Mississauga, Canada
The growth of Mississauga was initially attributed to its proximity to Toronto. However, during the latter half of the 20th century, the city attracted a diverse and multicultural population. Over time, it built up a thriving, transit-oriented central business district of its own, which is now known as Mississauga City Centre. Malton, a neighbourhood of the city located in its northeast end, is home to Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada's busiest airport, as well as the headquarters of many Canadian and multinational corporations. Mississauga is not a traditional city, but is instead an amalgamation of three former villages, two townships, and a number of rural hamlets (a general pattern common to several suburban GTA cities) that were significant population centres, with none being clearly dominant, prior to the city's incorporation that later coalesced into a single urban area.
Indigenous people have lived in the area for thousands of years and Mississauga is situated on the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabeg people, including the namesake Mississaugas. Most of present-day Mississauga was founded in 1805 as Toronto Township within York County, and became part of Peel County when new counties were formed by splitting off parts of the original county in 1851. Mississauga itself was established in 1968 as a town, and was reincorporated as a city in 1974, when Peel was restructured into a regional municipality.
Etymology
The name Mississauga comes from the Anishinaabe word Misi-zaagiing, meaning "[Those at the] Great River-mouth".
Other forms such as Sauga and, in reference to the city's residents, Saugans, and Mississaugans, are also commonly used.
History
Palaeo-Indigenous period (9000–8500 BCE)
A single site in Mississauga with Hi-Lo projectile points was registered in the Ontario Ministry of Culture database of archaeological sites. Lake Ontario was much smaller at this time, and sites from this period may be 500 m into the lake.
Archaic period (8000–1000 BCE)
According to Smith, there was a growing population at this time. There are 23 known Archaic sites in Mississauga, mostly in the Credit River and Cooksville Creek drainage systems. People would congregate at rapids and the mouths of these rivers to catch fish during spawning runs. They would harvest nuts and wild rice at the wetland margins in the late summer. During late Archaic times, there were large cemeteries.
Woodland period (1000 BCE–1650 CE)
"The accelerating upward population increase continued," with 23 known sites from this period. Pottery first appears during this period in the style of the Point Peninsula complex, and near the end of the Woodland period, the first semi-permanent villages appear. Artifacts show that residents of Mississauga engaged in long-distance trade, likely as part of the Hopewell tradition.
Late Woodland culture (500–1650 CE)
"The band level of social organization that characterized earlier cultures gave way eventually to the tribal level of the Ontario Iroquoian Tradition," and people began cultivation of crops such as maize, beans, squash, sunflowers, and tobacco. This led to the development of the Wyandot or Huron, Iroquoian-speaking culture. The Lightfoot site with four to six longhouses was located on the Credit River near Mississauga's border with Brampton. Another village with many longhouses was on the Antrex site, located on a wide ridge bounded by two small tributaries of Cooksville Creek.
Arrival of the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe, and the Europeans
Around the end of the Woodland period, the Haudenosaunee, another Iroquoian confederacy, began to move into the area, and, as part of a long conflict known as the Beaver wars, they had dispersed the Wyandot by 1650. But by 1687, the Haudenosaunee had abandoned their new settlements along the north shore of Lake Ontario.
The Algonquian-speaking Anishinaabe Ojibwe people had been aligned with the Wyandot, and when they were dispersed, the Anishinaabe expanded eastward into the Credit River Valley area, clashing with the Haudenosaunee and eventually taking over when the Haudenosaunee retreated. The European traders would gather annually at the mouth of what is now known as the Credit River to give the Anishinaabe credit for the following year. "From this, the Mississauga bands at the western end of the lake became known collectively as the Credit River Mississaugas."
Toronto Township, consisting of most of present-day Mississauga, was formed on 2 August 1805 when officials from York (what is now the City of Toronto) purchased 85,000 acres (340 km) of land from the Mississaugas under Treaty 14. A second treaty was signed in 1818 that surrendered 2,622 km of Mississauga land to the British Crown. In total Mississauga is covered by four treaties: Treaty 14, Treaty 19, Treaty 22 and Treaty 23.
