Waterloo
Waterloo is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener. Kitchener and Waterloo are often jointly referred to as “Kitchener-Waterloo” (K-W), or “the Twin Cities”, although they have separate city governments. There have been several attempts to amalgamate the two cities (sometimes with the city of Cambridge as well), but none have been successful.
The reported population for the city can vary depending on how temporary residents at Waterloo’s two universities are counted. At the time of the 2006 census, Waterloo had a population of 97,475. That number as with all populations counts nationally does not include post-secondary students who are temporary residents. The city’s total population at the end of 2006 with over 20,000 non-resident post-secondary students included was 114,700. As of 2009 the City of Waterloo reported the population including temporary residents to be 121,700 on their website.
Waterloo has a strong knowledge and service based economy with significant insurance and high-tech sectors as well as two universities. The city’s largest employers are Sun Life Financial, the University of Waterloo, Manulife Financial, Research In Motion, Sandvine and Wilfrid Laurier University.
The city is also home to three well known think tanks – the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, an advanced centre for the study of foundational, theoretical physics and award-winning educational outreach in science; the Institute for Quantum Computing, based at the University of Waterloo, which carries out innovative research in computer, engineering, mathematical and physical sciences; and the Centre for International Governance Innovation, an independent, nonpartisan think tank that addresses international governance challenges.
The city is part of Canada’s Technology Triangle (CTT), a joint economic development initiative of Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge and the Region of Waterloo that markets the region internationally. Despite its name, CTT does not focus exclusively on promoting technology industries, but on all aspects of economic development.
The Marsland Centre in Uptown Waterloo has a strong technology sector with hundreds of high-tech firms. The dominant technology company in the city is Research In Motion, makers of the BlackBerry, which has its headquarters in the city and owns several office buildings near the University of Waterloo’s main campus.
Waterloo has a humid continental climate of the hot summer subtype (Dfa under the Koppen climate classification); this means that there are large seasonal differences, usually very warm to hot (and humid) summers and cold (to very cold) winters. Compared to the rest of Canada, it has moderate weather. Winter temperatures generally last from the middle of December until the middle of March, while summer temperatures generally occur between the middle of May to close to the end of September. Temperatures can exceed 30℃ (86℉) several times a year. Waterloo has approximately 140 frost-free days per year.
Waterloo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterloo,_Ontario
City of Waterloo: www.city.waterloo.on.ca
