Ajax, Ontario facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ajax
Town (lower-tier)
Town of Ajax
Aerial view of Ajax
Logo
Motto(s):  Town of Ajax by the Lake
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Regional Municipality	Durham
Established	1955 (1955)
Area
• Land	66.64 km2 (25.73 sq mi)
Elevation	90 m (300 ft)
Population  (2021)
• Total	126,666 (Ranked 44th)
• Density	1,634.2/km2 (4,233/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Ajacian
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal Code FSA	L1S, L1T, L1Z
Area codes	905, 289, 365, and 742

Ajax is a town in Ontario, Canada, right on the shores of Lake Ontario. It's part of the Greater Toronto Area, located east of Toronto. In 2021, about 126,666 people lived here.

The town is named after a British warship called HMS Ajax. This ship was famous for its role in the Second World War. Ajax is about 11 kilometers (7 miles) east of Toronto. It shares borders with Pickering to the west and north, and Whitby to the east.

History of Ajax

Indigenous peoples lived and used the lands around Duffins Creek and Carruthers Creek for thousands of years. However, they didn't build large settlements there.

After the British took control of New France in 1760, the area became part of Pickering Township. One of the first known Europeans to settle here was Mike Duffin, a fur trader, in the 1770s. In 1799, the main local trail became Kingston Road, which helped more people settle in the area.

In the early 1800s, Pickering Village (now a part of Ajax) grew into a main community. It was supported by the timber and farming industries. In 1807, Timothy Rogers led Quaker families to settle here. They built mills along Duffins Creek. The War of 1812 also led to improvements on Kingston Road, helping the area grow even more.

By the 1900s, much of what is now Ajax was farmland. In 1926, James Tuckett bought land by the lake and started the Pickering Beach cottage community. This area later became a permanent place to live.

Ajax and World War II

When World War II began in 1939, the Canadian government bought most of the farmland in southern Ajax. They built a large factory there called the Defence Industries Limited Pickering Works (DIL). This factory made ammunition and employed many workers from across Canada.

The factory site, along with homes and facilities for the workers, grew into its own community. The people living there called it a "village." In a contest, an employee named Frank Holroyd suggested the name "Ajax." This was to honor the British warship HMS Ajax, which had a famous battle against a powerful German warship in 1939.

After the factory closed in 1945, the site was used for different things. It was a warehouse for war supplies, a campus for the University of Toronto Ajax Division (from 1946 to 1949), and a camp for war refugees from Europe (from 1949 to 1953). The government then decided to turn the area into a modern industrial town. George Finley, who managed the area, planned new homes, shops, and industrial zones.

Becoming a Town

In 1950, Ajax became an "Improvement District." This meant it had a local government managed by people chosen by the Lieutenant Governor. This board created the first local rules and hired staff.

In August 1954, after a campaign by local citizens, Ajax officially became a town. This gave it full control over its own local government. The first town council was elected on December 11, 1954, and started work on January 1, 1955. The first mayor was Benjamin de Forest Bayly, also known as Pat Bayly.

In the early 1970s, much of the land along the lakeshore was bought for parkland. Some homes, a church, and a school in the Pickering Beach area were taken down to make space for these parks.

On January 1, 1974, Ajax became part of the new Regional Municipality of Durham. This regional government helps manage services that affect multiple towns in the area. The town of Ajax also grew, adding areas like Pickering Village, Pickering Beach, and Audley.

Geography

Ajax is surrounded by other towns and a large lake. To the west and north is the City of Pickering. To the east is the Town of Whitby. To the south, Ajax borders Lake Ontario.

Neighbourhoods

Ajax is made up of several different neighbourhoods:

Downtown Ajax

In 2012, the Ajax Council and a private company agreed to develop a vacant piece of land downtown. This area, called "Pat Bayly Square," now has homes, shops, offices, and a public square. Pat Bayly Square officially opened in September 2018.

Demographics

Population Growth

Ajax has grown a lot over the years. In 1956, about 5,683 people lived here. By 2021, the population had grown to 126,666. This is a big increase from 119,677 people in 2016.

The average age in Ajax is about 38.4 years old. This is a bit younger than the national average for Canada. About 18.8% of the people in Ajax are under 15 years old, and 13.1% are 65 or older.

Diversity in Ajax

Ajax is a very diverse town. As of 2021, 92% of its residents are Canadian citizens, and 42% are immigrants. Many immigrants come from countries like India, Sri Lanka, Jamaica, and the Philippines.

The town has a large population of visible minorities, making up 65% of its residents. The biggest groups include people of South Asian, Black, and Filipino backgrounds. Ajax has the highest percentage of Black residents among major Canadian cities with over 100,000 people.

Religions in Ajax

In Ajax, the largest religion is Christianity, with about 50.83% of people identifying as Christian. Within this group, Catholics are the largest. Other major religions include Islam (14.08%) and Hinduism (11.62%). About 20.77% of the population reported having no religious affiliation.

Languages Spoken

English is the most common language in Ajax. About 97.97% of people understand English. It is also the main language spoken at home for most residents. Other common languages spoken in Ajax include Tamil, Urdu, and Tagalog.