The original villages (and some later incorporated towns) settled included Clarkson, Cooksville, Dixie, Erindale (called Springfield until 1890), Lakeview, Lorne Park, Port Credit, Sheridan, and Summerville. The region became known as Toronto Township. Part of northeast Mississauga, including the Airport lands and Malton were a part of Toronto Gore Township.
After the land was surveyed, the Crown gave much of it in the form of land grants to United Empire Loyalists who emigrated from the Thirteen Colonies during and after the American Revolution, as well as loyalists from New Brunswick. A group of settlers from New York City arrived in the 1830s. The government wanted to compensate the Loyalists for property lost in the colonies and encourage development of what was considered frontier. In 1820, the government purchased additional land from the Mississaugas. Additional settlements were established, including: Barbertown, Britannia, Burnhamthorpe, Churchville, Derry West, Elmbank, Malton, Meadowvale (Village), Mount Charles, and Streetsville. European-Canadian settlement led to the eventual displacement of the Mississaugas. In 1847, the government relocated them to a reserve in the Grand River Valley, near present-day Hagersville. Pre-confederation, the Township of Toronto was formed as a local government; settlements within were not legal villages until much later. Except for small villages, some gristmills and brickworks served by railway lines, most of present-day Mississauga was agricultural land, including fruit orchards, through much of the 19th and first half of the 20th century.
1900 to today
In the 1920s, cottages were constructed along the shores of Lake Ontario as weekend getaway houses for city dwellers.
In 1937, 1,410.8 acres of land was sold to build Malton Airport (later known as Pearson Airport). It became Canada's busiest airport which later put the end to the community of Elmbank.
The Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) highway, one of the first controlled-access highways in the world, opened from Highway 27 to Highway 10 in Port Credit, in 1935 and later expanded to Hamilton and Niagara in 1939. The first prototypical suburban developments occurred around the same time, in the area south of the Dixie Road/QEW interchange. Development in general moved north and west from there over time and around established communities. In 1952, Toronto Township annexed the southern portion of Toronto Gore Township. Two large new towns; Erin Mills and (New) Meadowvale, were started in 1968 and 1969, respectively.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Mississauga_Historic_Municipalities.png/220px-Mississauga_Historic_Municipalities.png)
While the Township had many settlements within it, none of the hamlets were legally existent, and all residents were represented by a singular Township council (Malton had special status as a police village, allowing it partial autonomy). To reflect the community's shift away from rural to urban, council desired conversion into a town, and in 1965 a call for public input on naming it received thousands of letters offering hundreds of different suggestions. "Mississauga" was chosen by plebiscite over "Sheridan" by a vote of 11,796 to 4,331, and in 1968 the reincorporation went forward, absorbing Malton in the process. Port Credit and Streetsville remained separate, uninterested in ceding their autonomy or being taxed to the needs of a growing municipality. Political will, as well as a belief that a larger city would be a hegemony in Peel County, kept Port Credit and Streetsville as independent enclaves within the Town of Mississauga, but both were amalgamated into Mississauga when it reincorporated as a city in 1974. At this time, Mississauga annexed lands west of Winston Churchill Boulevard from Oakville in the northwest, in exchange for lands in the northernmost extremity (which included Churchville) south of Steeles Avenue which were transferred to Brampton. That year, Square One Shopping Centre opened; it has since expanded several times.
On 10 November 1979, a 106-car freight train derailed on the CP rail line while carrying explosive and poisonous chemicals just north of the intersection of Mavis Road and Dundas Street. One of the tank cars carrying propane exploded, and since other tank cars were carrying chlorine, the decision was made to evacuate nearby residents. With the possibility of a deadly cloud of chlorine gas spreading through Mississauga, 218,000 people were evacuated.
Residents were allowed to return home once the site was deemed safe. At the time, it was the largest peacetime evacuation in North American history. Due to the speed and efficiency with which it was conducted, many cities later studied and modelled their own emergency plans after Mississauga's. For many years afterwards, the name "Mississauga" was, for Canadians, associated with a major rail disaster.
