Life Issues In London, Ontario, Canada (Genre: Society)
Life In London: City Issues
As per common information freely available and agreed upon, London is a great city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 383,822 according to the 2016 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximately halfway between Toronto, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan.
It's to be borne in mind that The City of London is a separated municipality, politically separate from Middlesex County, though it remains the county seat. London has today grown to be the largest Southwestern Ontario municipality and Canada's 11th largest metropolitan area, having absorbed many of the smaller communities that once surrounded it.
London is a regional centre for health care and education, being home to the University of Western Ontario, Fanshawe College, and several hospitals. The city hosts a number of musical and artistic exhibits and festivals, which contribute to its tourism industry, but its economic activity is centred on education, medical research, insurance, and information technology.
London's university and hospitals are among its top ten employers. London lies at the junction of Highway 401 and 402, connecting it to other major cities like Toronto, Windsor, and Sarnia. It also boasts of an international airport, a train and bus station.
I have been living in London, and it is definitely a nice city. Its highlights include but are not limited to:
- Has everything one needs: good shopping in all sectors (new, re-done Masonville mall - competes with some malls in Toronto)
- Good employment opportunities - many different types of businesses although the city isn’t huge
- Moderate living costs with excellent (more spacious) housing which many Ontario cities do not have at all
- UWO - thriving university that nurtures London’s growing younger and creative population
- Opportunities for Eat, Drink, Party: London surely has this
- It is right on the 401: getting to places like Toronto, Windsor, Detroit, and other cities is fairly easy.
- But there is lack of tourist attractions for the number of people living here and the young population in particular
- Increasing traffic in the city and limitations to parking in the city which will put more pressure once the BRT comes into place.
- Shopping is pretty good. It's a very attractive city too with lots of green space. However, one of the things that are getting worse is traffic. London has grown recently, mostly around the University.
- However, public transit and roads haven't kept up, and since it's a low - density city, it's sprawling a bit. That means heavier traffic during rush hour, particularly around the roads that lead to the 401.
- For sports, the OHL London Knights are typically a very strong junior hockey team and closely followed locally. Your location gives you a choice of 2 NFL teams ( Bills or Lions), 2 MLB teams (Jays, Tigers) and 1 NHL team (Red Wings) plus the Leaf.
Yup, it’s surely a great balance between a big city and a small city. It’s small enough that you don’t get annoyed having to spend an hour to get to the other side of the city or feel crowded but big enough that you get a lot of restaurants, stores and events (NBA, WWE, famous American/Canadian singers/performers, comedians etc.). The job prospects are decent, a few large companies located here. The housing market is nice, it’s cheap.
The quality of life in London is good and a brief analysis here would do justice to the same.
However, it must be noted that the residents here need to show more tolerance and friendliness with respect to the newcomers who in many cases have already been badly disappointed in life. The existing quality of life can only be maintained and even improved if we share a common sensitivity towards one another. Moreover, there are issues of alcohol, drugs, crime, prostitution and racism in this city just like any other. But this is for sure that there is no stopping that London will ever be a happy city, a pride of Canada.
Monthly shelter costs for rented dwellings include rent and utilities. The median (middle point) monthly shelter cost for rented dwellings in London is $782 which is similar to Canada ($784) but less than Ontario ($892), thereby making it easier to live here and improving the cost of living.
Monthly shelter costs for owned dwellings includes mortgage payments, utilities and property taxes. The median (middle point) monthly shelter costs for owned dwellings in London is $1,045 which is above that of Canada ($978) but below that of Ontario ($1,163) thereby making property-retaining attractive locally in London.
When asked, "How satisfied are you with your life in general?" A majority 93.8% of respondents from the area covered by the London Middlesex Health Unit said they were 'very satisfied' or 'satisfied' which was higher than the overall Canada (92.3%) and Ontario (91.8%) rates as well as many other Ontario Health Units making it a happy city for most who live here.
Value of dwellings refers to the dollar amount expected by the owner if the dwelling was to be sold. The median (middle point) value of dwellings in London is $229,634 which is less than that of Ontario ($300,862) and Canada ($280,552) thereby making property-investment a viable option here that has the potential for long-term growth.
Commuting duration refers to how many minutes it takes a person to travel from home to work. In London the median (middle point) commuting duration is 15.9 minutes which is less than that of communities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) as well as Ontario (20.8) and Canada (20.5) as a whole thus proving that it is a comfortable and easy-to-get-around city.
When asked "How would you describe your sense of belonging to the local community?" 70.5% of respondents from the area covered by the London Middlesex Health Unit said it was "very strong" or "somewhat strong" which was higher than the overall Canada (65.4%) and Ontario (67.5%) rate as well as most comparator Ontario Health Units.
Comments
Post a Comment