Meanings
- CanadainformalThe U-shaped area of the Canadian province of Ontario which extends along the northwestern, western, and southwestern shoreline of Lake Ontario from metropolitan Toronto to the Niagara River, comprising one of Canada's most populated and economically productive regions.
Half of those new immigrants came to Ontario. . . . Once here, most of them settled in the Golden Horseshoe area, now home to 8.1 million people, or one-quarter of all Canadians.
2007 May 18, “Editorial: Immigration targets go beyond numbers”, in Toronto Star, retrieved 08 Sep 20081 more example
The big success story in Canada this year is the tale of the 120-mile rim of rolling land that hugs the western shore of Lake Ontario from Oshawa to Niagara Falls. One out of every seven Canadians now lives there. . . . They proudly call the area "the Golden Horseshoe."
1960 February 22, “‘An Ongoing Process’”, in Time
Origin
Reportedly coined by Westinghouse President Herbert H. Rogge, in a speech to the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce on 12 Jan. 1954.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Golden Horseshoe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Golden%20Horseshoe
“Golden Horseshoe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Golden%20Horseshoe. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Golden Horseshoe,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Golden%20Horseshoe.
Source: Golden Horseshoe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.