North American telephone customers placing calls to Mississauga (and other post-1970 Ontario cities) may not recognise the charge details on their bills. The area's incumbent local exchange carrier, Bell Canada, continues to split the city into five historical rate centres–Clarkson, Cooksville, Malton, Port Credit, and Streetsville. However, they are combined as a single Mississauga listing in the phone book. The first Touch-Tone telephones in Canada were introduced in Malton on 15 June 1964.
On 1 January 2010, Mississauga bought land from the Town of Milton and expanded its border by 400 acres (1.6 km), to Highway 407, affecting 25 residents. Also in January 2010, the Mississaugas and the federal government settled a land claim, in which the band of indigenous people received $145,000,000, as just compensation for their land and lost income.
Notes
- ^ The unannexed portion of northern Oakville became part of Milton on the same day
Geography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/The_Credit_River%2C_Mississauga%2C_Ontario_%2821758612442%29.jpg/220px-The_Credit_River%2C_Mississauga%2C_Ontario_%2821758612442%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/ValG_MississaugaSkyline.jpg/220px-ValG_MississaugaSkyline.jpg)
Mississauga covers 288.42 square kilometres (111.36 sq mi) of land, fronting 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) of shoreline on Lake Ontario.
Mississauga is bounded by Oakville and Milton to the west/southwest, Brampton to the north, Toronto to the east, and Lake Ontario to the south/south-east. Halton Hills borders Mississauga's north-west corner. With the exception of the southeast border with Toronto (Etobicoke Creek), Mississauga shares a land border with all previously mentioned municipalities.
Two major river valleys feed into the lake. The Credit River is by far the longest with the heaviest flow, it divides the western side of Mississauga from the central/eastern portions and enters the lake at the Port Credit harbour. The indented, mostly forested valley was inhabited by first nation peoples long before European exploration of the area. The valley is protected and maintained by the Credit Valley Conservation Authority (CVCA).
Etobicoke Creek forms part of the eastern border of Mississauga with the city of Toronto. North of there it passes through the western limits of Pearson Airport. There have been two aviation accidents, in 1978 and 2005 where aircraft overshot the runway and slid into the Etobicoke creek banks. In 1954, heavy flooding resulted in some homes along the riverbank being swept into the lake after heavy rains from Hurricane Hazel. Since that storm, houses are no longer constructed along the floodplain. The creek and its tributaries are administered by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).
Most land in Mississauga drains to either of the two main river systems, with the exception of the smaller Mary Fix and Cooksville Creeks which run roughly through the centre of Mississauga entering the lake near Port Credit. Some small streams and reservoirs are part of the Sixteen Mile Creek system in the far north-west corner of the city, but these drain toward the lake in neighbouring Milton and Oakville.
The shoreline of former Glacial Lake Iroquois roughly follows the Dundas Street alignment, although it is not noticeable in some places but is more prominent in others, such as the site of the former brickyard (Shoreline Dr. near Mavis Rd.), the ancient shoreline promenteau affords a clear view of downtown Toronto and Lake Ontario on clear days. The land in Mississauga in ranges from a maximum elevation of 214 m (699 ft) ASL in the far western corner, near the Hwy. 407/401 junction, to a minimum elevation at the Lake Ontario shore of 76 m (249 ft) above sea level.
Apart from the embankments of Credit River valley, it tributaries and the Iroquois shoreline, the only noticeable hills in Mississauga are actually part of the former Britannia Landfill, now a golf course on Terry Fox Way.
