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You have just started with the idea that you want to move to Canada, and you are looking for information about places in Canada to help you make the final decision.
If you don't know how big Canada is, I invite you to check out 13 tips for choosing the best place to live in Canada.
In this post, I will give 14 top reasons to live in Mississauga, Ontario, where we currently live. After a year and a half, we have seen enough to convey how we feel about this city.
The name Mississauga comes from the indigenous people who lived in this area. There are many interpretations of how this word came about, the most likely being that it is an Ojibwa word meaning "river of many mouths."
Table of contents
About Mississauga
First, let's situate you on the map to understand where this city is located.
Mississauga is a city in the province of Ontario and is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). It is the sixth largest city in Canada and is located about 23 km west of Toronto, which means it is a 30-45 minute drive from there.
It is part of the Peel region, which includes Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga. It shares borders with Etobicoke, Oakville and Brampton. Currently, the population is around 717,000, and the city has access to Lake Ontario.
Top reasons to live in Mississauga
You may be wondering what is unique about Mississauga, and here I will list a few things we love about this place that may give you an idea.
1. Education
If you're coming with kids, Mississauga offers several options, from free public and Catholic schools to private schools.
You'll want to check out two school boards: the Peel District School Board and the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, responsible for Mississauga's elementary and secondary schools.
If you are an international student, some institutions are located in this city, for example, the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM).
There are colleges such as the Sheridan Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning (Hazel McCallion Campus) and Humber college. Mohawk College and Lambton College also have satellite campuses in Mississauga.
You can review the designated learning institutions on this official site to help define the best place to study.
2. Toronto Pearson International Airport
You may already know, but Toronto Pearson International Airport is located in Mississauga, not Toronto.
This can be an advantage if you have family visiting or like to travel frequently.
3. Celebration Square
This is one of our favourite places in Mississauga. It is located in the City centre of Mississauga and where the community participates in events throughout the year.
There are festivals every weekend during the summer where you can try different food and have fun with family and friends.
During the winter, the landscape changes and an ice skating rink is set up.
4. Family Friendly
It is a quiet city where families with children are often seen strolling through the parks.
It is a family-friendly place with parks where there is always a playground for children of all ages.
It is also a pet-friendly community. Not a day goes by that you don't find someone walking with their dog.
5. Parks
If you love the outdoors, this place is for you; there are more than 300 parks and trails you can visit all year round.
Going for a walk after lunch or in the morning is not a problem if you live in Mississauga.
You can check out our collection of 14 parks and trails to visit in Mississauga to get an idea.
6. Transit system
Public transit in Mississauga is called MiWay and operates with the Presto card like the rest of the surrounding cities. MiWay users can connect to GO Transit, TTC (including Kipling and Islington subway station), Brampton Transit and Oakville Transit.
In addition, there is the Square one terminal, where you can take buses and travel to different places such as Niagara Falls, Vaughan, Hamilton, Milton and others.
There are also train stations (GO train) in Mississauga, such as Cooksville, Erindale and Port Credit, which connect you to Toronto or other places.
GO bus services connect you to Toronto or other places in about 30-45 minutes.
If you have a car, Mississauga is well connected to Toronto via highways 401, 403, Hurontario and QEW (Queen Elizabeth way)
Here you can see how to get your first car as a newcomer or get your driver's license if that is one of your goals.
7. Square One Shopping mall
If you like to shop or window shop and have it all in one place, you can visit Square one mall in the City centre.
It is the largest mall in Ontario, Canada, and has more than 350 stores and restaurants. It is especially attractive in winter if you have no other plans outside.
8. Multicultural
Mississauga attracts diverse cultures, religions and languages. According to the 2021 census, 47% of Mississauga's population identifies as immigrants.
During the summer, it was beautiful to participate in Filipino, South Asian, Italian, Latin American, Muslim and other festivals in just a few days. All of them are in Celebration Square.
About 50% of the population speaks a language other than English. You can check the details of the languages spoken at this link.
9. Health
The health care system works with the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP); in this post, you can see how to get a health card, especially when you have a work permit.
There are two hospitals: Credit Valley Hospital and Trillium Health Centre, and several walk-in clinics if you need to go to the doctor.
10. Port Credit
If you like water activities, you'll love Port credit. It's the area of Mississauga where Lake Ontario is located. People go there to paddleboard or use kayaks; you can enjoy those activities, especially in summer.
11. Weather
The weather is similar to Toronto. There are four seasons: summers are warm, and winters are freezing, snowy and windy.
Throughout the year, the temperature usually ranges from -8 °C to 26 °C and is rarely below -17 °C or above 30 °C, but there are also some days when these temperatures are reached.
12. Job opportunities
Some industries in Mississauga include advanced manufacturing, financial services, information and communications technology and life sciences.
In addition, the city has the most extensive logistics sector in the GTA. 30% of the Greater Toronto Area's (GTA) logistics sector is in Mississauga.
Some companies in Mississauga include Amazon, PepsiCo, Oracle, HP and Samsung.
If you want to check the job opportunities in Mississauga, check this link as a sample.
13. Housing and accommodation
Prices to find accommodation is similar to Toronto, but maybe 5-10% less.
In our case, we paid for a one-bedroom condo 1750 CAD, but this place was rented during the pandemic when people were restricted from entering.
Now prices are higher, we know someone who is paying 2550 CAD for a one-bedroom condo, but you can check Numbeo to get a general idea of what the cost of living is like in Mississauga. Here is the link.
You can check out the post on how to rent a place as a newcomer to better understand the process of renting a place here.
14. The best area to live
You may now be wondering what the best area to live in Mississauga is.
As far as we know, there are several neighbourhoods: Port Credit, Streetsville, Erindale, Erin Mills, City Centre, and Cooksville, among others.
From our perspective, we live in City Centre, and for us, it is one of the best places to live because you have the Shopping mall, Celebration Square, banks, supermarkets, parks, access to public transportation, universities and everything at hand.
We lived for more than a year, going everywhere on foot or by public transportation, and had no problems.
Hopefully, these 14 reasons give you an idea of what a great choice this city is as a destination and what makes Mississauga a great place to live.
And would you live in Mississauga? Let me know in the comments below.