Mississauga isn’t a name that first comes to your mind when you talk about the best cities to live in Canada. And to be honest, that isn’t without reason; it has never been talked about with much conviction in the spectrum of a conversation, which is a bit surprising given that it is the 6th largest municipality in the country.
The relative disregard for the city during such conversations is a little bemusing and quite baffling because cities strategic plan, family fun facts including movie theatre, shopping centre, trends, and predictions all suggest that it is one of the best cities to live in the country and even in North America.
If you call it home, you may or may not be aware of all these facts, figures, and their ilk. As a matter of fact, you may even be moaning about your life assuming (falsely) that life is perhaps better in other major Canadian cities (*coughs* Toronto) on various parameters!
If you do not call home, you’d most definitely not be aware of what makes the city such a fantastic place to call home.
This article would hopefully clear the haze about the culture of this peel regional cities (including Brampton Caledon). it will provide a sneak-peek into its history, its economy, demographics, housing facilities, and all that makes this city one of the most habitable cities not just in Canada, but arguably in the whole of North America.
Let us start with City itself...
Bonnie Crombie is Mississauga’s 6th and current mayor since 2014.She has been leading the city amid covid-19 pandemic crisis.
To know more about her views, vision and ideas on covid 19 vaccine check out the video chat with Khalid Iwamura.
Hazel McCallion aka Hurricane Hazel was elected as Mississauga’s Mayor in November 1978.
She was the longest serving Mayor in the history of Mississauga. She server for 12 consecutive terms. She retired in year 2014.
Employment and Entrepreneurial Opportunities
If you assumed that more people leave for other cities for employment opportunities, then we’ve got some news for you – your assumption is incorrect!
But we’d forgive you for that as that is what the popular belief is. But in reality, this city is a net importer of jobs.
More people leave other cities and come to this city for better job prospects than otherwise! The Vital Signs 2018 report, which could be downloaded here, throws up plenty of facts to support that claim.
The report found that about 53% of residents work in the city, which suggests that there are plenty of positions available in sales and service, business, finance, trade, et
Cities job growth outpaces that of Ontario – the city registered a job growth rate of 4.2% over 3 years as compared to the 3.5% growth rate of Ontario.
The statistics also confirm that it is the second-largest employment cluster in Ontario, behind only Toronto, and ahead of cities like Vaughan and Brampton.
Almost 95,000 large and small businesses are based here, including 75 Fortune 500 Canadian companies and 1400 MNCs. But more importantly, 95% of all companies in this city are small businesses and they are the major drivers of its robust economy.
A Melting Pot of Cultures
Mississauga boasts of a vibrant mix of cultures in North America, with more than half of its population consisting of immigrants hailing from India, Pakistan, China, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Jamaica, The UK, and various other parts of the world.
It is estimated that about 145 different languages are spoken by its residents. This city is a melting pot of cultures in the truest sense. And this opens you up to a plethora of unique experiences that you wouldn’t get anywhere else in the world. For immigrants, the fact that the majority of the population consists of their ilk makes it very easy to migrate here.
The massive immigrant population also means that the threat of hate crimes is minimal here. To enjoy cultural diversity visit the celebration square. You will be amazed.
City of Mississauga: A Safe Place To Live In Indeed
It has been consistently ranked among the safest cities in Canada, North America, and surrounding peel regional towns.
In fact, a study that compared cities’ crime rates against those of other major cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Winnipeg among others found that Mississauga (peel regional) is the safest metropolitan city in Canada.
The city has carried this title for 7 years in a row! Annual crime statistics published by the Peel regional police also suggest the same.
Also, as discussed before, the multi-ethnic nature of the population has ensured that incidents of racially motivated crimes are very few and far in between. Visit celebration square to witness the life and support of small business owners.
Mississauga An Educational Hub
The learning environment at school provides a great place for students as it is home to some of the leading universities in the country.
The University of Toronto Mississauga is one of the leading learning centers in Canada.
Sheridan College, located at the heart of the city center, is another premier learning center that attracts students from all over the world.
Access to quality education and local hospitals are part of the city strategic plan for most families when they consider moving to a different city, and this city scores well on this parameter.
Minimal Transport Woes
This city hosts Canada’s biggest and busiest airport – Pearson International Airport. This airport witnesses annual traffic of more than 32 million passengers and fly them to and from over 180 destinations across the globe.
If you travel frequently for professional reasons, then living here would reduce your travel time to and from the airport and would largely ensure that you get a direct flight to any destination you want to travel to.
