is collectively known as Southwestern Ontario.
London was first settled by Europeans in
1826 and was incorporated as a city on January 1,
1855. Since then, London has grown into the largest
Southwestern Ontario regional municipality and the city has developed with a strong focus towards
education,
health care,
tourism,
NAICS manufacturing,
Product (business) economic leadership and prosperity.
History
Prior to
Europe European contact in the
17th century, the present site of London was occupied by numerous
Algonquin and
Iroquois villages; the Algonquin village at the forks of ''Askunessippi'' (now called the Thames River) was called ''Kotequogong''.
This location was selected to be the site of the future capital of
Upper Canada in
1793 by
Image:ColonelSimcoe.jpg thumb|left|John Graves SimcoeLieutenant-Governor
John Graves Simcoe. It was Simcoe who named the settlement after
London London, England and also renamed the river, however, his choice was initially rejected by
Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester Guy Carleton, (Governor Dorchester), who made the comment that "access to London would be limited to
hot-air balloons".
In
1814 there was a skirmish during the
War of 1812 in what is now southwest London at Reservoir Hill, formerly Hungerford Hill. The village itself was not founded until 1826, and never became the capital envisioned by Simcoe. It was part of the
Talbot Settlement, overseen by Colonel
Thomas Talbot (Upper Canada) Thomas Talbot, who oversaw the surveying of the land and built the first government buildings for the administration of the Western Ontario region. With the rest of Southwestern Ontario which was part of this settlement, it benefited from Talbot's provisions for building and maintaining roads and for assignment of priority for access to main roads to productive land (rather than to Crown and
clergy reserves, which received preference in the rest of Ontario).
In
1832 the new settlement suffered an outbreak of
cholera. London remained a centre of strong
Tory support during the
Upper Canada Rebellion of
1837, with a large British garrison stationed there, although there was a brief rebellion led by Dr.
Charles Duncombe, who was forced to flee to the U.S.
On
April 13,
1845, a large fire destroyed much of London, which was at the time filled with mostly wooden buildings. One of the first casualties of the fire was the town's only fire engine. In the
1860s,
sulfur sulphur hot springs were discovered at the forks of the Thames River while industrialists were drilling for
Petroleum oil. The springs became a popular destination for wealthy Ontarians, until the turn of the
20th century when a textile factory was built at the site, replacing the spa.
In
1875, London's first iron bridge, the Blackfriars Street Bridge, was constructed. A rare example of a bowstring through
truss bridge, it remains open to vehicular traffic today. The bridge was produced by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton,
Ohio, however a local contractor, Isaac Crouse (
1825-
1915), was the contractor who undertook the actual erection of the bridge. Isaac Crouse was responsible for portions of the construction of many bridges in London. Although many repairs and modifications have been made to the Blackfriars bridge, affecting its historic integrity, the structure still remains as a beautiful historic relic, still serving its original purpose.
While other
Protestant cities in Ontario (notably
Toronto) remained under the sway of the
Orange Order well into the twentieth century, London abandoned
sectarianism in the nineteenth. In
1877,
Catholic and Protestant
Ireland Irish in London formed the
Irish Benevolent Society of London, Ontario Irish Benevolent Society, which was open to both Catholics and Protestants and forbade the discussion of Irish
politics. The influence of the
Orange Order (and of Catholic organizations) quickly waned. The Society survives to this day.
Image:London-OntarioChurch1.jpg left|thumb|150px|St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica, seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of London
On
May 24,
1881, the ferry ''SS Victoria'' capsized in the Thames River,
drowning approximately 200 passengers, the worst disaster in London's history. Two years later, on
July 12,
1883, the first of the two most devastating floods in London's history killed 17 people. The second major flood occurred on
April 26,
1937, which destroyed more than 1000 homes and caused millions of dollars in damages, particularly in West London. After repeated floods the
Upper Thames River Conservation Authority built Fanshawe Dam to control the level of the Thames; it opened in
1952. Financing came from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments. Other natural disasters include a
1984 tornado that led to damage on several streets in the White Oaks area of South London.
London's role as a military centre continued into the 20th century during the two
world wars, serving as the administrative centre for the Western Ontario district. Today there is still an active
Canadian Forces Garrison Support Unit in the city at Wolseley Barracks.
