Durham Region: Sparkling Centre of the Golden Horseshoe
In a Nutshell
The Regional Municipality of Durham, commonly called the Durham Region, is nestled comfortably in the area of southern Ontario, Canada, nicknamed the “Golden Horseshoe”, after Lake Ontario’s distinctive horseshoe shape and the region’s apparent wealth and prosperity. Toronto lies about 182 kilometres (113 miles) west of this picturesque, upwardly mobile region, which was home to about 621,420 residents in 2006.
The region’s pastoral countryside spans across nearly 2,600 square kilometres (1,000 square miles) and provides an idyllic, seamless blend of the peacefulness and serenity inherent to rural communities, with the excitement and conveniences normally associated with metropolitan areas.
Local Municipalities
Officially recognized as part of the Greater Toronto Area, the Durham Region’s governmental headquarters reside in the city of Whitby.
The Greater Toronto Area, with its 5.5 million citizens (in 2006), is the most populous in Canada. In addition to the city of Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area includes the regional municipalities of Halton, Durham, York and Peel.
The Durham Region Council is the region’s governing body, consisting of elected Regional Councillors and the mayors of each municipality. The following list includes the name of each municipality and its corresponding number of Regional Councillors:
- The City of Pickering - 3
- The Town of Ajax - 2
- The Town of Whitby - 3
- The City of Oshawa - 7
- The Municipality of Clarington - 2
- The Township of Uxbridge - 1
- The Township of Scugog - 1
- The Township of Brock – 1
Arts, Entertainment & Culture
In addition to the virtually unlimited arts, entertainment and culture opportunities Toronto offers, the Durham Region houses its own vibrant and diverse creative community. The area’s dedicated historical preservation societies boast several architectural masterpieces and intriguing local heritage museums.
Discover the Durham Region’s vast array of performing arts theatres and live music venues; peruse the local galleries of its incredibly diverse artists; and immerse yourself in some of the local community’s quaint and charming events, including:
- Numerous autumn festivals & fairs
- Canada Day celebrations
- Seasonal holiday events
- 100-mile long farmers market
- Vintage car Show and Shine
- Bowmanville Zoo sponsored events
- Art in Public Places
- Culture Days (various)
- Mosport International Raceway
- Parkwood National Historic Site
- Farmer’s Forum and Feast
Work & Play
Work:
In recent years, the Durham Region has enjoyed a significant increase in residential development. This has led to a dramatic rise in the region’s overall economy.
While residential development is spiking now, the Durham Region’s major economic booms or busts tend to come as a result of being the centre of the Canadian automobile industry. General Motors calls Oshawa its Canadian home, where it not only has its Canadian headquarters, it also houses the company’s largest North American plant.
The Durham Region’s economy is made up of innumerable industries and services; however, it’s mainly recognized as having a strong, diverse and ever evolving manufacturing base. Durham is endowed with a young, skilled labour force.
In addition to GM, here are some of the region’s other major employers:
- Several relatively smaller component suppliers and transportation firms
- Ontario Power Generation
- Lakeridge Health Corporation
- Durham District School Board
- Durham College
- University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Play:
Snowmobiling, skiing, and go-cart racing are just a few of the incredible amount of diverse active and passive recreational options in the Durham Region.
Whether you’re looking for outdoor fun, like walking, jogging, biking, hiking, athletic competition, and hiking, or indoor recreation, like swimming, basketball and racquetball, you’ll have no trouble finding it.
You can go for a scenic bike ride with Lake Ontario providing a magnificent waterfront view, hike on the Oak Ridges Moraine or golf at a championship course, all within the Durham Region’s borders.
Here’s a listing of parks and recreational opportunities in the Durham Region:
- Ajax Recreation Services
- Clarington Recreation Department
- Oshawa Recreation Department
- Scugog Recreation Department
- Uxbridge Recreation
- Durham Region Trails Guide
- Altona Forest
- Bowmanville Harbour Conservation Area
- Cullen Central Park
- Enniskillen Conservation Area
- Greenwood Conservation Area
- Purple Woods Conservation Area
- Thickson’s Woods
- Waterfront Trail – across Durham Region
Primary Schools
Listed below are some of the Durham Region’s outstanding schools and systems, both public and private:
Public Schools
- Durham District School Board
Whitby, Ontario
Website: http://ddsb.durham.edu.on.ca - Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board
Peterborough, Ontario
Website: http://www.kprschools.ca/ - Peterborough, Victoria, Northumberland, and Clarington Catholic District School Board
- Peterborough, Ontario
Website: www.pvnccdsb.on.ca
Private Schools
- Durham Catholic District School Board
Oshawa, Ontario
Website: www.dcdsb.ca - Blaisdale Montessori School
Pickering, Ontario
Website: www.blaisdale.com - Le Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
North York, Ontario
Website: www.csdccs.edu.on.ca - Trafalgar Castle School
Whitby, Ontario
Website: www.castle-ed.com
Higher Education
Top-notch post-secondary education options in the Durham Region abound. Here are some of the easily accessible institutes of higher learning:
- Durham College of Applied Arts and Technology
Oshawa, ON
Website: www.durhamcollege.ca - University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Oshawa, ON
Website: www.uoit.ca - Trent University
Peterborough, ON
Website: www.trentu.ca
Health Care
Durham Region’s health care facilities have been the beneficiaries of a number of upgrades and expansions during the last ten years. Many of them provide the full compliment of health care and medical services, such as emergency care, drug and alcohol counseling, and family health programs.
Transportation
Durham Region Transit (DRT) supplies public transportation services to each municipality in the entire region. DRT Specialized Services offers persons with disabilities an easily accessible transit option.
Formed by amalgamating five municipal transit systems in 2006, DRT incorporates both rail and bus services, as well as a wide range of fares, routes and facilities.