Brampton The Flower City

Brampton is an interesting city which is located to the northwest of Toronto. It has parks, recreation, arts, food and a lot of culture. What I love and hate about Brampton? There are a few things actually.

1. Greenery

First thing I like is the greenery that surrounds this city and the beautiful gardens near the city hall. There is so much nature that not even its neighbour Mississauga has. Brampton is also known as Flower City. Back in 1860, a man by the name of Edward Dale established a flower nursery and created the towns newest industry, floriculture. Dales nursery became Bramptons largest employer and Brampton became known as Flower city. By the turn of the century there were hundreds of acres of greenhouses growing flowers and were exported around the world. The history of that business and the nickname Flower City is honoured with more than 400 roadside gardens. The city maintains these gardens and has gardeners working full time to maintain them. September, in my opinion is the best time to drive around and view these gardens at their peak beauty. 

Brampton downtown corridor with hanging plants off the street lights and Gage Park with mature trees and prominent flower beds is the highlight of live flower decorating.

2. Culture & Festivals

The next thing I love is that Brampton has so much culture. It celebrates its culture through Carabram which is a festival of culture that takes place in July yearly.  Carabram was started in 1982 as a way to celebrate the diverse ethnic communities of Brampton. The festival would become the city’s biggest celebration of multiculturalism and diversity. Carabram started with just four pavilions — Italy, Ukraine, Scotland and the West Indies. Each pavilion represented their cultures through song, dance, costumes, displays, food and drink. In subsequent years the festival grew to include more community groups representing a wider range of ethnicities across the city. Year after year these community groups come together to help Carabram achieve its goal of stronger cross-cultural relations, greater appreciation for diversity and to help us showcase the heart and breath of different cultures in their true, organic form. Today, over 3 decades later, Carabram is still dedicated to the preservation, development and promotion of cultural heritage.

3. Diversity of Food

Another thing I love about Brampton is the diversity of food! Small out of the way Middle East, Caribbean and Indian food restaurants in Brampton are my favourite. Brampton has a wide variety of ethnicity and cultures from around the world and it shows in the number of food joints serving different cuisines.

4. Parks and Sport Facilities

I love the amount of Parkland that Brampton has along with all the sports facilities. There is always something you can keep your children occupied with in sport or in music or art. There is an amazing 40 km bike path along the Etobicoke Creek also great for roller blading.

I love Gage Park in downtown Brampton with its free summer concerts and outdoor skating rink

I absolutely love the open farmers market in the summertime. The City closes the downtown Main St on Saturday mornings from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. from June to the first weekend in October. You can buy fresh produce and other goodies directly from the producers.

Drive 20 minutes south and you are at Lake Ontario where you can enjoy boating and fishing. Brampton is also surrounded with Golf Courses from beginner to world class. There many sport arenas, too.

5. Proximity to Everything

Another thing I really like about Brampton is how close and easy it is to get to everything. Drive 20 minutes north into Caledon and enjoy the Niagara Peninsula and the Forks of the Credit in Belfountain. 

6. Innovation District

The latest reason to like this city is the establishment of Innovation District in the downtown area. This will develop into a hub for innovation, training, education and entrepreneurship. Many big names  in the industry and education sector are coming together. These include, Rogers, Sheridan college, Ryerson University which is now know as Toronto Metropolitan University and Algoma University. This will transform the city into a modern high-tech place to live, work and play. You can watch my video that I made recently on this initiative. 

What I Hate About Brampton?

There is not much to hate except for rush hour traffic. Probably the only thing I hate, every weekday from 7:30  to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6p.m. Watch out! It takes twice as long to get anywhere. 

Is there crime in Brampton? Sure, there is and its just the same as anywhere else in the GTA. Brampton has its fair share of problems but if you get along with your neighbours, be a good person, take reasonable care then trouble will leave you alone. If you respect others they will respect you, its that simple. 

If you need help in buying your home in Brampton, text or call me at 647-834-9928. Here is my email if you prefer, drop me a line: [email protected]