London amalgamated many of the surrounding communities in
1961, including
Byron, Ontario Byron and Masonville, adding 60,000 people and more than doubling its size. After this amalgamation, suburban growth accelerated as London grew outward in all directions, creating expansive new subdivisions such as Westmount, Oakridge, Whitehills, Pond Mills and White Oaks.
In
1993 London annexed the entire
Town of Westminster, a large, primarily rural municipality directly south of the city. With this massive annexation, London almost doubled in size again, adding several thousand more residents. London now stretches south to the boundary with
Elgin County.
The 1993 annexation has made London one of the largest urban municipalities in Ontario. Intense commercial/residential development is presently occurring in the southwest and northwest areas of the city. Opponents of this development cite
urban sprawl and transportation concerns as major issues facing London. The City of London is currently the 11th largest city in Canada and the 5th largest city in Ontario.
Law and Government
Image:LondonOntarioOldCourtGothic.jpg Gothic Revival.html" title="Meaning of right right|thumb|175px|Middlesex County Court House, (John Ewart, architect, 1824-1825 [[Gothic Revival).html" title="Meaning of thumb|175px|Middlesex County Court House, (John Ewart, architect, 1824-1825 [[Gothic Revival">right|thumb|175px|Middlesex County Court House, (John Ewart, architect, 1824-1825 [[Gothic Revival)">thumb|175px|Middlesex County Court House, (John Ewart, architect, 1824-1825 [[Gothic Revival">right|thumb|175px|Middlesex County Court House, (John Ewart, architect, 1824-1825 [[Gothic Revival)
''Main article:
London City Council''
London's municipal government is split between 14
councillors (two representing each of London's seven
ward (politics) wards) and a
Board of Control, consisting of four controllers and the
mayor. London's current mayor is
Anne Marie DeCicco.
Historically, the Board of Control was introduced during a period of expansion so the ward councillors could deal with ward issues while the board dealt with problems affecting the entire city. Although London has many ties to
Middlesex County, Ontario Middlesex County, it is now "separated" and the two have no jurisdictional overlap. Exception here is granted to the Middlesex County courthouse and former jail as both are located in downtown London.
The composition of the city council was challenged by two ballot questions during the civic election of
2003 on whether city council should be reduced in size and whether the Board of Control should be eliminated.
While the "yes" votes prevailed in both instances, the voter turnout failed to exceed 50 per cent and was therefore insufficient to make the decisions binding under the ''Municipal Act''. When the council voted to retain the status quo, an activist group,
Imagine London, petitioned the
Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) to change the ward composition of the city from seven wards in a roughly radial pattern from the downtown core to 14 wards defined by
community of interest communities of interest in the city which includes a separate ward for the core.
The OMB ruled for the petitioners in December,
2005 and while the city sought leave to appeal the OMB decision via the courts, leave was denied on
February 28,
2006 in a decision of Superior Court's Justice McDermid.
In response, the city conceded to the governance change, but have asked for special legislation from the province to ensure that there will only be one councillor in each of the 14 new wards, not two.
In the
Ontario Legislature provincial government, London is represented by:
*
Christopher Bentley (
Liberal Party of Ontario Liberal,
London West)
*
Deb Matthews (Liberal,
London North Centre)
*
Steve Peters (Liberal,
Elgin-Middlesex-London)
*
Khalil Ramal (Liberal,
London-Fanshawe)
In the
Canadian House of Commons federal government, London is represented by:
*
Sue Barnes (
Liberal Party of Canada Liberal, London West)
*
Joe Fontana (Liberal, London North Centre)
*
Joe Preston (
Conservative Party of Canada Conservative, Elgin-Middlesex-London)
*
Irene Mathyssen (
New Democratic Party NDP, London Fanshawe)
See also:
List of mayors of London, Ontario,
Roman Catholic Bishops of London, Ontario
Geography
The area was formed during the retreat of the
glaciers during the last
ice age, which produced areas of marshland, notably the Sifton Bog, as well as some of the most productive areas of farmland in Ontario. The eastern half of the city is generally flat, with gently rolling hills in the west and north.
The Thames River dominates London's geography, with the North Thames River and Thames River meeting at the centre of the city known as "The Forks" or "The Fork of the Thames." The North Thames runs through the man-made Fanshawe Lake, located in northeast London. Fanshawe Lake was created by Fanshawe Dam, which was constructed to protect the areas downriver from catastrophic flooding which has affected the city on two occasions in the past (
1883 and
1937).