Neighbourhoods/areas
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Absolute_Towers_Mississauga._South-west_view.jpg/170px-Absolute_Towers_Mississauga._South-west_view.jpg)
There are 25 neighbourhoods in Mississauga:
- Applewood
- Central Erin Mills
- Churchill Meadows
- Clarkson
- Cooksville
- Creditview
- Dixie
- East Credit
- Erin Mills
- Erindale
- Fairview
- Hurontario
- Lakeview
- Lisgar
- Lorne Park
- Malton
- Meadowvale
- Meadowvale Village
- Mineola
- Mississauga Valleys
- Port Credit
- Rathwood
- Rockwood Village
- Sheridan
- Streetsville
Climate
Mississauga's climate is similar to that of Toronto and is considered to be moderate, located in plant hardiness zone 6b. Under the Köppen climate classification, Mississauga has a humid continental climate (Dfa/Dfb). Summers can bring periods of high temperatures accompanied with high humidity. While the average daily high temperature in July and August is 27 °C (80.6 °F), temperatures can rise above 32 °C (89.6 °F). In an average summer, there are an average of 15.8 days where the temperature rises above 30 °C (86.0 °F). Winters can be cold with temperatures that are frequently below freezing. In January and February, the mean temperatures are −5.5 °C (22.1 °F) and −4.5 °C (23.9 °F) respectively, it is common for temperatures to fall to −15 °C (5.0 °F), usually for only short periods. In an average winter, there are 3.9 nights where the temperature falls below −20 °C (−4.0 °F). The amount of snowfall received during an average winter season is 108.5 centimetres (42.7 in), averaging 44.4 days with measurable snowfall. The climate of Mississauga is officially represented by Pearson International Airport but because of its topography and large surface area conditions can differ depending on location: fog tends to be more common along the Lakeshore and in the Credit River Valley at certain times of year, particularly during the spring and autumn.
During snowfalls when temperatures hover close to freezing, northern parts of the city, such as around Derry Road, including Pearson Airport away from warmer Lake Ontario usually get more snow that sticks to the ground because of the lower temperatures, often when rain transitions into snow or mixed precipitation. The reverse occurs when a strong storm approaches from the south kicking up lake effect snow, bringing higher snowfall totals to south Mississauga. The city usually experiences at least six months of snow-free weather; however, there is the odd occurrence where snow does fall either in October or May, none which sticks to the ground. The Port Credit and Lakeview areas have a micro-climate more affected by the proximity of the open lake, warming winter temperatures as a result, but it can be sharply cooler on spring and summer afternoons, this can also be the case in Clarkson, but with much less consistency.
Most thunderstorms are not severe but can occasionally bring violent winds. The last known tornado to cause significant damage touched down on 7 July 1985, when an F1-rated tornado struck an industrial park in the Meadowvale area (Argentia Road), heavily damaging some buildings and some parked tractor trailers. A relatively strong tornado tore a path across Mississauga (then part of Toronto Township) on 24 June 1923, cutting a swath from present-day Meadowvale to near Cooksville, killing four people and causing massive property damage in a time when most of Mississauga was still rural farmland dotted with fruit orchards.
Climate data for Lester B. Pearson International Airport (Brampton and North Mississauga) WMO ID: 71624; coordinates 43°40′38″N 79°37′50″W / 43.67722°N 79.63056°W, elevation: 173.4 m (569 ft), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1937–present | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high humidex | 19.0 | 18.3 | 29.6 | 37.9 | 42.6 | 45.6 | 50.3 | 46.6 | 48.0 | 39.1 | 28.6 | 23.9 | 50.3 |
