Etobicoke, Ontario

Etobicoke (pronounced a-TOE-ba-coe; in SAMPA [@'toUb@koU]), is the western region of Toronto, Ontario. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River, on the west by the city of Mississauga, and on the north by the city of Woodbridge.

Until 1998, the city of Etobicoke was one of six municipalities (five cities and one borough) that made up the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. In 1998, the Metropolitan government was merged with the six municipalities to form the amalgamated city of Toronto.

The former city of Etobicoke was itself the product of previous amalgamations. In 1967, the township of Etobicoke was merged with three small lakeside villages: Long Branch, New Toronto and Mimico to form the borough of Etobicoke. The municipality was rechristened as a city in 1984.

Etobicoke was named after Etobicoke Creek (also called Black Alders Creek around 1800 by the surveyor Augustus Jones), whose name is derived from a Mississauga word wahdobekaung, meaning "place where the black/wild alders grow." It is thought that the French explorer, Etienne Brulé, was the first European to visit the area, circa 1615.

See also: Identical bids to mark Etobicoke streets