The history of the Waterloo region goes back the 1783, when the British government granted the Grand River Valley to the Iroquois, who had supported the Loyalists in the American War of Independence, to compensate them for the loss of their land in New York. The Iroquois settled in the Lower Grand River Valley (now Brant County), and sold the land which now comprises Waterloo Regional Municipality to a group of Mennonites from Pennsylvania.
Mennonites settled the in the area founding the Town of Waterloo. By the 1840s, the presence of the German-speaking Mennonites made the area a popular choice for German settlers from Europe. These Germans founded their own communities in the south of the area settled by the Mennonites, the largest being the town of Berlin (now Kitchener).
The Waterloo region remained prodominantly German-speaking until the early 20th century, and its German heritage is reflected in the region's large Lutheran community and the annual Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest.
There are still traditional Mennonite communities located north of Kitchener-Waterloo. The most famous is St. Jacobs, where an outdoor market is held in the summer.
| Table of contents |
|
2 Education 3 Business 4 External Links |
About 470,000 people live in the Region of Waterloo, including full-time university students. Many locals are of German descent.
Waterloo Region is home to two universities, the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. It is also home to three campuses of Conestoga College, one in the Doon area of Kitchener, one in Cambridge, and the other in Waterloo.
Waterloo Region is expanding in both commercial and population terms. The presence of several major universities, including the University of Waterloo acts as a catalyst for growth in the high-tech area. Research In Motion is a major employer. As house prices in Toronto increase, the towns in Waterloo region become increasingly attractive as dormitory towns, thanks to the nearby highway 401.
The Waterloo Regional Airport is the 12th busiest in Canada, and as of 2003 is undergoing an major expansion.
Towns and Cities in Waterloo Regional Municipality include:
Demographics
Education
Business
External Links