DCHP-2

Golden Horseshoe golden horsehoe DCHP-2 (March 2017)

• n. — Geography

  the most densely populated region of Southern Ontario, resembling a horseshoe shape.

  Type: 1. Origin — The term Golden Horseshoe refers to the geographical area of Southern Ontario that stretches around the western end of Lake Ontario (see the 1959 quotation). As seen in Image 1, the region (appearing in red) forms a horseshoe-like shape. The Golden Horseshoe covers roughly the area between the northern city of Oshawa and the southern city of St. Catharines, including the Greater Toronto Area. The second 1954 quotation, read by Herbert H. Rogge, president of Canadian Westinghouse, was penned "by [Hunter] MacBain, a gifted wordsmith who worked at Canadian Westinghouse" (Chambers 2010: 22). It antedates the first 1954 quotation by a few months and is quite possibly "the first public mention of 'Golden Horseshoe' anywhere" (Chambers 2010: 22).
  The Golden Horseshoe is characterized by its population density and growth (see the 2004 quotation), accounting for more than a quarter of the nation's population, and is described as "one of the fastest growing areas in North America" (see the 2014 quotation). The attribute golden seems to derive from its traditional heavy industry and subsequent wealth (see the first 1954 quotation). The term is most frequently used in Canada (see Chart 1), specifically in Ontario and Quebec (see Chart 2). Today, the term Greater Golden Horseshoe (see the 2014 quotation) is used for a larger area, represented by green in Image 1.
  See COD-2, s.v. "Golden Horseshoe", which defines the term as a Canadian region, and ITP Nelson, s.v. "Golden Horseshoe", which does the same.

  • Chambers (2010) is the most detailed account of the term's origin.