This marks the first installment of the Canucks Content Carnival and our first topic is about our home towns. I was actually born in Toronto, Ontario and my family moved to Mississauga when I was two. I grew up in Mississauga and to some degree still think of it as my home town, but I now reside in Brampton, and have for over sixteen years, so I guess that makes me a Bramptonite. 
When I first moved to Brampton it was kind of the half way mark between where I lived and my then fiance lived. I was even working in Brampton so it made sense to look for a home here. We live in the area known as The Villages of Heart Lake and I really like it here. To the north of us is the lake with it’s own conservation area. It offers lots of amenities for enjoying the outdoors. I do appreciate that we have this wonderful space to visit practically right in our backyard. I have to laugh now, but when we first moved in I had a friend tell me we had moved to “the armpit of Peel.” She worked in the school system and it had something to do with that. Funny before we had kids, not so funny now. 
To be fair though I love our little school and the fact that we are in an older neighborhood means the population of that school is low. It is pretty cool when the school secretary knows the name of over 350 children.
Heart Lake Conservation
The neighborhood we live in was established long before we arrived on the scene, but our street wasn’t. When I tell people my street name they automatically know it because it use to open out to a major road. When the huge task of closing that road happened it was to build our house (and three others). Almost seventeen years later and people will still say, “Oh you live on THAT street?” I wish we were known for something better, like maybe a lotto win, but alas we are not.
Brampton has been a town for well over 150 years and I was surprised to find out that it got it’s name from a town in England! My husband will love that tidbit of information as his ancestors hail from across the pond. Coincidence? Brampton used to be known as The Flower Town of Canada because much of the industry in the area related to greenhouse work, plants, flowers etc. There is still an older section of the city called Flower Town. The city itself sprung from an agriculture fair held in the area now known as The Four Corners. The downtown part of Brampton is where you will find the beautiful Gage Park. It has been the background for several movies and in the winter there is a lovely outdoor skating rink that goes all around the park.
Gage Park in the winter
Brampton has produced it’s fair share of great athletes, most notable is two time Captain of the Gold medal Canadian Women’s Hockey team in the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics, Cassie Campbell!! My children have even learned to swim at the recreational center named after her. One of the things that I love about Brampton is the multitude of parks and recreation centers we have, as well as playgrounds and trails. I am not sure if this is true or not, but rumor has it that a former Premier of Ontario is primarily responsible for all of the extensive parkland Brampton has.
Cassie Campbell namesake
The more I look into My Hometown the more I realize what it has to offer. We are close to Toronto, which means we can attend shows and concerts with relative ease. We are near to Canada’s Wonderland and several great colleges and universities. Just an hour and a half north of us we have the beautiful hills of Blue Mountain for skiing and the sandy beaches of Georgian Bay. Take a drive south west and we are at the most powerful waterfalls in the world, Niagara Falls. All in all I think the “armpit of Peel” has prove to be a worthy town to raise my family in.
Check out some more home towns in the Canucks Content Carnival by reviewing the list below. Let’s see what other gems are out there.
