February 12, 2012  (Post #1) 


Hi...


It's a happy day today!  My blogs have shown up on Google! Woot! Woot! Hooray!!!!   Many, many, many smiles!!! 


Before I go on to talk about some of our home-grown musicians today, I thought I'd post a couple of maps so that the geographical location of Canada's Golden Horseshoe area will become clear to all folks who might not be familiar with it.  

"Canada's Golden Horseshoe", (in red & green), as it relates to the province of Ontario and the USA:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Map_of_Ontario_GOLDEN_HORSESHOE

Also, after many years of searching, I've found the answer to the question of how the area got to be coined "the Golden Horseshoe"! (Also included are the current population numbers of the larger urban centres.)  

"Census Metropolitan Areas in the Golden Horseshoe 

1. Toronto CMA 5,113,1492. Hamilton CMA 692,9113. Kitchener-Waterloo CMA 451,2354. St. Catharines - Niagara CMA 390,3175. Oshawa CMA 330,5946. Barrie CMA 177,0617. Guelph CMA 127,0098. Brantford CMA 124,6079. Peterborough CMA 116,570 " 

"WikipediaThe phrase, "Golden Horseshoe," was first used by Westinghouse President, Herbert H. Rogge, in a speech to the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, on January 12, 1954:“Hamilton in 50 years will be the forward cleat in a 'golden horseshoe' of industrial development from Oshawa to the Niagara River...150 miles long and 50 miles (80 km) wide...It will run from Niagara Falls on the south to about Oshawa on the north and take in numerous cities and towns already there, including Hamilton andToronto." 

"Fast FactsThe "horseshoe" part of the region's name is derived from the characteristic horseshoe shape of the west end of Lake Ontario with Burlington roughly positioned in the centre."

"The "golden" part is historically attributed to the region's wealth and prosperity, according to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary. (An alternative explanation often quoted attributes it to its bright, or "golden", appearance from space, as a result of a continuous urban stretch of nighttime lights; however, the name predates satellite imagery.)" 

Reference:    http://www.goldenhorseshoe.biz/

& here are the maps:

http://www.goldenhorseshoe.biz/

"Greater Golden Horseshoe

Inner Ring, starts from Niagara Falls at the eastern end of the Niagara Peninsula and extends west, wrapping around the western end of Lake Ontario at Hamilton and then turning northeast to its anchor city Toronto before terminating at Oshawa.

Outer Ring, spreads inland in all directions away from the Lake Ontario shoreline, southwest to Brantford, west to the Kitchener-Waterloo area, north to Barrie, and northeast to Peterborough."

Reference: http://www.goldenhorseshoe.biz/

Phew!, I feel much better with the knowledge that people can now refer to these maps when I mention the geographical areas within, or just outside of, the area. 

Okay! So now --- on the 2nd post of the day, as promised. 

It's also very befitting that I chose today for this post. Many of our own home-grown musicians, (from Hamilton, Toronto, and surrounding areas), have generated world-famous status and have become household names. One of them is up for an award at tonight's Grammys - his 2nd nomination, 2 years in a row!  All best wishes to him!!! 

The answer in today's Post #2!

'til then, 

Patti Zonta