Barrie

To say the area known as the Golden Horseshoe is massive would be an understatement. The entire region covers over 35,000 square kilometres of southern Ontario. The towns and cities are all linked by major transportation arteries, including highways and railroads.

At the northern limits of the Golden Horseshoe's boundary lies the city of Barrie. In this series of articles, we are going to provide a lot of different information about this town. Let's take a look at some general information before we proceed.

Compared to other cities in the Golden Horseshoe region, Barrie's population is fairly average. There are around 130,000 residents in the city, on par with communities such as Richmond Hill. That means you will find the usual range of services within the city limits; specialty businesses like food PR companies choose to base their operations in the larger towns.

Barrie is often said to be a bedroom community of Toronto. In this, it is no different than many of the cities that dot the southern portion of Ontario. However, surveys of residents have suggested that this may not be the case. While real estate in Barrie is generally much less expensive than Etobicoke homes for sale and other types of Toronto homes, Barrie itself is located quite far from Toronto. The majority of people in Barrie don't commute either into or out of the town to work, suggesting that the city has an economy that is self-sustaining.

The cornerstone of this economy could safely be said to be tourism. Barrie is known as the gateway to cottage country, located about halfway between Toronto and Muskoka, where the wealthy go to play. Thus, it is an ideal location for nursery supply stores, wilderness outfitters, and other businesses catering to a cottage culture.

Barrie also includes numerous holiday opportunities of its own. Located on the banks of Lake Simcoe, the community boasts several beaches and large expanses of green space. Currently, a large number of construction projects are under way within the city. Roads are being moved (along with all their contingent parts including fuse holders for traffic lights) in order to free up more green space along the scenic areas.

Although it has a more laid back feel than many of the cities located in the Golden Horseshoe, Barrie is still by all accounts a cutting edge place to make a home. While there is nothing to rival Toronto, you can still find low rise condo buildings, with units including marble countertops and a modern glass vanity, right on Kempenfelt Bay. In other words, the lifestyle of the bigger cities can still be found, without the endless rush.

We will take a look at what Barrie has to offer in more detail in the rest of the articles in this series. It may be on the borders, but the city is still very much a part of the Golden Horseshoe region in all aspects.