Record high °C (°F) | 17.6 (63.7) |
17.7 (63.9) |
26.0 (78.8) |
31.1 (88.0) |
34.4 (93.9) |
36.7 (98.1) |
37.9 (100.2) |
38.3 (100.9) |
36.7 (98.1) |
31.8 (89.2) |
25.1 (77.2) |
20.0 (68.0) |
38.3 (100.9) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1.2 (29.8) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
5.0 (41.0) |
12.0 (53.6) |
19.2 (66.6) |
24.5 (76.1) |
27.4 (81.3) |
26.3 (79.3) |
22.3 (72.1) |
14.6 (58.3) |
7.9 (46.2) |
1.9 (35.4) |
13.3 (55.9) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −5 (23) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
0.6 (33.1) |
7.0 (44.6) |
13.7 (56.7) |
19.2 (66.6) |
22.1 (71.8) |
21.1 (70.0) |
16.9 (62.4) |
10.0 (50.0) |
4.1 (39.4) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
8.6 (47.5) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −8.9 (16.0) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−3.8 (25.2) |
1.9 (35.4) |
8.2 (46.8) |
13.9 (57.0) |
16.6 (61.9) |
15.8 (60.4) |
11.6 (52.9) |
5.3 (41.5) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−5 (23) |
3.9 (39.0) |
Record low °C (°F) | −31.3 (−24.3) |
−31.1 (−24.0) |
−28.9 (−20.0) |
−17.2 (1.0) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
0.6 (33.1) |
3.9 (39.0) |
1.1 (34.0) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−18.3 (−0.9) |
−31.1 (−24.0) |
−31.3 (−24.3) |
Record low wind chill | −44.7 | −38.9 | −36.2 | −25.4 | −9.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | −8.0 | −13.5 | −25.4 | −38.5 | −44.7 |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 61.6 (2.43) |
50.2 (1.98) |
50.5 (1.99) |
76.7 (3.02) |
77.6 (3.06) |
80.7 (3.18) |
74.0 (2.91) |
68.5 (2.70) |
69.4 (2.73) |
67.2 (2.65) |
71.8 (2.83) |
58.6 (2.31) |
806.8 (31.76) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 33.8 (1.33) |
23.9 (0.94) |
34.0 (1.34) |
70.7 (2.78) |
77.5 (3.05) |
80.7 (3.18) |
74.0 (2.91) |
68.5 (2.70) |
69.4 (2.73) |
67.0 (2.64) |
62.7 (2.47) |
35.3 (1.39) |
697.4 (27.46) |
Average snowfall cm (inches) | 31.5 (12.4) |
27.7 (10.9) |
17.2 (6.8) |
4.5 (1.8) |
0.1 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.1) |
9.3 (3.7) |
24.1 (9.5) |
114.5 (45.1) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 16.2 | 12.0 | 12.3 | 12.5 | 12.7 | 10.8 | 10.3 | 9.8 | 10.2 | 12.8 | 12.6 | 14.9 | 147.3 |
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 6.2 | 4.6 | 7.2 | 11.7 | 12.7 | 10.8 | 10.3 | 9.8 | 10.2 | 12.8 | 10.4 | 7.5 | 114.1 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 12.7 | 9.7 | 6.8 | 2.2 | 0.12 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.24 | 3.6 | 9.2 | 44.7 |
Average relative humidity (%) (at 15:00) | 69.7 | 65.7 | 58.5 | 53.4 | 53.6 | 54.4 | 52.9 | 55.2 | 57.3 | 61.6 | 66.7 | 70.5 | 60.0 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 79.7 | 112.2 | 159.4 | 204.4 | 228.2 | 249.7 | 294.4 | 274.5 | 215.7 | 163.7 | 94.2 | 86.2 | 2,161.4 |
Percent possible sunshine | 27.6 | 38.0 | 43.2 | 50.8 | 50.1 | 54.1 | 63.0 | 63.4 | 57.4 | 47.8 | 32.0 | 30.9 | 46.5 |
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada |
Demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1971 | 172,352 | — |
1976 | 250,017 | +45.1% |
1981 | 315,055 | +26.0% |
1986 | 374,005 | +18.7% |
1991 | 463,388 | +23.9% |
1996 | 544,382 | +17.5% |
2001 | 612,925 | +12.6% |
2006 | 668,549 | +9.1% |
2011 | 713,443 | +6.7% |
2016 | 721,599 | +1.1% |
2021 | 717,961 | −0.5% |
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Mississauga had a population of 717,961 living in 244,575 of its 254,089 total private dwellings, a change of -0.5% from its 2016 population of 721,599. With a land area of 292.74 km (113.03 sq mi), it had a population density of 2,452.6/km (6,352.1/sq mi) in 2021.
