Mississauga is a Canadian city in Southern Ontario on the shores of Lake Ontario, located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. The city has a population of 713,443 as of the Canada 2011 Census, and is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality.
Developed as a suburb of Toronto, Mississauga's growth is attributed to its proximity to that city. It is the 37th largest suburb in the world by population, and the 4th largest in North America. The city is debt-free and has not borrowed money since 1978. Mississauga has been the beneficiary of federal infrastructure funding but may have to borrow money to build new capital projects in 2012. Residents of the city are called Mississaugans.
The city is well positioned because of its growth and its proximity to Toronto. It has placed fourth of 'large cities of the future' by fDi Magazine for North and South American cities. Mississauga was also rated as Canada's 11th best city to live in terms of prosperity according to Money Sense magazine. Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada's busiest airport is located in the city; in addition Mississauga is the location of several major corporate headquarters for Canada such as Wal-Mart Canada and Target Canada respectively.