Due to its proximity to the
Great Lakes, London experiences very contrasting seasons. The summers are usually hot and muggy, while the winters are normally quite cold. London has the most
thunder and
lightning storms of any area in Canada.
Major Parks
Image:LondonOntarioBoerWarMem.jpg thumb|128px|right|Boer War Memorial, Victoria Park (George Hill, sculptor)
*
Victoria Park, London, Ontario Victoria Park, in downtown London
*
Labatt Memorial Park, in central London at the riverforks
*Harris Park, in central London
*Gibbons Park, in north-central London
*Fanshawe Conservation Area, in northeast London
*
Springbank Park, in southwest London
*Westminister Ponds, in south London
Economy/Industry
Image:Labatt.jpg left|thumb|175px|the first Labatt brewery was built in London
London's economy is dominated by locomotive and military vehicle production,
insurance, and
information technology; the
London Life life insurance insurance company was founded there, and Electro-Motive Diesels, Inc. (formerly
General Motors Corporation General Motors'
General Motors Electro-Motive Division Electro-Motive Division) now builds all its locomotives in London.
General Dynamics Land Systems also builds armoured personnel carriers there. London also is a source of
life sciences and
biotechnology related research; much of this is spurred on by the
University of Western Ontario. The headquarters of the Canadian division of
3M are located in London and both the
Labatt and
Carling breweries were founded here.
Kellogg's also has a major factory in London.
Approximately six years ago the Western Fair Association introduced slot machines at the fair grounds, due to enabling provincial legislation passed by the Harris Conservative government. Today, the City of London receives 5 per cent of the gross revenues on the first 450 slot machines and 2 per cent of gross revenues from any additional machines. Currently, there are 750 slot machines at the Western Fair.
Demographics
As of 2001, the City of London had 336,539 inhabitants. According to
StatCan, Canada's official statistics office, the metropolitan population is 432,451 growing an annual approx. 0.95%.
The city of London has one of the highest percentages of people in a Canadian city who are of
British Isles Anglo-saxon,
Scottish people Scots and
Irish people Irish origins. London also has a significant
Poles Polish,
Italian people Italian,
German people German and white-
Spanish people Spanish (mostly from Argentina and Chile) populations.
*
White (people) White: 381,980 or 91.6%
*
Black (people) Black: 6,115 or 1.4%
*
Arab: 6,075 or 1.4%
*
Multiracial Mixed-race: 5,005 or 1.2%
*
Asian: 4,600 or 1%
There are many churches in London and the religious population is predominantly
Christian. According to
StatsCan the Christian population can be expressed as:
*
Protestant: 44.0%
*
Roman Catholic: 27.9%
*Other
Christian: 3.9%
Islam is the second largest religion after Christianity; many adherents of Islam come from
Lebanon and
Palestinian territories Palestine. Other notable Islamic faith adherents in the region include:
Pakistanis,
Indians,
Iraqis,
Egyptians,
Somalia Somalis,
Syrians,
Afganistan Afghanis,
Turkey Turks,
Sudanese,
Algerians and many more.
In a city that is constantly growing and attracting new citizens, other religious faiths are also represented. The
Islamic population represents 2.7% of the total and the
Judaism,
Hindu,
Sikh and
Buddhist faiths are represented and have dedicated places of worship. There are also centers for
Theosophy and
Eckankar devotees, as well as a centre for
Unitarians. There is also an active
Bahá'à Faith Bahá'à community in London.
Crime
Historically, crime in London has been low for a city of its size, although the
Hell's Angels have set up a chapter in town and the city formerly housed a chapter of the
Outlaws Motorcycle Club. In 2005, however, London had a record 14 homicides, giving the city a per capita murder rate of 3.8 per 100,000, twice the 2004 national average and about a third higher than in Toronto, where much concern was voiced in 2005 over violent crimes.
Marijuana is widely available illegally.
Ecstasy (drug) Ecstasy and
ketamine Special K are uncommon. London has a small
crack cocaine crack problem, with the downtown eastside containing a few crack houses and accompanying dealers. Pharmaceutical drugs, such as
morphine,
oxycodone and other opiates are increasing in use. The central eastside of the city is thought of as being less safe than other parts of the city, with the adage "EOA" (East of Adelaide) suggesting that one is in the dangerous part of town.