In 2021, 15.2% of the population was under 15 years of age, and 16.6% was 65 years and over. The median age in Mississauga was 40.8.
Ethnicity
Panethnic group |
2021 | 2016 | 2011 | 2006 | 2001 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |||||
European | 267,790 | 37.57% | 302,370 | 42.26% | 324,655 | 45.81% | 336,755 | 50.59% | 362,430 | 59.34% | ||||
South Asian | 180,800 | 25.36% | 165,765 | 23.17% | 154,210 | 21.76% | 134,750 | 20.24% | 91,150 | 14.92% | ||||
East Asian | 60,035 | 8.42% | 62,150 | 8.69% | 58,515 | 8.26% | 55,410 | 8.32% | 43,110 | 7.06% | ||||
Southeast Asian | 55,500 | 7.79% | 51,365 | 7.18% | 55,550 | 7.84% | 44,865 | 6.74% | 34,630 | 5.67% | ||||
Middle Eastern | 51,315 | 7.2% | 44,110 | 6.17% | 32,825 | 4.63% | 22,800 | 3.43% | 15,615 | 2.56% | ||||
Black | 49,220 | 6.9% | 47,005 | 6.57% | 44,775 | 6.32% | 41,365 | 6.21% | 37,850 | 6.2% | ||||
Latin American | 17,325 | 2.43% | 16,110 | 2.25% | 15,360 | 2.17% | 12,410 | 1.86% | 9,265 | 1.52% | ||||
Indigenous | 3,555 | 0.5% | 4,175 | 0.58% | 3,200 | 0.45% | 2,475 | 0.37% | 2,055 | 0.34% | ||||
Other/Multiracial | 27,300 | 3.83% | 22,420 | 3.13% | 19,635 | 2.77% | 14,815 | 2.23% | 14,705 | 2.41% | ||||
Total responses | 712,825 | 99.28% | 715,475 | 99.15% | 708,725 | 99.34% | 665,655 | 99.57% | 610,815 | 99.66% | ||||
Total population | 717,961 | 100% | 721,599 | 100% | 713,443 | 100% | 668,549 | 100% | 612,925 | 100% | ||||
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses |
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Religion
The 2021 census found the most reported religion in the city to be Christianity (49.9%), with Catholicism (30.4%) making up the largest denomination, followed by Orthodox (3.6%), Anglicanism (2.0%), United Church (1.5%), Pentecostal and other Charismatic churches (1.2%), and other denominations. The next most reported religions were Islam (17.0%), Hinduism (8.8%) Sikhism (3.4%), Buddhism (2.0%), and Judaism (0.2%). Those who claimed no religious affiliation made up 18.1% of the population.
Religious group |
2021 | 2011 | 2001 | 1991 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
![]() |
355,735 | 49.9% | 424,715 | 59.93% | 427,725 | 70.03% | 365,665 | 79.25% |
![]() |
120,965 | 16.97% | 84,325 | 11.9% | 41,845 | 6.85% | 12,260 | 2.66% |
![]() |
62,520 | 8.77% | 49,325 | 6.96% | 29,165 | 4.77% | 12,185 | 2.64% |
![]() |
24,505 | 3.44% | 23,995 | 3.39% | 23,425 | 3.84% | 12,560 | 2.72% |
![]() |
14,300 | 2.01% | 15,615 | 2.2% | 11,600 | 1.9% | 4,185 | 0.91% |
![]() |
1,380 | 0.19% | 1,830 | 0.26% | 1,905 | 0.31% | 1,800 | 0.39% |
Other religion | 4,485 | 0.63% | 3,250 | 0.46% | 2,070 | 0.34% | 1,445 | 0.31% |
Irreligious | 128,940 | 18.09% | 105,660 | 14.91% | 73,085 | 11.97% | 51,315 | 11.12% |
Total responses | 712,825 | 99.28% | 708,725 | 99.34% | 610,815 | 99.66% | 461,420 | 99.58% |
Language
The 2021 census found that English was the mother tongue of 44.9% of the population. The next most common mother tongues were Urdu (5.0%), Arabic (4.7%), Mandarin (3.2%), Polish (3.1%), and Punjabi (2.9%). Of the official languages, 96.5% of the population knew English and 6.8% knew French.
