Elaborate park system helps Burlington be named one of Canada’s best small cities
Published July 7, 2022 at 11:46 am
Burlington has been named one of the best small cities in Canada by an online magazine.
Bestcities.org used numerous metrics to help come up with their list of the Top 25 Best Small Cities in the country. Burlington ranks seventh overall and fourth in Ontario, trailing Kingston, Niagara Falls and Waterloo.
“Burlington’s distinct livability is no secret, considering the recent accolades that have been heaped upon its municipal borders: from “Best Community in Canada” by Maclean’s in 2019 to topping MoneySense’s annual rankings of the best mid-sized cities in Canada,” wrote the magazine, explaining its ranking.
“The leading metric in our own most recent favourable ranking of the city is safety and few spots in Canada can top the serenity of Burlington, which is a bonus, given the many opportunities to be out and about in a place that has some of the most sprawling green spaces of any city in the province (1,436 acres of parkland, to be exact).”
Burlington gets high grades in several categories used for the rankings, including parks and outdoors, and weather.
“The city’s Royal Botanical Gardens are a manifestation of the area’s distinct climate and of the local appreciation for stopping to smell the flowers — in this case, more than 180,000 plants representing 2,300 plant species that are an ode to Canada’s vast and varied flora. These are the country’s largest botanical gardens — designated as a national historic site — and the 27 kilometres of walking trails on the grounds let locals and visitors explore independently.
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“It’s hard to imagine that this bucolic serenity and safety is still technically part of the Greater Toronto Area, with the big city just an hour away by car or via three GO Transit stations. The wineries and tourist attractions — perfect outings for when friends and family come to visit — are an hour the other direction, in Niagara. But the city is far from a bedroom community.
“Industry and infrastructure have long been supported and built here, with the recent remodelling of Joseph Brant Hospital, the first in Canada to create a pandemic response unit in 2020, being just the latest example.”
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