About Mississauga
Mississauga is Ontario's second-largest city and Canada's sixth-largest, located immediately west of Toronto. What was once farmland has grown into a diverse, sprawling urban city of 717,000 with a significant downtown core centred around Square One — Canada's second-largest shopping mall. Mississauga is consistently one of Canada's most diverse cities with over 100 languages spoken.
Mississauga is a major business hub — the city has more Fortune 500 Canadian head offices than anywhere outside Toronto, including Microsoft Canada, LG Canada, and Hewlett-Packard Canada. Pearson International Airport is 15 minutes away, making it ideal for frequent travellers. The city is heavily car-dependent though MiWay bus and GO Train provide transit options.
Pros & Cons of Living in Mississauga
✓ Pros
- Direct access to Toronto's entire job market
- Pearson Airport 15 min — easy international travel
- Extremely diverse, multicultural community
- Major corporate head offices locally
- More affordable than Toronto proper
- Strong South Asian, Chinese, Filipino communities
- GO Train and MiWay transit connections
- Port Credit & Streetsville — beautiful walkable areas
✗ Cons
- Very car-dependent — limited walkability in most areas
- Housing still very expensive ($975K avg)
- Limited true downtown feel outside Square One area
- Heavy rush-hour traffic on major corridors
- Not as culturally vibrant as Toronto proper
- High property taxes
- Limited cycling infrastructure outside select areas