Prostitution is a key problem in this area. However, there have been concerted attempts by the residents of the community East of Adelaide to take ownership of the term "EOA," as well as promoting business and cultural development in that area of the city and reducing negative stigma attached to the area. Gangs and drugs are rising more than ever.
Special City of London initiatives in Old East London such as the proposed creation of the Old East Heritage Conservation District under Part V of the ''Ontario Heritage Act'', special Building Code policies and Facade Restoration Programs are helping to create a renewed sense of vigour in the East London Business District.
Education
London elementary and secondary schools are part of two school boards, the
Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board. See
List of schools in London, Ontario.
London is the home of the
University of Western Ontario (UWO), founded in 1878. UWO is a vibrant centre of learning with 1,164 faculty members and almost 29,000 undergraduate and graduate students. It often places in the top ten in the annual ''
Maclean's'' magazine rankings of Canadian universities. The
Richard Ivey School of Business, part of UWO, was formed in
1922 and often ranks among the best business schools in the world. UWO has three affiliated colleges:
Brescia University College, founded in
1919, Canada's only university-level women's college; Huron University College, founded in
1863, pre-dating UWO itself; and King's University College, founded in
1957.
London is also the home of
Fanshawe College, a community college with an enrolment of approximately 13,000 full-time post-secondary students, including 3,500 apprentices, more than 200 international students from over 34 countries and almost 40,000 registrants taking part-time continuing education courses each year.
Sports teams
Image:Londonknights.gif thumb|200px|The London Knights
London is currently home to the
London Knights of the
Ontario Hockey League, which plays at the
John Labatt Centre, the host arena of the
2005 Memorial Cup, and were both 2004-2005 OHL and
Memorial Cup Champions. They are by far the most popular sports team in the city. During the summer months, the
London Majors of the
Intercounty Baseball League play at historic
Labatt Park. Other sports teams from London include:
* London Monarchs of the now defunct
Canadian Baseball League played at Labatt Park.
*
London Werewolves (1999-2002; moved to
Canton, Ohio as the Coyotes) of the
Frontier League, who played at Labatt Park and were league Champions in
1999.
* London Tigers (1989-1993; moved to
Trenton, New Jersey) of the AA
Eastern League (U.S. baseball) Eastern League, who played at Labatt Park and were league Champions in 1989-1990.
* London City of the
Canadian Professional Soccer League
* London Magpies in the
Ontario Australian Football League
*
London Silverbacks of the
North American Football League
* London Beefeaters of the Ontario Football Conference
* The Forest City Thunderbirds of the Central Ontario Minor Football League
* London Falcons of the Ontario Varsity Football League
* London Gryphons women's soccer team
* Forest City Volleyball Club (youth
volleyball club part of Ontario Volleyball Association run out of Fanshawe College)
*
London Tecumsehs, 1877 champs of the International Association
The
University of Western Ontario teams play under the name ''Mustangs''. The university's football team plays at TD Waterhouse Stadium.
Labatt Park, which opened in
1877, is the world's oldest operating
baseball grounds still in its original location.
The
Forest City Velodrome, located at the former
London Ice House, is the only indoor cycling facility in Ontario and the third built in North America. It opened in
2005.
Communications and media
Image:London-OntarioGovtBldg.jpg left|thumb|150px|Federal government building, Art Deco
The independent London Telephone Company was bought by the Bell Telephone Company of Canada in
1881.
Bell Canada continues to be the incumbent local exchange carrier for London.
Television
London pioneered in the establishment of cable television in Canada, being either the first or second city in Canada with cable service, when Ed Jarmain and others wired the first 15 homes, and had to purchase TV sets for 14 of them. London's first cable system, established in 1952, broadcast American signals that crossed the border, including
WICU-TV WICU from
Erie, Pennsylvania. London had the second private local television station in Canada,
CFPL-TV CFPL (on-air
November 28,
1953), and CFPL was the first Canadian local channel to broadcast in colour (
1966). It remains the only local TV station in London, and as part of
CHUM Limited's ''NewNet'' system was branded as ''The New PL''. In August 2005 CFPL was rebranded as ''
A-Channel''.