Economy

After the DIL factory closed in 1945, there wasn't much industry in Ajax. But in 1949, a company called Dowty Aerospace started operating here. By 1969, other big companies like Volkswagen Canada and DuPont had also set up in Ajax.

In the mid-1940s, there were hardly any shops. But by 1970, major shopping centers like Ajax Plaza and Harwood Place Mall were built. In the 1980s and later, even more shopping areas opened, including Durham Centre.

The 1970s and 1980s saw many new homes being built in Ajax. Large, fancy houses were constructed along Lake Driveway. Even during a tough economic time in the early 1980s, new housing developments continued to grow across the town.

Ajax Downs

Ajax Downs is a casino located on Alexander's Crossing. It has been a topic of discussion since a new, larger casino called Durham Live (also known as Pickering Casino) was announced in 2018. Even though the Pickering Casino is now open, the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, promised to keep Ajax Downs open too.

Amazon Fulfillment Centre

In the fall of 2021, Amazon opened a huge fulfillment center in Ajax. This center is about 1 million square feet and created about 1,000 full-time jobs for warehouse workers.

Infrastructure

Emergency Services

The Durham Regional Police provide policing services for Ajax from a station in Pickering. Durham Region also handles ambulance and emergency medical services. Ajax Fire & Emergency Services has three fire stations to provide firefighting services.

Transportation

Multi-use trail over Caruthers Creek. The overhead bridge carries a Canadian Pacific rail line.

Ajax has a GO Transit train station called Ajax GO Station. It's part of the Lakeshore East line, offering train service to Toronto and Oshawa.

In 1973, Ajax started its own bus service called Ajax Transit. It began with school buses and helped people travel around town, especially between Pickering Beach and downtown. Later, the town took over the bus operations and added more routes.

In 2001, Ajax Transit joined with Pickering Transit to form the Ajax Pickering Transit Authority (APTA). Then, in 2006, APTA became part of Durham Region Transit, which combines all the local bus services in the Durham Region.

The main road for cars in Ajax is Highway 401. It runs east-west through the middle of the town. You can get on and off Highway 401 using Westney Road and Salem Road. Only a few streets, like Church Street, Westney Road, Harwood Avenue, and Salem Road, cross over or under Highway 401, connecting the north and south parts of town. Lakeridge Road also crosses the highway and is usually seen as the border between Ajax and Whitby.

The closest international airport is Toronto Pearson International Airport, which is about 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of Ajax in Mississauga.

Education

Ajax has schools managed by two different school boards: the Durham District School Board (public schools) and the Durham Catholic District School Board (Catholic schools).

There are five high schools in Ajax. Two are Catholic: Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School and Archbishop Denis O'Connor Catholic High School. The other three are public high schools: Ajax High School, J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate, and Pickering High School. There are also many elementary schools throughout the town.

Culture

Music and Dance

From 1955 to 1962, the Ajax Recreational Committee held regular dances for teenagers called "Ajax Teen Town." These dances were very popular, with up to 500 teenagers attending at their peak.

In the 1990s, Ajax became known for its punk rock music scene. The Maclean's magazine even called it the "punk-rock capital of Canada" in 2003. After the band Sum 41 became famous, record labels started looking for new artists in the Durham region. Other bands and artists from Ajax, like Closet Monster and Not by Choice, also became popular. Many teens in Ajax got into music because there wasn't much else to do in the small town. A place called Chameleon Café, which was an old auto body garage turned into a music venue, was a popular spot for local bands in the mid-to-late 1990s.

Sports

Ajax has several sports clubs that have produced talented athletes. The Ajax Aquatic Club, started in 1973, has had Olympic medalists like Anne Ottenbrite and Lori Melien. The Ajax Budokan Judo Club, also started in 1973, has trained judokas like Jessica Klimkait. The Ajax Acros Gymnastic Club, formed in 1974, is where Lori Strong, a multiple Commonwealth Games medalist, began her training.

The Ajax-Pickering Rock was a local box lacrosse team that played from 2003 to 2010. In 2010, they moved up to a higher league and became the Ajax Rock. However, they struggled to attract players and fans. In 2013, the team moved to Oakville and changed its name to Oakville Rock.

In 2022, the Ajax Pickering Minor Hockey Association was created by combining the Ajax Minor Hockey, Pickering Minor Hockey, and Ajax-Pickering Raiders teams. The new team kept the name "Raiders." The Ajax Spartans Minor Baseball Association (ASMBA) is a local youth baseball team.

The Ajax Wanderers, started in 1949, is the oldest rugby union club in Ontario.

Other sports clubs in Ajax include the Ajax Soccer Club, Ajax United, Ajax-Pickering Dolphins (football), Ajax Pickering Ringette Association, Ajax Cricket Club, Ajax Scuba Club, and Ajax Skating Club. The Ajax Ice Waves, a synchronized skating team, won several competitions in Ontario in the 2010s.

Notable people and groups

Images for kids

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  Spink's mill in Pickering Village (1906), now part of Ajax

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  Farmland expropriated for the DIL plant (1939)

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  Workers assemble shells at the DIL plant (1940s)

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  University of Toronto Ajax Division (1946-1949)

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  Waterfront Park

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  View of Lake Ontario as seen from Ajax Water Supply Plant located on Ajax Waterfront