Whitby

The fastest-growing municipality in Durham, Whitby is located just 30 minutes east of Toronto on the north shore of Lake Ontario. One of Ontario's most delightful communities, its 92,400 residents enjoy big city amenities with small town charm.

Whitby boasts a diverse economic base with industries such as steel, furniture, plastics, pharmaceuticals, publishing, automotive, defense technology, recycling and environmental management. Further commerce includes packaging, telecommunications, electronics, consumer products, engineering, warehousing, fabricate metals and food processing. The town is the Canadian headquarters of well-known, internationally-based companies like BMW Canada, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Makita Canada and Sklar-Peppler.

Downtown Whitby was revitalized in the 1980s and is now a charming, Victorian-style shopping district with over 400 shops and services. Historic buildings house a wide range of specialty shops and restaurants.

Like its downtown, Whitby's harbour has also been reinvented and is now a year-round recreation area complete with a yacht club, marina and boat-launching facilities. In 1995 a waterfront trail opened through this area as part of the 300-kilometre trail from Burlington to Trenton.

Whitby is perhaps best known as the home of Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village, which includes elaborate flower gardens surrounding more than 160 Ontario buildings constructed to one-twelfth of their original size. The Whitby Station Gallery, set in a 1903 Victorian Train Station, is one Ontario's finest art galleries, featuring innovative art exhibits, workshops and lectures. The Brooklin Spring Fair and the County Town Carnival are annual events frequented by residents and visitors from surrounding areas.

Whitby has numerous parks and conservation areas such as Heber Down Conservation Area with 633 acres of forest and valley. Hunter Farms is the largest emu farm in Ontario. The farm provides an informative and educational learning experience for its visitors. The Lynde Shores Conservation Area includes wetlands and is well known among bird watchers.

The price of housing is part of Whitby's attraction. Single-family homes dominate, but there is also a good selection of townhomes and a few choice condominiums available. An ideal locale for young families, there are still very reasonable townhomes and starter bungalows to be found.