As part of the strategic plan Pearson international airport also connects you to 7 major highways, which makes intercity transportation far less cumbersome.
Road traffic in this city is nowhere near as bad as it is in Toronto. So assuming you hate wasting your precious time in serpentine traffic queues (well who doesn’t?), life in this city would be a welcome break.
12 Fun Facts That Would Make You Fall In Love With The City
The name was derived from the original Aboriginal inhabitants who lived in this place. This city has a history that predates 1867, a claim supported by the discovery of more than 2000 excavation sites here. It was eventually established as a city in 1974.
The selection of the name Mississauga was also a little contentious – citizens had to vote in a plebiscite and choose one among these 3 options – Mississauga, Sheridan, and Malton. Mississauga emerged as the most popular choice with 53% of the total votes. Before acquiring this name, the city was unofficially known as the City of South Peel.
Are you a fan of KFC’s chicken? Well, then here’s some trivia that would probably create a soft spot for this city in your heart: the founder of this franchise Colonel Sanders lived here for 15 years, from 1965 to 1980. He was also a frequent customer of the KFC outlet located at Tomken Road.
This city was run by the world’s oldest mayor – Mayor Hazel McCallion – who was at the helm of affairs in the city from 1978 to 2014, when she finally retired at the age of 93! Yeah, talk about longevity and consistency.
If you have a thing for hiking and waterfalls, or nature in general, then city of Mississauga has something special for you – a picturesque hiking trail that leads you to the pristine Wahoosh Falls. While the waterfall may not be as big as some of its other more illustrious counterparts like Niagara falls, it sets the bar high in terms of natural beauty with the abundance of trees and plants surrounding it.
City of Mississauga has close to 500 parks and woodlands waiting to be discovered. You can experience and enjoy a wide variety of recreational activities in parks and woodlands such as cycling, skating, hiking, etc. in surroundings as beautiful as the Credit river. The city has also developed and maintained 22 beautiful waterfront parks.
Mississauga was named as the numero uno mid-sized American city of the future in 2013-14, beating 79 other North American cities in the process.
Mississauga’s bustling economy, high liquidity levels, and debt-free position have earned the city an AAA credit rating from Standard & Poor for almost every year since 2003.
The residents of Mississauga created a world record in 2017, on the occasion of Canada’s 150th birthday. They created the world’s longest greeting card, measuring 47.2 metres in length and bearing the signatures of 100,000 residents! Now that’s a unique way of celebrating a momentous occasion!
If you are into movies and TV series, then you’d be pleased to know that some of the most iconic films and TV programs, including Hannibal, Lost Girl, and Black Mirror were filmed in Mississauga.
Mississauga has had a sister-city relationship with Japan for years. There is a Japanese park in this city and a Mississauga Park in Kariya, Japan. Nonetheless one still has to visit Japan to see if Kariya has same numbers of parks and woodlands.
If you been there please leave us a comment about it.
Among Mississauga’s biggest attractions are the iconic Absolute Towers located in the Absolute City Centre development. The twin towers are nicknamed Marilyn Monroe because of their curvy structure and a multitude of admirers.
The award winning Celebration Square situated at downtown Mississauga serves as a centre for all kinds of events that are open to the public and absolutely free.
City of Mississauga data shows 251,000 housing units that house about 777,000 people at present, which is an increase of 9% from the 2011 population of 713,000. The estimated population by the year 2041 is pegged at 878,000.
To learn more on future development opportunities visit City Hall located on Burnhamthorpe road and city center drive.
The city has a limited supply of land, which has been directly responsible for the steady growth in property prices and will continue to do so as the city’s population increases, however, got enough parks and woodlands including a credit river for residents and small business owners to visit and enjoy.
The city is trying to combat this challenge by focusing its efforts on creating affordable high-rise housing solutions while keeping parks and woodland and credit river conservation areas intact.
But nevertheless, property prices in the city are expected to rise steeply in the near future, especially at locations such as Cawthra Road, Churchill Meadows, Cooksville, Derry Road, Dixie road, and Mavis and Mississauga Road, which is why it makes sense to move to peel region especially in Mississauga now.
We offer unique, bespoke, and practical mortgage solutions to make this transition financially viable for those who are looking into buying their home or are already homeowners but looking to tap into their existing home equities, refinancing, or perhaps lower mortgage interest rates.
There is never a bad time to move to Mississauga, but there has rarely ever been a time more perfect than now. Come and meet with us. We are located on the NE side of the intersection of Hurontario Street and Burnhamthorpe Road.