Learn more about the City of Burlington...

• Brief History
• Government
• Economy
• Life style
• Demographics & City Statistics

Brief History

Burlington was created on lands awarded in 1798 to Joseph Brant, the great Mohawk Chief, as a reward for his services to the British Crown during the American Revolutionary War, although an early pioneer (George Chisholm) had settled in the vicinity in 1791. The name Burlington is thought to be an altered form of the name Bridlington, a town in Yorkshire, England.

In 1873, the adjacent hamlets of Wellington Square and Port Nelson became the village of Burlington. In 1914, Burlington became a town and in 1974, was incorporated as a city.

In the early days of Burlington, animal husbandry and fruit growing were prominent activities in the early days of Burlington and contributed towards its rapid growth. Due to its strategic location, transportation corridors, and milder climate, Burlington attracted, and continues to attract industry, commerce, and residential development.

Government

The City of Burlington, is the largest of four municipalities in the Regional Municipality of Halton. There are 6 wards in Burlington served by a Mayor and 6 Councillors (one for each ward), all of whom sit on both the municipal council and Council for the Region of Halton.

There are 3 Federal and provincial government ridings in the Halton Region: Burlington, Oakville and Halton.

Economy

Burlington is located in Canada's largest consumer and industrial market in an area known as the "Golden Horseshoe". Burlington's economy is not dominated by any single employer or sector. The leading industrial sectors, in terms of employment, are food processing, packaging, electronics, motor vehicle/transportation, business services, chemical/pharmaceutical and environmental.

The largest private sector employers in Burlington are Maple Leaf Meats, Cogeco Cable, Boehringer Ingleheim, Gennum and AIC Limited.

The largest public sector employers in Burlington are the City of Burlington, the Halton Board of Education, the Halton Catholic District School Board and Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital.

Life style

Burlington maintains 580.78 hectares of park land and has a quality of life second to none. It offers 4 indoor and 2 outdoor pools, 3 splash pads, 8 ice pads, 6 community centres, and 9 golf courses.

Some of the best hiking in the world can be done in the local sections of the Bruce Trail and the Niagara Escarpment, which is a UNESCO-designated World Biosphere Reserve, as well as along the Waterfront Trail that skirts the northern shore of Lake Ontario.

You can relax and take in the Sound of Music Festival in June that features the world famous Burlington Teen Tour Band who have performed in Europe, Japan, and throughout Canada and the United States.

Through its Mundialization Committee, Burlington promotes itself as a global community by fostering United Nations support at the local level and by maintaining a twin city relationship with Itabashi, Japan. This effort is realized by numerous community based projects that strengthen ties with Itabashi. Burlington also has recently twinned with Apeldoorn, Netherlands.

There is no daily newspaper published in Burlington. Papers delivered to Burlington include: The Hamilton Spectator, The Burlington Post, the Toronto Star, the Globe & Mail, the Toronto Sun, and the National Post.

Demographics & City Statistics