Oshawa is a city in Ontario, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe. It is the largest community in the Regional Municipality of Durham. The name Oshawa originates from the Ojibwa term aazhaway, meaning "the carring place" or just "(a)cross". The automobile industry, specifically the Canadian division of General Motors Corporation, known as General Motors Canada, has always been at the forefront of Oshawa's economy. Founded in 1876 as the McLaughlin Carriage Company, General Motors of Canada's headquarters and major assembly plants are located in the city. The lavish home of the carriage company's founder, Parkwood Estate, is a national historic site, and a backdrop favoured by Toronto film crews. The city is also home to Cullen Miniature Village and Windfields Farm, a thoroughbred horse breeding operation and birthplace of Canada's most famous racehorse, Northern Dancer. Once very much a distinct community - physically, economically, and culturally - Oshawa has been increasingly subsumed into the Greater Toronto Area. A lot of buyers have bought homes in Oshawa , as the home prices are still the cheapest in whole of GTA .Buyers commute by GO Train or by 401 everyday . Even builders are cashing on that craze and building a lot of homes in Oshawa along Taunton . The only negative is that the property taxes are one of the highest in Oshawa . Communities of Oshawa The principal communities of Oshawa are: downtown Oshawa, Grandview Heights, Kedron, Kingsway Village, Lake Vista, North Oshawa and Thornton Woods. Downtown Oshawa Downtown Oshawa, located at the intersection of King and Simcoe, is the oldest Downtown core in the Durham Region. Historic buildings in Downtown Oshawa include the old post office, the old Town Hall (1838; now a Bargain shop), the head office of Lovell Drugs (1846), and the Shoppers Drug Mart (1885). The Four Corners of downtown Oshawa are divided into four parts: East Four Corners, West Four Corners, North Four Corners, and South Four Corners. - West Four Corners was constructed in 1841 and has some of the high-end stores in the downtown core, such as Mike's Place and The Bargain Shop. It also has the historic mall from the 1890s.
- South Four Corners, located on Simcoe St South with over 10 stores including a very reputable cafe called Rossoco's Sweet Shop. It also has the oldest church in the Downtown district: Simcoe Street United (1868).
- East Four Corners, located on King Street East. It was constructed in 1847, and has the famous Regent theatre and Lovell Drugs. It has more than 10 stores and 20 businesses, and is notable for having the tallest building in Durham Region: the Alger Building, which is 5 floors high.
Kedron- Oshawa Homes Kedron is a small community on the northern urbanized limits of Oshawa. It is home to Durham College, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, and Camp Samac, a camp run by the Boy Scouts of Canada. It is centered on Conlin Road, between Ritson and Simcoe. The area's elementary school is Kedron Public School. Kedron is also home to Windfields Farm. Although the area is becoming more urbanized, there are still a few farms in the community. Kingsway Village-Oshawa Homes Kingsway Village is an old community centered on the intersection of Townline Road and King Street, on the boundary between Oshawa and Courtice. It's northern boundary is the northern limit of the Kingsway Forest subdivision; it's southern and eastern boundaries are created by Farewell creek. The western boundary is up for debate; while it has been thought to be Harmony road, the presence of the Kingsway Motel at the intersection of King Street and Farewell Street make Farewell Street a possible boundary. At the center of the community, at King and Townline, is a large commercialized area of strip malls, most notably the Kingsway Village Plaza; the whole commercial area is named The Booth by local residents.It is unclear precisely how the community received its name. It may have taken its name from Kingsway College, the former institution of postsecondary learning whose campus still remains in the neighbourhood. However, the college received that name in the early 60s, leading some to believe that it was renamed after the community. The community may also have received its name from the major arterial road running through it, King Street, of which "Kingsway" is a derivative. Lastly, the tradition may have derived from before either institution/road existed, something made believable by aptly named roads such as "Kingsway Gate," and "Kingswood Court," which are found inside the community.One other point of note about the community is a housing subdivision in its north end, "Kingsway Forest," in which every street in its southern portion is named after a car model. Lake Vista-Oshawa Homes Lake Vista is an old Oshawa neighbourhood located in the south part of the city. Its boundaries are Highway 401 to the north, the Lake Ontario to the south, the General Motors plant (aka Park Road) to the West, and Wilson Road to the east. The center of the community is a commercialized area, consisting mainly of strip malls, found near the intersection of Wentworth and Cedar. North Oshawa Homes North Oshawa's population is about 4,000. It has 7 or 8 schools and a couple nice community parks. The east limit is harmony Rd. and Somerville St. is the west limit. The north limit is Conlin Rd. and the southern limit is Rossland Rd. It is centered on the intersection of Ritson Road and Taunton Road, where a large commercialized area can be found, most notably Five Points Mall. This neighbourhood is also notable for having the greatest number of tall apartment buildings in the city of Oshawa.It also has 6 or 7 townhouses complexes where the kids find their home. One of the farms in North Oshawa is where Northern Dancer was born. It is also home to a Cineplex Odeon on the corner of Grandview St. and Taunton Rd. Just to the west of that is a huge Walmart plaza. The community is served by 7 bus routes. There are a bunch of new subdivisions being built and it is a fastly developing area. It has 2 public libraries and is also home to Eastview Boys And Girls Club Northview Unit. Crime is not bad but every few weeks there is an armed robbery or an assault North Oshawa is also known as "New Oshawa" due to the obvious growth of brand new properties, and commercial plazas. There is also a new community centre, Legends C C. and a few separate and public schools. The "New Oshawa" term begun as a way to differentiate the north from the downtown and south Oshawa in order to break away from the stigma associated with larger cities (and speculatively, to separate itself from the negative stereotypes of the older parts of Oshawa) . Thornton Woods- Oshawa Homes Thornton Woods is centered on the intersection of Thornton and Adelaide. The boundaries are considered to run from King St. northbound along Thornton, including sections east along Adelaide to Waverly, and to the western border of Oshawa and Whitby. Although Thornton Rd. extends far north onto Raglan Rd near Port Perry, "Thornton Woods" stops at either Rossland Rd, or further north at Taunton Rd. depending on traditional or contemporary boundaries.
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