Mississauga has always been a city of noteworthy accomplishments, from its inception as a city in 1974, combining the former townships of Lakeview, Cooksville, Lorne Park, Clarkson, Erindale, Sheridan, Dixie, Meadowvale Village, Malton, Port Credit and Streetsville; to being home to Canada’s longest-serving mayor, Hazel McCallion, from 1978 to 2014.

You might expect such a track record of ambition from one of the most populous – and fastest-growing – municipalities in Canada.

Covering a huge swath of land – 288 square kms, 13 km of which front Lake Ontario – Mississauga comprises many distinct neighbourhoods and communities. The former town of Port Credit, for example, once a sleepy little industrial locale, home to the iconic – and smelly – St. Lawrence Starch Co. plant from 1890 to 1990, today is a much sought-after residential area, thanks to its prized waterfront location.

Getting around Mississauga is, well, you are travelling over a vast area, and traffic these days… But Hwys. 401, 403, 410 and the QEW all run for stretches through the city, and there’s no shortage of GO Transit and Mississauga MiWay Transit options.

Local histories

Many of these areas host annual festivals that pay respect to local histories. Streetsville, for example, holds its annual Bread and Honey Festival in June, paying homage to the area’s roots as a mill town. And Port Credit’s Southside Shuffle blues and jazz festival (this year Sept. 11 to 13), in beautiful lake- and riverside Memorial Park, draws crowds from all over the GTA.

For sports and recreation, again Mississauga is blessed with numerous recreational winter and summer sports leagues with decades of local history. Using the Streetsville example again, the Vic Johnston Community Centre dates back to 1961, and sits adjacent to Memorial Park and the Credit River.

Following the Credit River down to Port Credit, Memorial Arena is another beautiful old barn, sitting adjacent to Memorial Park and facing Lake Ontario. Cross Lakeshore Road and you’re right at Port Credit Harbour, home to the popular Snug Harbour Seafood Bar and Grill. Head out to the end of the pier and you’ll get a close-up view of a local landmark – the Ridgetown, the Great Lakes bulk freighter that was sunk off the shore when retired to serve as the breakwater for the harbour.

Prized development

The waterfront, in fact, is prized redevelopment land, as former industrial sites are now home to thriving new master-planned communities. On the old site of an oil refinery at Mississauga Road and Lakeshore, for example, Brightwater Condos & Towns will eventually welcome more than 15,000 residents.

Equally impressive is what’s happening in the Lakeview area of Port Credit, on the site of the former Lakeview Generation Station. The site is now home to Lakeview Village, another master-planned community eventually comprising 8,000 new homes and condos, welcoming 20,000 residents.

One builder, Edenshaw Developments, so believes in Mississauga that it has a number of projects either existing or underway. The company has Tanu and Westport, and more recently ALBA, in Port Credit, and some others “coming soon.”

“Mississauga has become one of the most compelling places to live and invest in the GTA,” says Kimberly Jeffrey D’angelo, co-founder of The Greenheart Group, the firm marketing ALBA. “It delivers on the things that actually matter to people – connection, convenience and quality of life. Strong transit infrastructure, a growing downtown core, proximity to the waterfront and access to major employment hubs make it an easy choice for end-users and investors alike.

“Port Credit, in particular, has a village-like charm that’s hard to find anywhere else in the region. It has a real sense of community, beautiful waterfront access and a main street that people actually want to be on. ALBA sits in a sweet spot between Port Credit and the Mississauga City Centre. Close enough to enjoy the best of both, with the waterfront and village energy on one side and the conveniences of an established urban core on the other.”

Location, location, location

More than 288 square kms, 13 kms fronting Lake Ontario; bounded by Oakville, Milton, Brampton, Toronto and Lake Ontario; population 768,794.

Key landmarks

• Living Arts Centre
• Mississauga Celebration Square
• Sheridan College Business School
• Square One Shopping Centre
• University of Toronto Mississauga

Select housing developments

ALBA
By Edenshaw Developments
edenshaw.com

• Brightwater Condos & Towns
  By West Village Partners
  brightwatercondosmississauga.ca
  
• Lakeview Village
  By Lakeview Community Partners
  mylakeviewvillage.com
  
• M City
  By Urban Capital
  urbancapital.ca
  
• Westport
  By Edenshaw Developments
  edenshaw.com