* Channel 10 -
CFPL-TV CFPL,
A-Channel
* Channel 18 - CICO-18,
TVOntario
* Channel 20 -
CJMT CJMT-1, OMNI.2
* Channel 40 -
CBLT CBLN,
CBC Television CBC
* Channel 51 -
CHCH CHCH-2,
CH (television system) CH
* Channel 53 -
CBLFT CBLFT-9,
Télévision de Radio-Canada SRC
* Channel 69 -
CFMT CFMT-2, OMNI.1
Radio
London also had radio since
1922 when CJGC was established. It joined a Windsor station in early 1933 to become CKLW, but a local station was reestablished late that year,
CFPL (AM) CFPL. A
CFPL-FM sister FM station was established in
1948, and is now owned by
Corus Entertainment. Competitor
CKSL started in
1956; a third station, CJOE, was founded in
1967, changing to
CJBK in
1973. In addition to one station each with Fanshawe College (
CIXX-FM CIXX) and UWO (
CHRW-FM CHRW), other stations are associated with existing stations.
CBC Radio One operates a local news bureau in London, but the city does not have a full CBC production centre — except for local newscasts, the station carries programming from
Toronto's
CBLA-FM CBLA. Before 1978 CBC programming was carried on CFPL-AM, as well as on CFPL-FM prior to 1972. The CBC continues to operate rebroadcast transmitter CBBL for CBC Radio Two, relaying the signal of Toronto's CBL-FM.
The following stations broadcast in London:
* 92.7
FM radio FM -
CJBX-FM CJBX, ''BX93''
country music country
* 93.5 FM -
CBLA-FM CBCL,
CBC Radio One
* 94.9 FM -
CHRW-FM CHRW,
University of Western Ontario campus radio
* 95.9 FM -
CFPL-FM CFPL, ''FM96'' active rock
* 97.5 FM -
CIQM-FM CIQM, ''Q97-5''
adult contemporary
* 99.3 FM -
CJBC (AM) CJBC-4,
La Première Chaîne
* 100.5 FM -
CBL-FM CBBL,
CBC Radio Two
* 102.3 FM -
CHST-FM CHST,
Bob FM
* 105.9 FM -
CHJX-FM CHJX, Grace FM (
Christian music)
* 106.9 FM -
CIXX-FM CIXX,
Fanshawe College campus radio
* 980
AM radio AM -
CFPL (AM) CFPL, news/
talk radio talk
* 1290 AM -
CJBK (AM) CJBK, news/talk/sports
* 1410 AM -
CKSL (AM) CKSL, adult standards
Radio stations from other nearby cities, such as
Woodstock, Ontario Woodstock's
CKDK-FM CKDK and
St. Thomas, Ontario St. Thomas'
CFHK-FM CFHK, can also be heard in London.
Newspapers
Until 1937, London had two daily newspapers: the ''
London Free Press'' (established
1849) and the ''London Advertiser''. The ''Advertiser'' folded in 1937, and there has been no major local competition for the ''Free Press'' since then. The ''Free Press,'' formerly owned by the Blackburn family, is now owned by
Sun Media, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc.
The ''Free Press'' also publishes ''
London This Week'', a free weekly municipally oriented newspaper created to compete with ''The Londoner,'' a community-focused weekly started by Controller Gord Hume and former Free Press editor-in-chief Philip R. McLeod in
2003. ''Scene Magazine'', a free bi-weekly newspaper, was established in
1989 by publisher Bret Downe focusing on local and entertainment news. In 2005, the controlling interest in ''The Londoner'' was purchased by Bowes Publishing Inc., a subsidiary of Sun Media. As expected after the takeover of ''The Londoner,'' effective December 28, 2005, ''London This Week'' is no longer published.
Arts and culture
London's diverse cultural offering boosts its tourism industry. The city is home to many festivals throughout the summer including the London International Children's Festival, London Ribfest which is the second largest rib festival in North America [http://www3.sympatico.ca/mbgc/ribfest.html] and
Sunfest, a
World music and culture festival — the second biggest in Canada after
Caribana in
Toronto.
