Speaking of land mass, as recorded by worldometer, Canada has been rated the second-largest country in the world. Even so, it ranks 39 in terms of population ratings. Despite its low population density, large cities are still scattered around this civil northern country.
Since the second world war, Canadians have evolved into advancing urban people, living mostly in cities. In a bid to maintain housing affordability and accessibility, local governments had to balance burgeoning boundaries with urban density.
Largest Cities in Canada
This list of the top largest cities in Canada gives a glance at several issues and approaches.
1. Toronto: (Population: 2.9 million, Population of Urban area=5.69 million)
Toronto is situated in Southern Ontario, on the western coast of Lake Ontario, (which is one of the great lakes). This provincial capital could be described as Canada’s “New York “.
It is an actual jungle, a business and culture hub, and a metropolitan filled with bustles.
Fondly pronounced as “Torono”, Toronto is home to lots of popular and internationally revered sports teams including The Toronto Maple Leaf, The Toronto Raptors, (NBA), and The Toronto New Jays.
The University of Toronto is well-known worldwide and attracts students from all walks of life. The city of Toronto is also popularly known for the CN tower, which was named the tallest free-standing building on earth until 2007. ( It is currently the 9th tallest free-standing structure in the world.)
2. Montreal (Population=1.7 Million, Population of Urban Area=3.68 million)
The second largest Canadian city is in the southwestern region of the French Canadian province of Quebec, which is on the Northern coast of the ST. Lawrence River.
It possesses a uniquely distinct culture, history, architecture, poutine, and bagels one can ever imagine.
Montreal hosted the 1976 summer Olympics. The city boasts another esteemed educational institution ” McGill University“, which has mentored some of the world’s most brilliant brains in all spheres of life.
The Montreal Canadiens (also known as Canadiens de Montreål or the Habs) have been loading seats since 1909, before the National Hockey League’s formation.
3. Calgary (Population: 1.3 million, Population of Urban Area= 1.3 million)
Calgary is situated in the province of Alberta, which is in western Canada, about 300km away from Edmonton, and is directly bound by Highway 2.
The city is deemed to be the Canadian chief in the oil and gas industry and has hosted operations of the likes of BP Canada, Canadian National Resources Limited, Cenovus Energy, Encana, and Shell Canada. Other industrial abilities of the city are said to be around aerospace, logistics, business services, health care, education, and television areas.
Calgary, which was considered to have the most millionaires per capita of any Canadian city, is well known for its great wealth status.
4. Ottawa(Population= 1.01 million, Population of Urban Area=1.07 Million)
Even though Ottawa is the capital province of Canada, it is usually outranked by the likes of Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, in terms of investments.
The city is located in the south of the province of Ontario, which is close to the US boundaries, and below 200km from Montreal. It has an enormous number of Universities, and colleges, and is regarded to have the largest educated workforce in Canada.
As a capital city, Ottawa’s economic activities are mostly based on public services (due to the vast number of governmental organizations situated there), but it also possesses potencies in the high-tech industry, healthcare, and agriculture.
5. Edmonton (Population= 1 million, Population of Urban Area= 1.05 million)
Edmonton is a city situated in western Canada and lies about 300km from northern Calgary.
It is considered a platform point for oil sand projects, based in northern Alberta, and also for diamond mining operations in Canada’s less friendly northern areas.
Just like Calgary, Edmonton is considered a center for oil and gas production. It also has potential in the technology, research finance, logistics, and distribution sectors.
The City offers a high sense of living and is popular for its yearly host of several festivals. Edmonton is also home to the largest shopping mall in Northern America.
6. Winnipeg (Population=750, 000 Population of Urban Area= 760,000)
Winnipeg is the capital of the prominent province of Manitoba and is named after a nearby river known as Lake Winnipeg.
The city is a center for railway and transportation, even though its economy is grounded around a vast range of sectors, including healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and public administration. Winnipeg is considered one of the cheapest cities to do business in Canada, and a primary tourist site within the country.
7. Mississauga (Population: 718000)
Mississauga is situated in the province of Ontario and is regarded as part of Greater Toronto.
Its growing central district witnessed huge population growth in the second half of the 20th Century. Industrially, its potential is largely based on pharmaceuticals, finance, aerospace, and the manufacture of transportation parts.
The city is a host to the National Headquarters of Hewlett Packard, Honeywell, Walmart, Kellogg’s, and Panasonic.
8. Vancouver (Population: 662,000 Population of Urban Area: 2.43 Million):
Vancouver is situated in the western coastal region of Canada, around the north of the US border and roughly 230km away from the city of Seattle.
It is a frequent recipient of the “Most liveable city in the world” awards and possesses one of Canada’s most dynamic cultural populations.
Vancouver is proudly known for being an environmentally peaceful city, reputable for its hard work in cultivation since the establishment of Greenpeace in 1969. It has the largest port in Canada and the fourth largest in tons, in the American region.
The city also hosts an active movie production industry, which is nicknamed “The Hollywood North“. It is a major tourism center, reputable for hosting a well-educated public and an elevated level of liveability, which has drawn the attention of some big tech corporations.
Vancouver also possesses huge potential in biotechnology, aerospace, and video game development.
8. Brampton (Population: 656,000)
Brampton is one of the rapidly growing major Canadian cities, and is regarded as part of ‘Greater Toronto’.
Its nickname ‘Flower Town of Canada’ originated from its famous greenhouse industry but in the present 21st Century, its strengths lie in developed manufacturing, retail management, logistics, technology, food and beverages, and life sciences.
Huge firms such as Amazon, Ford, and Nestle are in incorporation with this city.
9. Hamilton (Population= 569000, Population of Urban Area= 730000):
Hamilton is also situated in the southern province of Ontario, in between the Canadian city of Toronto and the US city of Buffalo. It is about 66km away from Niagara Falls.
Hamilton was built on Industries such as steel manufacturing but recently, it has shifted to a more service-based economy, which primarily offers health and life sciences.
The manufacture of steel is still very much vital to Hamilton though, and through companies like Stelco and Dofasco, it manufactures about 60% of Canada’s steel.
10. Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge Combination (Population= 571,000)
Last on the list is an amalgamation of three closeby cities that jointly comprise the Regional Municipal of Waterloo.
The trio (Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge) KWC are scattered between 100-200 km( 62-75 ) miles of south Toronto. This fits perfectly for daily commuters.
Even though Canada is the 10th least densely populated nation on earth (Approximated to be around 3.92 people per square kilometer), its citizens who number more than 40 million still cluster in some large and adorable cities. These hubs do not only bring people together but do so for several reasons, as well.
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