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Written by kool123 on 03 Feb, 2003
Most popularly known as "the city with the heart of gold" for the prolific gold mines in the area, or more recently as "Shania's hometown", I believe the city should also be known as the quintesential Canadian city. Like Canada itself the land mass of…Read More
Most popularly known as "the city with the heart of gold" for the prolific gold mines in the area, or more recently as "Shania's hometown", I believe the city should also be known as the quintesential Canadian city. Like Canada itself the land mass of Timmins proper far outweighs the actual population, and so while it may be the largest city in North America, there are still large sections of rough bush within the city limits.
The culture in the city of Timmins appears to be modeled after a Canadian ideal. 50% of the population speaks French as a first language. Out of the remaining percentage, the overwhelming majority hail from various ethnic groups who still speak their native tongue as a first language, from Germans and Finnish to Italians and Native Americans. The cultural diversity is most heavily demonstrated by the number of culture clubs and ethnic churchs within Timmins. Even with such great diversity the people of Timmins are well known for their warmth and generousity in helping people out.
The city of Timmins itself was incorporated in 1912, and much like the rest of Canada was born out of the excitement over our natural resources and struggled through horrific tragedy to become what it is today. Just the year before the city incorporated a terrible fire, which engulfed much of Northern Ontario, wiped out much of the town and sadly numerous people. There is no offical count as no one knows exactly how many people were out in the bush area when the fire occured. The people persevered and rebuilt, and in fact expanded much of the area the town had covered.
While our major exports are mostly gold, silver, and trees, we have also been a breeding ground for musicians and hockey players. Timmins has supplied many of the major NHL hockey players over the last number of years, and it is not hard to see why. The winter months are long and bring lots of snow. As many of the side roads are not plowed down to the bare tarmack, it is not unusual to see children skate down the street to their local outdoor ice rink. Our local Gillies Lake is even surfaced by a Zamboni so that people can skate in the outdoors.
A number of musicians have also recieved a start here, most notably Shania Twain, Stompin' Tom Connors, and the Sons of Maxwell. We also have a few well established dance and music groups that regularly exchange performances and performers with the rest of the world. Visit one of our many museums for more information.