Mother tongue | Population | % |
---|---|---|
English | 320,640 | 44.9 |
Urdu | 35,995 | 5.0 |
Arabic | 33,265 | 4.7 |
Mandarin | 23,180 | 3.2 |
Polish | 22,070 | 3.1 |
Punjabi | 20,690 | 2.9 |
Tagalog | 18,325 | 2.6 |
Spanish | 15,765 | 2.2 |
Cantonese | 14,830 | 2.1 |
Portuguese | 14,050 | 2.0 |
Hindi | 11,685 | 1.6 |
Vietnamese | 10,355 | 1.5 |
Tamil | 10,275 | 1.4 |
Italian | 10,260 | 1.4 |
Serbo-Croatian | 8,955 | 1.3 |
Gujarati | 7,260 | 1.0 |
French | 6,180 | 0.9 |
Ukrainian | 5,960 | 0.8 |
Russian | 4,615 | 0.6 |
Korean | 4,370 | 0.6 |
Economy
Over 60 of the Fortune 500 companies base their global or Canadian head offices in Mississauga. Some of the strongest industries are pharmaceuticals, banking and finance, electronics and computers, aerospace, transportation parts and equipment industries.
TD Bank also has Corporate IT development centres in the city along with Royal Bank of Canada. Laura Secord Chocolates is headquartered in the city, and Walmart, Kellogg's, Panasonic, Hewlett-Packard, and Oracle's Canadian headquarters are also in Mississauga. Regional airline Jazz operates a regional office in Mississauga. Mississauga is also an aircraft development hub with Canadian headquarters of Aerospace companies such as Magellan Aerospace and Honeywell Aerospace.
Arts and culture
Mississauga has a vibrant arts community, promoted by the Mississauga Arts Council, which holds an annual awards ceremony, called the MARTYs, to celebrate the city's entertainers, artists, filmmakers, writers, and musicians.
Mississauga's largest festivities such as Canada Day Celebration, Mississauga Rotary Ribfest, Tree Lighting Ceremony, and New Year's Eve Bash generally occur in Celebration Square. The Canada Day celebration was attended by 130,000 people in 2012, the Ribfest has recorded 120,000 visitors in 2012, and the inaugural New Year's Eve in 2011 has attracted 30,000 spectators.
One of the most anticipated events in the city is Carassauga, a festival of cultures that occurs annually during mid-May. It is the second largest cultural festival in Canada. During 2013, 4014 performances took place and 300,000 people attended. Carassauga attempts to display the different cultures around the world by setting up pavilions for countries around Mississauga. Visitors get free public transportation with their ticket to tour the city and explore the different pavilions. Various countries showcase their culture through food stalls, dance performances and small vendors. The event largely takes place in the Hershey Centre.
There are also culture-specific festivals held in Celebration Square, including Fiesta Ng Kalayaan for the Philippines, Viet Summerfest for Vietnam, Muslimfest for the city's Muslim community, Indian festival Diwali and Mosaic Festival, which is the largest South Asian multi-disciplinary arts festival in North America.
The annual Bread and Honey Festival is held in Streetsville, a district that was once an independent rural village. It is held every first weekend of June at Streetsville Memorial Park to commemorate the founding of the village. The festival was inaugurated in 1974, in response to amalgamation with the City of Mississauga. Activities include the Bread and Honey Race, which raises money for charities and local hospitals. It also has its own annual Canada Day celebrations, which are also held at Streetsville Memorial Park.
Port Credit, another neighbourhood that was formerly a town, holds multiple festivals throughout the year. During the summer, there are street performances on multiple venues scattered throughout the district during Buskerfest. The neighbourhood also holds a grand parade named "Paint the Town Red" during Canada Day. Finally, during August, it holds the Mississauga Waterfront Festival, which includes concerts as well as family activities. During September, the Tim Hortons Southside Shuffle is being held to celebrate the neighbourhood's Blues and Jazz Festival, which includes musical performances from local blues and jazz artists.
