Peel is a mixed urban, suburban and rural region in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario.

Cities

Absolute Towers Mississauga

• 1 Brampton — one of Canada's fastest growing cities
• 2 Caledon — the Niagara Escarpment and the Credit River run through the town, and there are many areas of natural beauty
• 3 Mississauga — Toronto's largest suburb and Canada's sixth largest city

Other destinations

• 1 Forks of the Credit Provincial Park — part of the Niagara Escarpment biosphere; the Bruce Trail and the Credit River run through the park

Understand

With a population of 1.4 million (2016), its growth can be credited largely to immigration and its transportation infrastructure: seven 400-series highways serve the region, and Toronto Pearson International Airport is located within its boundaries.

Mississauga occupies the southernmost portion of the region, and is, with 700,000 residents, the largest in population (the sixth-largest in Canada). Brampton, a city of 500,000 (ranked 9th by population in Canada). Finally up north, by far the largest in area and the most sparsely populated part of the region is Caledon, which is home to 60,000 residents.

The area was first settled by Europeans in the early 1800s after being divided into townships in 1805; some of the townships came into existence later (to 1819). The County of Peel was formed in 1851. It was named after Sir Robert Peel, the 19th-century Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Get in

By plane

• Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga is Canada's largest airport.

By car

• The beaten-path Windsor-Quebec Corridor and Canada's busiest highway, Ontario Highway 401, lead through Mississauga.
• Seven 400-series highways (separated, controlled-access motorways) border or pass through Peel Region. These freeways are among the busiest and most modern of Ontario, mostly constructed since the 1970s, and have contributed significantly to the rapid growth of the Region. One of the welcome signs of Brampton has the slogan "All roads lead to Brampton" and shows six 400-series numbers (401, 403, 407, 409, 410, 427).

By train and bus

• Via Rail runs three intercity trains daily from Toronto and Brampton west through Georgetown, Guelph, Kitchener and London to Sarnia.
• GO Transit operates commuter rail and bus from Toronto through Mississauga or Brampton.

Get around

GO Transit operates commuter rail and bus in the region, and Mississauga and Brampton have their own municipal transit systems. All of these systems accept the Presto card as payment.

See

The former Peel County Court House (built 1865–66) is now an art gallery

The Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives in Brampton is housed in part in a former 1800s jail. The Art Gallery of Mississauga has four gallery spaces, and programmes about 10 exhibitions a year of national and international contemporary art.

Saint Elias Church is a beautiful Ukrainian Catholic wooden church 8n Brampton.

Port Credit is an historic village at the centre of Mississauga's Lake Ontario shore that offers many intimate small restaurants, cafes and bars.

The Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens in Mississauga is an 18-acre lakefront garden specializing in rhododendrons that is best seen in May and June.

The Port Credit Lighthouse has a visitor deck offering views of the Credit River, the harbour and the village of Port Credit

Do

The Cheltenham Badlands

The self-guided Downtown Heritage Walking Tour in Brampton will take you past many of that city's historic buildings. Brampton also prides itself as the "Flower City", with several gardens open to the public.

Wild Water Kingdom fun park provides more excitement if architecture and flowers aren't your thing.

The Cheltenham Badlands in Caledon is an amazing red rolling landscape, with a boardwalk and a walking trail.

The Belfountain Conservation Area in Caledon has a range of hiking trails, rapids, the river, and man-made features. The Heart Lake Conservation Area in Brampton is also a good place for hiking.

Buy

The former villages of Port Credit and Streersville in Mississauga have charming downtown areas with small shops.

Major indoor shopping centres in Peel Region include:

• Bramalea City Centre (Brampton)
• Shoppers World Brampton (Brampton)
• Square One Shopping Centre (Mississauga)
• Erin Mills Town Centre (Mississauga)
• Dixie Outlet Mall (Mississauga)

Major outdoor centres located in Peel Region include:

• Heartland Town Centre (Mississauga)
• Trinity Common (Brampton)