LONDON, ONTARIO

LONDON

Why is London known as the Forest City?

Well, let us back up a wee bit.
We have Skylar McCarthy to thank for gathering this short history lesson on our fantastic city:

London was considered a military centre during World Wars I and II, serving as an administrative centre for the Western Ontario district. In 1905, the London Armoury was built to house the First Hussars (a primary reserve regiment). It is now a hotel called the London Armouries by Delta Hotels.

London began amalgamating area communities in 1961, including Byron and Masonville. This added 60,000 more people while doubling its area. Then suburban growth grew in all the directions, creating subdivisions like Westmount, Oakridge, Whitehills, Pond Mills, White Oaks and Stoneybrook.

The City of London is the 11th largest urban area in Canada, 11th largest census metropolitan area in Canada, and is the sixth largest city in Ontario.

London has turned itself into the regional centre for education and healthcare, with Western University, Fanshawe College, and multiple hospitals in its boundaries. The city also hosts many festivals during the summer like Sunfest, Rock the Park, London Ribfest, Western Fair and many more. The London Ribfest is the second largest barbecue rib festival in North America. Sunfest is also the second largest world music festival in Canada, behind Toronto’s Caribana festival.

London is also a winning sports town. Its local hockey team, the London Knights, have earned 11 Midwest Division titles, six Western Conference titles, four Ontario Hockey League championships, and two Memorial Cup Canadian Hockey League championships. Its local basketball team, the London Lightning, have won the most national basketball league Canada championships, with four. And, let’s not forget Western University’s Mustangs football team, which has won seven national champions.

Finally, London maintains its namesake for currently housing approximately seven million trees within its perimeter — that’s four million more than in Toronto. Of those trees, there are 120 various species for citizens to enjoy as they traverse the city’s many vast parks and hiking trails.