Toronto is one of the largest and most populous cities in Canada. It is the cultural capital of the country, and when many foreigners hear of Canada, Toronto is one of the first cities they think of.
What many people don’t know about Toronto is that the city is actually a melting pot of many different cultures. Many major cities have large ethnic enclaves, but other cultures thrive even more in Toronto.
Large swathes of many different cultures own Toronto real estate and are prominent in the community. What exactly are these other cultures that flourish in Toronto, and why are they so successful? Here are a few different world cultures that thrive in Toronto.
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French
French people may be one of the most populous cultural groups in the entirety of Canada. This stems from the fact that large portions of the country were once a colony of the French Empire, a colony that was eventually ceded to the British after the 7 Years War.
Despite this, French culture is still prominent in Canada. Many people in Canada still speak French, making it an almost second language of sorts in the country.
Since Toronto is such a large city in Canada, it’s only reasonable to expect that a portion of French culture was integrated into the city. Although most of Canada’s French culture is found in Quebec, don’t be surprised if you find pieces of French culture thriving in Toronto.
Italian
One of the larger cultural groups in Toronto is the Italian population. A good portion of the Italian population living in Canada resides in or around the Toronto area. Most of these people live in the area of the city known as Little Italy.
Little Italy is full of high-quality restaurants, bars, and shops. Most of these, if not all, are owned by people of Italian heritage. Even outside of Little Italy, there are plenty of examples of Italian culture.
Some of these success stories are enshrined in the Italian Walk of Fame, located in Little Italy. This area celebrates the accomplishments of those who have Italian heritage and further cement the importance that Italian culture has on Toronto.
Chinese
Like many North American cities, Toronto has several “Chinatowns” within its borders. They vary in size, but the largest is one of the biggest Chinese ethnic areas on the entire continent.
This can be seen in the wide variety of Chinese restaurants and shops that have sprung up across the city. One of the more interesting stories about Toronto’s Chinese community is how they recently rallied around the NBA champion Toronto Raptors.
The team had Jeremy Lin on the roster, one of the only players of Asian descent in the NBA. As a result, those Torontonians of Chinese heritage began following the team much more closely.
In addition, the community has brought several holidays and celebrations to the city like Chinese New Year.
South American
This may seem weird due to the drastic differences in climate, but many people of South American heritage call Toronto home.
When talking about South Americans, the group being referred to is any Spanish-speaking residents from a South American country.
As a result, Spanish has become a pretty common language around the city, although not as popular as the more typical English or French dialect. However, South Americans bring a wide range of different cultures and cuisines with them, further adding to the melting pot that is Toronto.
Several hundred thousand Hispanic people live in Toronto, meaning that this culture is one of the largest and fastest-growing cultures in the city.
Featured Image | Berkay Gumustekin on Unsplash
