Happy 50th Birthday, Mississauga!
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Mayor Martin Dobkin from the Mississauga Times, January 2, 1974
Happy Birthday to the City! On January 1, 2024, the City of Mississauga turned 50 years old! Born through a series of amalgamations, the City of Mississauga formally came to be on January 1, 1974 with the joining of the towns of Mississauga, Port Credit and Streetsville to create the city. But as we know, our city has much older roots, and 1974 was not the first step in our collective story. The City of Mississauga sits upon the traditional and treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and people have traversed this landscape for countless generations over thousands of years.
The early colonial settlement era gradually evolved into a rural landscape of hamlets, villages and cross-roads communities, and as more people came to live in historic Mississauga following the First and Second World Wars, growth was inevitable and continuous. Over time there were several amalgamations that have shaped our present geographic and political borders. The first came in 1952 when a portion of Toronto Gore township (in the Malton area) was added to historic Mississauga.
City of Mississauga 50th anniversary logo
The Town of Mississauga came to be in 1968 with the amalgamation of the rural villages and hamlets of Toronto Township (Township of Toronto) into the new town. The 1968 creation of the Town of Mississauga did not include Port Credit or Streetsville at that time. The name Mississauga was chosen by residents. Over 2,200 residents suggested 889 different names, but the runaway favourite was “Mississauga” in honour of the Indigenous peoples who lived here before the first colonial-era settlers arrived. The name was submitted 513 times – almost four times as often as “Cooksville”. Council selected “Sheridan” as an alternative, but the voters chose “Mississauga” in the 1967 election by a two-to-one margin.
As mentioned, in 1974 the towns of Mississauga, Port Credit and Streetsville merged to create the City of Mississauga. At that time, our northern border was Steeles Avenue, but that moved slightly southward to the Hydro Corridor after Highway 407 was built. In 2010 an area along the west side of Ninth Line (formerly part of Trafalgar Township) was also added to Mississauga. These combined amalgamations and border changes together formed the geographic and political footprint that is Mississauga today.
Amalgamation of the three towns into the City of Mississauga in 1974 was an important step in planning better community services, particularly public transit. Port Credit’s lone TTC transit line dating back to the electrical radial of the early 1900s was incorporated into an expanding network of Mississauga Transit bus lines serving new residential, commercial and employment centres, and connecting the former villages of Malton and Streetsville with the vibrant city centre being built at Hurontario and Burnhamthorpe.
Today, Mississauga is home to over 700,000 people (the 7th largest city in Canada). And as we mark our 50th year as a city, we can look around us and easily see how the character of the modern city is firmly rooted in the historic structure of the hamlets and villages that came before. Mississauga truly is a city with many layers, many stories, and many roots – all most worthy of celebrating!
Throughout 2024 there will be events and programs that connect with the City’s 50th anniversary. One exciting program is History Hunt! In honour of the City’s milestone, the Museums of Mississauga have hidden 50 virtual artifacts as part of a city-wide scavenger hunt. Explore greenspaces, trails and parks, public art installations and learn some history along the way. Did you know Colonel Saunders used to live in Applewood? Or that a Grand Duchess lived on Camilla Road? Or that a Mississauga inventor created the first rigid hockey helmet?
The Mississauga History Hunt features ten tours, each with five stops to explore. Complete each tour and collect badges and enter to win monthly contest draws throughout 2024 courtesy of Tourism Mississauga and the Friends of the Museums. At each stop, there is a clue to find the next marker. Happy hunting!
Participate in the scavenger hunt by scanning the QR codes on the signs located across Mississauga, or by downloading the STQRY app (Android / iOS) onto your device.
The History Hunt is a self-guided scavenger hunt, where you will not only unlock exclusive stories about the history of the city, but also earn virtual badges for a chance to win prizes throughout the year. Prizes include gift cards to local restaurants and experiences, and tickets to local shows and sports games.