Musically, London is home to Orchestra London, a professional
symphony orchestra, the London Youth Symphony and also the
Guy Lombardo Museum. There are several museums and theatrical facilities including
Museum London, which is located at the Forks of the Thames. Museum London exhibits art by a wide variety of local, regional and national artists including
Paul Peel and
Greg Curnoe. London is also home to the Museum of Archaeology, owned by the
University of Western Ontario (UWO), with a reconstructed Iroquois village, the McIntosh Gallery which is an art gallery on the UWO campus and The
Grand Theatre which is a professional theatre with a secondary stage named the McManus Studio. Other places and events of artistic and cultural interest include:
* Fanshawe Pioneer Village, a reconstructed
19th century village
* Storybook Gardens, an
amusement park/
zoo for children
* Home County Folk Festival, a
Folk music festival
* London
Fringe Festival
*
London Balloon Festival, displays of
hot air balloons
*
Western Fair, an
Agricultural show agricultural fair
* Western Fair Raceway, a half-mile (802 m)
harness racing track and simulcast centre; despite its name, it operates year-round. The grounds include a coin slot
casino, an
IMAX theatre and Sports and Agri-complex.
*
John Labatt Centre, sports-entertainment complex
* London Rib-Fest, currently the second largest rib-fest in North America.
*
Labatt Memorial Park, historic baseball park
* TD Waterhouse Stadium, an all-purpose stadium at the University of Western Ontario
* Forest City Velodrome, an indoor bicycle track at the former London Ice House
* Spriet Children's Theatre, used primarily by The Original Kids theatrical company
* The Arts Project, an art gallery, workshop and theatre.
Transportation
Image:London-OntarioBank.jpg left|thumb|200px|TD-Canada Trust bank building, Art Deco
London is present at the junction of two major highways: the
Highway 401 (Ontario) 401 (the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway, connecting
Windsor, Ontario Windsor to
Montreal) and the
Highway 402 (Ontario) 402 (connecting London to
Sarnia, Ontario Sarnia). Also, Highway
Highway 403 (Ontario) 403, which diverges from the 401 not far east of London, provides ready access to
Brantford, Ontario Brantford,
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton, the
Golden Horseshoe region and the
Niagara Peninsula.
Many smaller 2-lane highways also pass through or near London including Kings Highways
Highway 2 (Ontario) 2,
Highway 3 (Ontario) 3,
Highway 4 (Ontario) 4,
Highway 7 (Ontario) 7 and
Highway 22 (Ontario) 22. Many of these are "historical" names, however, as provincial downloading in the 1980s and 1990s put responsibility for most provincial highways onto municipal governments. Nevertheless, these roads continue to provide important access from London to nearby communities and locations in much of
Western Ontario including
Goderich, Ontario Goderich,
Port Stanley, Ontario Port Stanley and
Owen Sound, Ontario Owen Sound.
Within London, as with many cities, traffic tends to congest in certain areas during rush hour. However, the lack of a municipal expressway (either through or around the city) as well as the presence of two significant railways (each with attendant switching yards and few over/under -passes) contributes heavily to this congestion. These conditions cause travel times to be highly variable with end-to-end (or top-to-bottom) times varying from 20 minutes to over an hour.
London is the largest city in Ontario not to have an urban
expressway serving the urban area. This is despite plans to construct such a road (around the city's periphery) which have existed for decades. Notable in the
1960s and early
1970s was an effort to route, through the north and east sections of the city or in the rural areas beyond, an expressway from
Sarnia, Ontario Sarnia. The assorted route options (in-city that served users but disrupted neighbourhoods, or out-of-the-city that avoided neighbourhoods but did not serve city users) were fought over, but in the end, city council rejected the expressway, and instead accepted Airport Road to serve the east end. As of 2006, a newly widened Airport Road is pending an official name change to
Veterans' Memorial Parkway.
Although there are many factors at play, proponents of the project attribute the lack of progress largely to litigation by environmental lobbies and local home-owners. Nevertheless, the recent doubling (to four lanes) of
Airport Road, London, Ontario Airport Road (formerly
Highway 100 (Ontario) Highway 100) in the industrialized east end does represent progress toward this goal and significantly aids traffic (largely coming off the 401) in reaching the east, and north ends of the city.
Since the
1970s, London has been more successful at urban road realignments that eliminated "jogs" in established traffic patterns over 19th-century street "mis-alignments": the Riverside Drive-Queens Avenue-Dundas Street linkup, the Horton Street Expressway, the Bradley Avenue-Highbury interchange, the Wonderland Road bridge over the Thames River, and the Oxford Street West extension.
Like most cities of its size or larger, London has several
taxicab taxi and for-hire
limousine services and the
London Transit London Transit Commission has 35 bus routes throughout the city. London is believed to be the only jurisdiction in North America where executive-class, sedan limousines can accept street-flags and wait for walk-on customers outside bars and restaurants, a popular by-product of the city's controversial and on-going taxi wars.
