When viewed from low Earth orbit, south-western Ontario looks very much like an elephant burrowing into the USA, about to pluck Detroit from the coast of Michigan. From this perspective, London, Ontario - otherwise known as The Forest City - would be a bump on the shoulder of the elephant. There are worse parts of the elephant a place could be; just ask Owen Sound, which rests immediately underneath the upraised tail of this burrowing pachyderm.

City Limits

London, Ontario, population 340,000 is known throughout the area as The City that Thinks it's a Town. It's not known whether the fact that London rests along the River Thames is a coincidental duplication of London, UK or part of a trend established by settlers that graces the region with such place names as Paris, Washington, and Stratford along the lovely Avon River, home of the Stratford Shakespearean Festival. This will give visitors some idea of the imagination that runs rampant in this area.

There's lots to see and do in London, especially in the summer. Visit Storybook Gardens, the fairy tale kiddie park or enjoy the music, crafts, and food at the Home County Folk Festival which is not named after a county called 'Home'. Or visit the amazing water fountain, which is soon to be built in the middle of the Thames River. The logic behind building a water fountain in the middle of the river has never been adequately explained to the population at large, who nonetheless support the idea wholeheartedly.

Love Thy Neighbour

Native Londoners spend much of their time discussing their resentment of nearby Toronto and their love of coffee shops and strip malls¹, of which they boast the highest per capita concentration in south-western Ontario.

When not talking about Toronto or coffee, Londoners like to talk about their town... umm... city.