Top 10 Oldest Cities in Canada
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| Photo: KnowInsiders |
What are the oldest cities in Canada?
Canada is a country situated in the northern region of North America. With a size of about 3.9 million square miles, Canada is the world's second-biggest country in terms of size. Ottawa is the capital city while Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal are some of the largest metropolitans.
Here is the list of top 10 oldest cities in Canada
1. St. John's (1497)
2. Quebec City (1608)
3. Trois-Rivières (1634)
4. Montreal (1642)
5. Longueuil (1657)
6. Kingston (1673)
7. Winnipeg (1733)
8. Halifax (1749)
9. Windsor (1749)
10. York (1793)
1. St. John's (1497) - The First City in Canada
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| Photo: CHBA-nl |
Aside from being the capital city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John’s is also the largest city in the province. On a larger scale, it is 20th in terms of size compared to other metropolitan areas of Canada. This city has a rich history and significance as it is the oldest settlement in Canada and North America that was established by the English back in 1497. For this reason, it is a popular destination for tourists each year. On August 5, 1583, the English, under the Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I, claimed the city. When the British began taking censuses in the later stages of the 1600s, the city had the largest population as more people migrated to the settlement. St. John’s official incorporation as a city took place on May 1, 1988.
2. Quebec City (1608)
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| Photo: Trip Savvy |
Québec City was founded by French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1608 and is the oldest municipality in the province. In the 17th century, the first French explorers, fur trappers, and missionaries arrived to establish a colony.
French explorer Jacques Cartier arrived in 1535, and although he did attempt to set up a (short-lived) colony, it was Champlain who founded "New France" some 70 years later and built a fort (called Place Royale today) on the banks of St. Lawrence.
3. Trois-Rivières (1634)
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| Photo: Blog Voyages |
Trois-Rivières, English Three Rivers, city, Mauricie–Bois-Francs region, southern Quebec province, Canada. It lies on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, at the mouth of the Saint-Maurice River. Trois-Rivières was founded in 1634 by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain and named for the three channels at the mouth of the Saint-Maurice. It lies midway between Montreal and Quebec cities and is one of the oldest settlements in Canada. The city has developed from a frontier outpost into a major industrial center and deepwater port.
Trois-Rivières is the seat of a Roman Catholic bishopric and the site of an Ursuline convent built-in 1697. The city also has a branch of the University of Quebec. The Canadian National Railway, several highways, an airport, and year-round ferry crossings on St. Lawrence serve the city. In 2002 several surrounding communities were merged into Trois-Rivières, greatly increasing the city’s area and population.
4. Montreal (1642)
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| Photo: Daliy Hive |
In terms of population, Montreal is position one in the Canadian province of Quebec while it ranks second in the whole of Canada. Located on the heart of the Island of Montreal in the southwestern region of Quebec, the city was previously known as Ville-Marie, which translates to the “City of Mary.” The city was founded on May 17, 1642, as Ville-Marie by French colonists who had set out to establish a mission.
After a period of turbulence, the settlements began growing steadily until its incorporation in 1832. By 1860, it was first in terms of size and economic significance compared to all the other municipalities that were located in British North America. This growth saw to it that the city had a brief tenure as the capital city of Canada between 1844 and 1849. This short tenure was because of a rioting mob that set the Parliament building on fire, which led to the queen handing over that role to Ottawa.
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5. Longueuil (1657)
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| Photo: First Capital Realty |
Longueuil’s history dates to the 17th century with the settling of French colonists. It is today an important suburb of Montreal and is connected to the island of Montreal by the Jacques Cartier bridge and the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel-bridge. Longueuil is criss-crossed by major expressways linking metropolitan Montreal to Québec city, the Eastern Townships and northern New York State. The municipality of Longueuil is its own entity within the Longueuil agglomeration which includes other nearby cities.
6. Kingston (1673)
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| Photo: Wikipedia |
Kingston, Ontario, incorporated as a city 1846, population 123,798 (2016 c), 123,363 (2011 c). Kingston was first settled in 1783, incorporated as a town in 1838 and as a city in 1846. It is located approximately 175 km southwest of Ottawa, 290 km west of Montreal and 260 km east of Toronto. The former capital of the Province of Canada (1841), Kingston’s position at the junction of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, its proximity to the border with the United States and the dominance of the Canadian Shield in its surrounding area, have been crucial to its settlement, political and economic history.
7. Winnipeg (1733)
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| Photo: Inspirido Education |
Winnipeg, city, capital (1870) of Manitoba, Canada. It lies at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, 40 miles (65 km) southwest of Lake Winnipeg and 60 miles (95 km) north of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Winnipeg is the economic and cultural centre of Manitoba and is at the heart of the most populous metropolitan area in central Canada.
Fort-Rouge was established on the site in 1738 by the French voyageur La Vérendrye. It was followed later by Fort Gibraltar (built by the North West Company in 1810) and Fort Garry (Hudson’s Bay Company, 1821). These, together with the Red River Settlement (founded 1811–12) of Scottish colonists, formed the nucleus of the new city, the name of which was taken from that of Lake Winnipeg and derived from the Cree Indian words win nipee (“muddy water”).
8. Halifax (1749)
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| Photo: Trip Advisor |
Halifax, in full Halifax Regional Municipality, city and capital of Nova Scotia, Canada. A major amalgamation and incorporation as Halifax Regional Municipality (referred to as HRM) occurred in 1996 and united the City of Halifax, the City of Dartmouth, the Town of Bedford, and Halifax County Municipality within boundaries that include the original Halifax county (with the exception of First Nations [Native American] reserves). Halifax is a navy creation. It owes its existence largely to its location on one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural harbours in the world, which, over time, made Halifax one of the most important Canadian commercial ports on the Atlantic seaboard.
9. Windsor (1749)
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| Photo: Trip Advisor |
Windsor is situated on the left (south) bank of the Detroit River, opposite Detroit, Michigan. Settled by French farmers shortly after 1701, when a fort was established at Detroit, the city was known as “the Ferry” and later as Richmond before it was renamed in 1836 for Windsor (New Windsor), England. Because of Windsor’s strategic location on a navigable waterway opposite the heart of Detroit, the city soon developed into both an important railway terminal and a Great Lakes port, attracting many industries, including several large U.S. branch industrial plants. It annexed the adjoining cities of East Windsor, Walkerville, and Sandwich in 1935 and Riverside in 1966.
10. York (1793)
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| Photo: Wikipedia |
Of the 10 oldest cities in Canada, York ranks 10th dating back to 1793. This former city was located within the current Canadian city of Toronto in Ontario. The original town was a simple design with a garrison included for the army. Most of the people who lived there were from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and England. However, there were other smaller populations from Europe such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Other people came to the town mainly as immigrants, which expanded its population from 1,000 to 9,000 by the time of its incorporation in 1834 as the City of Toronto.
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