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Get to Know Waterloo

Waterloo is sometimes referred to as the Silicon Valley of the North, thanks to the sheer volume of start-ups in the city. In fact, except for the original Silicon Valley in California, the Waterloo region has the highest density of start-ups in the world. Much of Waterloo’s tech prowess can be traced to the University of Waterloo, which is known for the strength of its engineering department and its large co-op education program, where students alternate between studying and working during their time in college. With a direct pipeline of well-trained students and graduates from the seven universities and colleges in Waterloo, the city quickly became a tech hub, home to both new and established tech companies. There’s definitely a college town vibe in parts of the city, but because of Waterloo’s strong tech economy, there’s plenty of opportunities for a sophisticated, grown-up lifestyle here as well.

Living in Southern Ontario

Southern Ontario’s Toronto-Waterloo Corridor, which stretches from the Greater Toronto Area to the Tri-Cities in Waterloo, is a formidable tech hub. In fact, it’s North America’s biggest tech cluster outside of Silicon Valley and home to more than 15,000 tech companies, which employ more than 300,000 people. Thanks to this concentration of innovative entrepreneurship and economic development, the cities along the Toronto-Waterloo Corridor have grown into significant metropolises and dense suburbs, each with its own distinct personality. Though every town is different, they all share a commitment to the great outdoors, with beautiful hiking and biking trails crisscrossing the region and plenty of opportunities to sail, kayak, or canoe on Lake Ontario and its nearby tributaries. This region is incredibly diverse, with residents choosing to move to Southern Ontario from around the world, leading to a food scene that can only be described as epic and delicious.