TORONTO FACTS THAT SOUND MADE UP (BUT AREN’T)
We love a good Toronto fact, especially the kind that makes your friends squint and say, “No way.” So we rounded up 5 of our favourites from our latest reel.
Each one sounds a little too wild to be true. Still, we checked every single one against official and trusted sources, so you can share them with confidence.
IS TORONTO REALLY FARTHER SOUTH THAN FLORENCE?
A Tuscan twist on the map
Yes, and it surprises almost everyone. Downtown Toronto sits at roughly 43.65 degrees north, while Florence, Italy, sits at about 43.77 degrees north.
That makes the heart of our city a touch farther south than the home of the Duomo. The gap is small, though. Our northern edge actually creeps above Florence’s latitude, so we’ll call it a friendly tie with a downtown advantage.
HOW OFTEN DOES LIGHTNING HIT THE CN TOWER?
A lightning rod with a view
More often than you’d think. According to the CN Tower, its antenna is struck by lightning about 75 times a year on average.
Don’t worry about the people inside, though. Copper strips run the full height of the tower and carry each strike safely into grounding rods buried deep below. Researchers have even used the tower for decades to study lightning up close.
HOW GREEN AND HOW GLOBAL IS TORONTO?
More than 180 languages
Toronto is one of the most multilingual places on the planet. The City of Toronto notes that more than 180 languages and major dialects are spoken across the Toronto region.
In fact, the 2021 Census found that nearly 45% of city residents speak at least one language other than English or French at home. Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, Spanish and Tamil lead the list.
A city within a park
Our tree count is just as impressive. The City’s 2018 Tree Canopy Study counted about 11.5 million trees, up from roughly 10.2 million a decade earlier.
Those trees cover somewhere between 28% and 31% of the city, so “more than a quarter” is a safe bet. Add a ravine system that covers about 17% of our land, and it’s easy to see why Toronto calls itself “a city within a park.”
DOES TORONTO REALLY PLAY NEW YORK IN MOVIES?
Hollywood North, dressed up
All the time. Toronto has stood in for New York in countless films and shows, with crews hiding the CN Tower, covering streetcar tracks and rolling in yellow cabs to complete the look.
Then there’s the famous garbage story. Back in 1985, the Los Angeles Times reported that a director shooting the CBS series Night Heat ordered a pile of trash to make a street look more like New York. When the crew came back from a break, city workers had already cleaned it up!
So yes, our streets have been “too clean” for the job. It’s one of Hollywood North’s favourite tales, and it still makes us smile.
WHICH FACT SURPRISED YOU MOST?
Now it’s your turn. Catch the full reel on Instagram at @mytorontonews and enter our giveaway right there. You’ll find all the details in the reel’s caption.
Then tell us which fact you’re sharing first. We’ll be reading every comment!
Watch the reel and enter the giveaway on Instagram.