Oshawa is located approximately 60 kilometers east of Toronto and is recognised as the eastern anchor of the GTA and the Golden Horseshoe Triangle. With a 2016 census population of 159,458 it is the largest municipality in Durham Region.
Oshawa’s industrial roots are firmly anchored in the automobile industry and it remains the Canadian headquarters for General Motors Canada, founded by Robert McLaughlin in the early 1900’s. The GM plant in South Oshawa currently employs approximately 4,000 workers, down from a high of approximately 14,000 at its peak.
The City has undergone a major transformation over the past 20 years, morphing from a manufacturing centre into a Health Sciences & Education hub. The City is home to roughly 22,000 students enrolled in 3 post-secondary institutions including Trent University, Durham College and The University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Oshawa was listed as the 6th best place in Canada to find employment in 2016 on data supplied by StatsCan. Key labour force sectors now include advanced manufacturing, health technology, logistics, energy and IT.
The downtown area is bustling, with over 2,400 students and 5,000 workers. It is home to the Ontario Ministry of Finance and the Durham Regional Courthouse. Over 50 restaurants & cafes help feed this hungry crowd! The downtown is also home to Lakeridge Health Oshawa, one of the largest community hospitals in Ontario which also houses the R.S. McLaughlin Regional Cancer Centre, along with the teaching site for Queen’s University School of Medicine and is home to Queen’s family physician residency program for pediatric residency & training.
Oshawa has been one of the fastest growing cities in Canada. The older, southern communities tend to be less affluent than the more modern suburbs to the north, which have been expanding at breakneck speed. The relatively lower housing prices in Oshawa have attracted new residents from throughout the GTA. The City is well connected with the recent completion of Highway 407 to the North and VIA Rail and GO Transit direct commuter service in the southern part of the City. The newly remodelled Oshawa Centre recently underwent a 230 million dollar upgrade and houses over 230 stores. It is the largest mall in Ontario east of Toronto.
Oshawa offers a terrific quality of life at a reasonable cost. The City continues to attract services and amenities and the schools and Universities are constantly growing and expanding. It is close to nature with a beautiful lakefront park and rural farmland and Lake Scugog to the north. The City is also rich in sports with the Tribute Communities Centre housing the OHL Oshawa Generals.
Would you like to get a feel for this beautiful area? We’d love to take you on a tour! Call us at 905-728-1600 and we’d be happy to organize that for you!
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