The Malton neighbourhood, which contains a significant number of Sikhs, holds its annual Khalsa Day parade, marching between the gurdwaras in Malton (Sri Guru Singh Sabha) and in the Rexdale neighbourhood in Toronto (Sikh Spiritual Centre). This parade is attended by 100,000 people.
Mississauga has a significant Jewish population, with active community classes, cultural activities and holiday celebrations.
Library
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The Mississauga Library System is a municipally owned network of 18 libraries.
Attractions
Mississauga Celebration Square
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In 2006, with the help of Project for Public Spaces, the city started hosting "My Mississauga" summer festivities at its Civic Square. Mississauga planned over 60 free events to bring more people to the city square. The square was transformed and included a movable stage, a snack bar, extra seating, and sports and gaming facilities (basketball nets, hockey arena, chess and checker boards) including a skate park. Some of the events included Senior's day on Tuesday, Family day on Wednesday, Vintage car Thursdays, with the main events being the Canada Day celebration, Rotary Ribfest, Tree Lighting Ceremony, and Beachfest.
Civic Square has completed its restructuring project using federal stimulus money, which features a permanent stage, a larger ice rink (which also serves as a fountain and wading pool during the summer season), media screens, and a permanent restaurant. It officially reopened at 22 June 2011 and has since been renamed as Mississauga Celebration Square. More events have been added such as holding free outdoor live concerts, and live telecast of UEFA European Football Championship. The square also holds weekly programming such as fitness classes, amphitheatre performances and movie nights during the summer, children's activities during spring and fall, and skate parties during the winter. The opening of the square has also allowed the city to hold its first annual New Year's Eve celebration in 2011.
In October 2012, the square had attracted its one millionth visitor.
Art Gallery of Mississauga
The Art Gallery of Mississauga (AGM) is a public, not-for-profit art gallery located in the Mississauga Civic Centre right on Celebration Square across from the Living Arts Centre and Square One Shopping Centre. AGM is sponsored by the City of Mississauga, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Ontario Arts Council. The art gallery offers free admission and tours and is open every day. AGM has over 500 copies and is working on creating a digital gallery led by gallery assistant Aaron Guravich.
Shopping
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Square One Shopping Centre is located in the City Centre and is the second largest shopping mall in Canada. It boasts more than 350 retail stores and services and attracts 24 million annual visitors and makes over $1 billion in annual retail sales. It opened in 1973.
Erin Mills Town Centre is the second largest mall in Mississauga. It is located in the western end of the city at Eglinton Avenue and Erin Mills Parkway and opened in 1989.
Other shopping centres include Dixie Outlet Mall; located in the southeastern area of the city. It is Canada's largest enclosed outlet mall. It opened in 1956 when the city was still known as Toronto Township, and is Mississauga's first shopping mall. Many factory outlets of premium brands are located in this mall. Heartland Town Centre is an unenclosed power centre with 180 stores and restaurants. A flea market, the Fantastic Flea Market, is Mississauga's oldest flea market, and opened in 1976.
Recreation
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Recreational clubs include the Mississauga Figure Skating Club, Mississauga Synchronized Swimming Association, Mississauga Canoe Club, Mississauga Scrabble Club, Don Rowing Club at Port Credit, International Soccer Club Mississauga, and the Mississauga Aquatic Club. There are over 481 parks and woodlands areas in Mississauga, with nearly 100 km (62 mi) of trails that users can traverse. Mississauga is home to many indoor playgrounds including Kids Time Family Fun Centre, KidSports indoor playground, and Laser Quest Centre. There are over 26 major indoor playgrounds in the city of Mississauga.
Kariya Park in city centre is a Japanese garden opened in 1992, it named after Mississauga’s sister city, Kariya, Japan.