London is on the
Canadian National Railway main line between Toronto and
Chicago, Illinois (with a secondary main line to
Windsor, Ontario Windsor) and the
Canadian Pacific Railway main line between Toronto and
Detroit, Michigan Detroit.
VIA Rail operates passenger service through
London, Ontario railway station London station as part of the
Quebec City-Windsor Corridor, with connections to the United States.
London is also an important destination for intercity
bus travellers. The
Greyhound Lines Greyhound Canada express services to and from Toronto are heavily travelled, and connecting services radiate from London throughout southwestern Ontario and through
Detroit, Michigan to
Chicago, Illinois.
London International Airport (
IATA airport code YXU) is served by airlines including
Air Canada Jazz,
WestJet and
Northwest Airlink, and provides direct flights to popular national and international destinations. Many flights to nearby major airports Toronto and Detroit are flown daily, as well as a daily non-stop to Ottawa.
Miscellaneous
Contrary to popular belief, London did not take on the name "Forest City" due to the number of trees in the city. In its early days, London was an isolated destination and one would have to walk through a forest to get there. So it can be said that London was a "city within a forest" and as such earned the nickname "The Forest City." In modern times, however, Londoners have become protective of the trees in the city, protesting "unnecessary" removal of trees. The City Council and tourist industry have created projects to replant trees throughout the city.
Asteroid (12310) Londontario is named for the city.
The tallest building in London is
One London Place, owned by Sifton Properties Ltd., at the southwest corner of Wellington Street and Queens Avenue.
Notable Londoners
Image:fredrick_banting.jpg 250px|thumb|Sir Frederick Banting
image:tv_the_nature_of_things_david_suzuki_.jpg thumb|right|250px|David Suzuki
The following is a list of some notable Londoners:
*
Philip Aziz, painter, sculptor, designer, heritage preservationist.
*
Karen Dianne Baldwin,
1982 Miss Universe
*
Frederick Banting, co-discoverer of
insulin, practised in London and has both a museum dedicated to him and a high school named after him.
*
Joan Barfoot, noted Canadian author (fiction).
* Sir
Adam Beck, who was instrumental in setting up the early grid to deliver hydro-electric publicly owned power from
Niagara Falls to the rest of Ontario; former mayor of London.
*
Bill Brady broadcast journalist, Member of
Order of Canada The Order of Canada and formerly National Director of the
Canadian Heart Foundation.
*
Richard Bucke Richard Maurice Bucke, pioneer in the modern treatment of the insane and friend of
Walt Whitman.
*
Tom R. Burgess, MLB pro baseball player (1954-1962) and MLB coach/ instructor until 1995
*
Peter Butler, grandson of an escaped slave involved in the settlement of an early Canadian Black community.
*
Thomas Carling, founder of the Carling Brewing Company that lasted for over a century.
* Sir
John Carling, Thomas' son, provincial and federal politician.
*
Jeff Carter, hockey player.
*
Jack Chambers (artist) Jack Chambers, painter, flimmaker.
*
John H. Chapman, physicist.
*
Al Christie and his brother
Charles Christie were
Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood who built their own film studio.
* Frank Colman, pro baseball player in 1940s with Yankees and Pirates.
*
Francis Evans Cornish, mayor, later mayor of
Winnipeg, Manitoba.
*
Hume Cronyn, actor.
*
Greg Curnoe, painter, musician and author.
*
Peter Desbarats, former Global-TV anchor, author, former dean of journalism, UWO.
*
Lolita Davidovich, actress.
* John and
Jesse Davidson, of
Jesse's Journey fame; father and disabled son team crossed Ontario in 1995; Order of Ontario recipients; John crossed Canada alone in 1997-98, raising millions for MD research.
*
Chris Daw, gold medalist in Torino, Italy, 2006 wheelchair curling (skip), Paralympics.
*
Christopher Dewdney, poet.
*
Chris Doty (1966-2006), award-winning documentary filmmaker, author and playwright.
*
Dr. Charles Drake, noted neurosurgeon.
*
Marc Emery, world-famous marijuana activist/ retailer.
*
Julian Fantino, former chief of police.
*
Max Ferguson, CBC radio and TV personality, 1950s and 1960s.
*
Victor Garber, actor.
