Whitby Ontario is one of Canada's 100 largest cities/towns, located east of Toronto on the north shore of Lake Ontario. The fastest growing city in the region of Durham, Whitby's estimated population in 2006 was 111,000. Whitby's history dates back to 1792, when the township was surveyed by a resident of Northern England. This surveyor named all the townships east of Toronto after towns on England's north eastern coast: Scarborough, Pickering, York, Darlington, and Whitby. The name Whitby itself is Danish, and dates back to around 867 CE when Britain was invaded by Denmark.
Whitby's biggest strength was its natural harbour on Lake Ontario. Grain was shipped from northern farmland to the harbour in 1833, and when a road was built in the 1840s from Whitby Harbour to Georgian Bay and Lake Simcoe, this brought settlement and trade through the harbour to and from the surrounding rich northern localities. In 1836 a downtown business center was established by Peter Perry, Whitby's founder. Whitby was then incorporated as a town in 1855, and in the 1870's a railway was constructed to Lindsay and Port Perry from the Harbour. Whitby is officially twinned with Longueuil, Quebec and Feldkirch, Austria.
During World War II, Whitby housed Camp X, a secret spy training facility. Camp X was established by Sir William "Man Called Intrepid" Stephenson (Canadian soldier, inventor and spymaster, and the senior representative of British Intelligence for the western hemisphere during the war). Many consider Stephenson to be a real-life basis for the film character James Bond. Camp X's buildings have since been demolished, but in 1984 Ontario's Lieutenant-Governor John Black Aird unveiled a monument on the site.
Whitby features many beautiful architectural designs, including the Ontario County Court House, St. James Cathedral and University College. Unfortunately because of new industry and the "modern" trend, many buildings were demolished in the 50s and 60s, such as the Post Office, Masonic Hall and Town Hall. This brought about the formation of the Whitby Historical Society in 1967, and since then roughly 50 buildings are designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.
According to the 2001 Census, the population of Whitby was 87,413. In 2006 the census population was 111,184, showing a growth of 27.2% in only five years. With many many singles dwelling in Whitby and the fact that Toronto is so easily accessible by car or public transit, it's not surprising when Whitby residents sign up for a 25dates.com singles speed dating event. Speed Dating is a great way to meet a large number of singles (up to 25) in one night. Different than other expensive match making companies, 25dates.com allows their clients to make their own decisions about who they would like to see again, in a no-stress comfortable environment. Their events are well-organized and efficient, and geared towards single professionals who either don't have time to waste (each date is 3 minutes), or don't want to meet people in the always-disappointing bar scene.