Image Credit: Wikipedia
The City of Oshawa, often referred to as the “eastern anchor of the GTA and of the Golden Horseshoe”, lies on the Lake Ontario shoreline in Southern Ontario. It is situated approximately 60 km east of downtown Toronto.
Did you know? The name Oshawa originates from the Ojibwa term aazhawe, meaning "the crossing place" or just "a cross" (per Wikipedia).
Oshawa is the largest municipality in Durham, with a vibrant downtown core, an abundance of recreation and local sports, extensive green space and natural grounds to explore and enjoy, lots of support for new and existing businesses, as well as excellent schooling.
Historical significance and being the Automotive Capital of Canada
Oshawa, by the numbers
- Population: the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Oshawa had a population of 175,383
- Location: the City of Oshawa, regional municipality of Durham county, southeastern Ontario, Canada. It lies on the north shore of Lake Ontario, just northeast of Toronto
- Size: 145.68 km2
Vibrant downtown core and an abundance of recreation, entertainment and sports
DOWNTOWN CORE BIT
The City of Oshawa offers residents and visitors several options when it comes to recreational facilities (click on links for a virtual tour of each):
- Arts Resource Centre virtual tour
- Civic Recreation Complex virtual tour
- Delpark Homes Centre virtual tour
- Donevan Recreation Complex virtual tour
- Northview Community Centre virtual tour
- South Oshawa Community Centre virtual tour
These facilities, many of which include sports fields, arenas and meeting rooms that are available for rent and private use. You can also search through recreational facilities via this search engine page.
Community engagement is paramount in Oshawa, where there are also a number of festivals and events held annually. You can access the community calendar here for a full listing of local events and upcoming special dates, including any ticket or registration details (if applicable), volunteer information and more.
Looking to host an event? The City of Oshawa welcomes local event hosting and is proud to support and offer resources to businesses and residents seeking out spaces and more for their indoor and outdoor event needs.
You can find a breakdown of popular community events here, including Oshawa’s Summer in the City, an ongoing series of events held throughout the city on various dates between June and September.
There are so many things to do in Oshawa. Some of our top picks to check out include:
- Parkwood National Historic Site - a popular location for TV and film (X-Men and Billy Madison are two examples of movies where scenes were filmed there)
- The Robert McLaughlin Gallery - public art museum with a permanent collection of over 4,000 pieces
- The Canadian Automotive Museum - Canada's only museum dedicated to the history of Canada's automotive industry
- The Oshawa Museum - sharing the community’s history dating back to thousands of years
- Check out the Tribute Communities Centre, one of the world's top rated venues of its size and the home of the Oshawa Generals
- Treat your ears to a performance by the renowned Ontario Philharmonic based out of U.O.I.T.'s Regent Theatre
- Fun annual festivals include the award-winning Fiesta Week and Peony Festival
- The Oak Ridges Moraine for an experience with the Treetop Eco-Adventure Park
- Spend a day with the animals at the Oshawa Zoo
Extensive green space, parks and natural grounds
Oshawa is one of the first cities in Ontario to be designated a bike-friendly community. There are nearly 60 kilometers of bike lanes/routes and 27 kilometers of paved trails in the city’s trail network.
The parks and trail system in Oshawa is made up of almost 410 hectares of parklands, which includes over 130 parks. These grounds include over 27 kilometers of paved areas to enjoy.
You can search for local parks in Oshawa via their official parks database. For a full listing of local trails, check out Oshawa’s official Recreational Trails Brochure. Another excellent resource is Oshawa’s Natural Grounds search page, where you can access maps and information on natural and preserved grounds in the area.
Just a few of the natural areas in Oshawa include:
- Second Marsh - 123-hectare wetland ecosystem on an area spanning over 100 square kilometers, including the Harmony Creek
- McLaughlin Bay Wildlife Reserve - created in 1990, owned and operated by General Motors but is open to the public
- Pumphouse Marsh Wildlife Reserve - local schools use this wetland area for field research
- Gold Point Coastal Wetland - situated within the Lakefront West Park and provides habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife
Image Credit: Region of Durham
The City of Oshawa is also home to a thriving and large harbour area, allowing for spectacular scenery while enjoying engaging and staying active outdoors in the community.
Some of the parks you’ll find located along the waterfront area here include:
Support for new and local business
Business and investment in Oshawa is thriving, owing to the city’s dedication to supporting its local businesses at every level. There are extensive small business resources in place, designed to help local business at every level:
- Registering Your Business
- Business Permits and Licenses
- Business Support Services
- Funding Your Business
- Home-Based Business
- City of Oshawa Economic Development Services, which entail:
- Promote Oshawa as a destination for business investment
- Site location and business support - whether a company is expanding, locating or relocating within Oshawa
- Assistance to address operational or municipal issues
- Assistance to streamline the development approvals process
- Statistics and information related to Oshawa's economy
- Access to information on government initiatives, programs and events
- Administer the Downtown Area Community Improvement Programs
Excellent local schooling
Image Credit: Unsplash
The Durham District School Board operates the schools in the region and includes 134 elementary schools, secondary schools and learning centres, which caters to over 74,000 regular day students, as well as thousands of students in continuing education and adult credit courses.
There are also several private school options in Oshawa, including:
- Blaisdale Montessori School - NS to coed, with 7 campuses in Pickering, Ajax, Oshawa and Bowmanville
- Hatch House Montessori School - NS to 8 coed
- Trafalgar Castle School - all-girls school, offering grades 4 to 12
- Durham Elementary, Durham Academy and G.B.M.S. - NS to 12 coed, progressive day school
The City of Oshawa is one where residents and visitors are encouraged to live, play and grow. This is a diverse and engaged community with significant historical roots and a bright and innovative future ahead. From its vibrant downtown core to its many natural and sprawling parklands, it's no wonder this fast-growing community continues to attract so many new residents and investors each year.
Curious to know more about the thriving community of Oshawa?
CONTACT US today for more information on this and the many other communities Royal LePage Connect Realty serves.
Helping YOU is what we do!
Close
Register
Log in
Mortgage calculator