*
George Gibson (Mooney), 1880-1967, catcher, Pittsburgh Pirates, won World Series in 1909; more than 20 years in big leagues as player or coach.
*
Ted Giannoulas, the Famous Chicken / San Diego Chicken mascot.
*
Natalie Glebova,
2005 Miss Universe
*
Ryan Gosling, actor
*
Jeff Hackett, hockey player.
*
Richard B. Harrison, 1864-1935, Black actor.
*
Paul Haggis, Academy Award-winning Hollywood screenwriter, director.
*
Garth Hudson, keyboard player in
The Band.
*
Tommy Hunter, country singer.
*
Edwin Jarmain, pioneered cable television in Canada
1952
*
Thomas Jerimiah, member of the
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.
*
Jenny Jones (presenter) Jenny Jones, TV-talk show host.
* Wilfred and Elsie Jury, noted archaeologists/ historians.
*
Ingrid Kavelaars, actress, sister of Monique.
*
Monique Kavelaars, Olympic fencer, sister of Ingrid.
* Original members of the band
Kittie (Morgan Lander, Mercedes Lander, Talena Atfield and Fallon Bowman).
*
Adam Kreek, Olympic rower.
*
John Labatt, pioneer brewer.
*
Paul Lewis, 1889-1974, most photographed Black person in Canadian history; celebrity in London for nearly 60 years.
*
Brett Lindros, hockey player, brother of Eric.
*
Eric Lindros, hockey player, brother of Brett.
*
Guy Lombardo and brothers, world-famous bandleader and hydroplane racer.
*
Rachel McAdams, actress.
*
Roy McDonald, poet, diarist, local street-person/ personality.
*
Craig MacTavish, hockey player.
*
Julius Melnitzer, disbarred lawyer and noted fraudster.
*
Kate Nelligan, actress.
*
Christine Nesbitt, silver-medal winning Olympic speed-skater (women's team pursuit)
*
Niosi brothers, band members, 3 brothers (Joe, Bert and Johnnie) members of radio's famous Happy Gang.
*
Ocean (band) Ocean,
Christian folk-rock band.
*
Paul Peel, painter.
*
Denise Pelley, singer and actor.
*
David Peterson,
list of Ontario premiers premier of Ontario,
1985–
1990.
*
Skip Prokop, rock drummer, founder of the band,
Lighthouse (band) Lighthouse.
*
Aman Virdy, E-business entrepreneur.
*
Paul Quantrill, Major League baseball player.
*
Rob Ramage former star in NHL and London Knight defenceman.
*
Jack Richardson, award-winning record producer and educator at Fanshawe College
*
John P. Robarts, premier of Ontario,
1961-
1971.
*
Vic Roschkov, legendary newspaper editorial cartoonist/ illustrator.
*
Craig Simpson, hockey player, Chris Simpson's brother.
*
Chris Simpson, sports reporter, Craig Simpson's sister.
*
Lara St. John, violinist, sister of Scott St. John.
*
Scott St. John, violinist/violist, brother of Lara St. John.
*
Adam Stern, Major League Baseball player with Boston Red Sox.
*
David Suzuki, geneticist, environmentalist, broadcaster.
*
Salli Terri, mezzo soprano.
* The
Tolpuddle Martyrs, five of the six men convicted in
England for forming the first trade union there, settled in London.
*
Jason Tunks, Olympic discus thrower.
*
Jack Warner, co-founder of
Warner Bros. Warner Brothers Studios.
*
Barney Williams and
Buffy-Lynne Williams, Olympic rowers.
*
Marion Woodman, Jungian and feminist writer.
Further reading
*Frederick H. Armstrong and John H. Lutman, ''The Forest City: An Illustrated History of London, Canada''. Burlington, Ontario: Windsor Publications; 1986.
*Orlo Miller, ''London 200: An Illustrated History''. London: London Chamber of Commerce; 1993.
*L. D. DiStefano and N. Z. Tausky, ''Victorian Architecture in London and Southwestern Ontario, Symbols of Aspiration''. University of Toronto Press; 1986
See also
-
London, Ontario Wikicity
External links
-
Official City of London Website
-
London Activist Network
-
Alt London
-
Imagine London
-
London Independent Media Centre
-
London Transit Commission
-
City of London Ontario Index
-
2006 Mayor's Honour's List recipients
-
Stories in London's History
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