In June 1867, Toronto was weeks away from becoming the capital city of the province of Ontario in the newly formed Dominion of Canada. Then, as now, the summer tourist season was underway, though the preferred methods of arrival were train or steamship. We recently thumbed through a travel guide published that year, The Canadian Handbook and Tourist’s Guide, which provides both brief highlights for visitors to our fair city and criticizes the lack of natural wonders. Which got us thinking...what would tourist literature akin to modern publications like Where Toronto have looked like 144 years ago? Here’s our attempt.

Every Saturday at noon, Historicist looks back at the events, places, and characters—good and bad—that have shaped Toronto into the city we know today. Toronto from Lake Front. Toronto, “The Queen City,” has many attractions for its citizens as well as for the thousands of tourists and others who visit it each year. It occupies [...]

One by one, we’re revealing the finalists for our better Toronto slogan competition, complete with mock tourism posters. Vote for your favourite starting October 6. NAME: Visit Toronto. See the World. SUBMITTED BY: Todd Aiken PHOTOGRAPHED BY: Remi Carreiro/Torontoist POSTER DESIGNED BY: Marc Lostracco/Torontoist JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Another slogan with ‘world’ in it, this one benefits [...]

One by one, we’re revealing the finalists for our better Toronto slogan competition, complete with mock tourism posters. Vote for your favourite starting October 6. NAME: A World of Difference SUBMITTED BY: Donna Blais POSTER DESIGNED BY: Marc Lostracco/Torontoist JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Love the wordplay and the double meaning. Sums us up perfectly.” “It’s awfully hard [...]

One by one, we’re revealing the finalists for our better Toronto slogan competition, complete with mock tourism posters. Vote for your favourite starting October 6. NAME: Toronto the Good SUBMITTED BY: Emily Fan POSTER DESIGNED BY: Marc Lostracco/Torontoist JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “It’s classic, it’s true, and you can play it any way you like as a [...]

One by one, we’re revealing the finalists for our better Toronto slogan competition, complete with mock tourism posters. Vote for your favourite starting October 6. NAME: Toronto: Nations United SUBMITTED BY: Mel Mariampillai POSTER DESIGNED BY: Marc Lostracco/Torontoist JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Clever wordplay. Simple, effective, descriptive.” “The inversion of ‘United Nations’ is smart, but this one’s [...]

One by one, we’re revealing the finalists for our better Toronto slogan competition, complete with mock tourism posters. Vote for your favourite starting October 6. NAME: Toronto Speaks Your Language SUBMITTED BY: Mary Roufail POSTER DESIGNED BY: Marc Lostracco/Torontoist JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “I like that this says something about diversity, yet doesn’t hit you over the [...]

One by one, we’re revealing the finalists for our better Toronto slogan competition, complete with mock tourism posters. Vote for your favourite starting October 6. NAME: Toronto. Forever Yonge. SUBMITTED BY: David Del Grande PHOTOGRAPHED BY: Harry Choi/Torontoist POSTER DESIGNED BY: Marc Lostracco/Torontoist JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Probably the only possible slogan for Toronto that conjures up [...]

One by one, we’re revealing the finalists for our better Toronto slogan competition, complete with mock tourism posters. Vote for your favourite starting October 6. NAME: Toronto: The World in One City SUBMITTED BY: Jim Van Meggelen—and, in various forms, by more than two dozen other people as well. PHOTOGRAPHED BY: Susan Kordalewski/Torontoist POSTER DESIGNED [...]

One by one, we’re revealing the finalists for our better Toronto slogan competition, complete with mock tourism posters. Vote for your favourite starting October 6. NAME: Fall in XO with TO SUBMITTED BY: Sarah Bobas, who notes that it’s based on “the old Pepsi billboard that was on the Gardiner, viewable to those returning to [...]

One by one, we’re revealing the finalists for our better Toronto slogan competition, complete with mock tourism posters. Vote for your favourite starting October 6. NAME: Toronto: A World of Neighbourhoods SUBMITTED BY: Melissa Agostino PHOTOGRAPHED BY: Michael Chrisman/Torontoist POSTER DESIGNED BY: Marc Lostracco/Torontoist JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Down to earth, catchy, and true. Plus I almost [...]