Waterloo-based Research In Motion, maker of the extraordinarily popular Blackberry, named World's Fastest Growing Company by Fortune Magazine
Waterloo, Ontario - Just 75 minutes west of Toronto via the Trans Canada Highway, exit at Waterloo and you’ll be entering Mennonite country. Don’t be surprised by horse and buggy traffic on country roads, but don’t let this mislead you, you’re also entering Silicon Valley North. Thanks to the University of Waterloo, this has become the home of high tech innovation, including the phenomenally popular Blackberry. The cutting-edge hand-held wireless device was created by Waterloo-based Research In Motion (RIM), a company founded in 1984 University of Waterloo engineering student Mike Lazaridis (President and co-CEO) and University of Windsor Engineering student Douglas Fregin (VP Operations). RIM was the first wireless technology developer in North America. Photo: Mennonite Buggy by Lucy Izon
Where: Waterloo, with its two universites, sits beside the larger city of Kitchener, and very close to Cambridge. The city is also home to the Perimeter Institute, Nuvtion and McAfee Inc., and it was recognized as one of the top seven Intelligent communities in the world in 2006 and 2007. It has a farmer's market, the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, and a 500-acre RIM Park with a golf course and sporting facilities. There's also a children's museum and a Busker Carnival is held in August. The city nudges up against the Grand River and is surrounded by rolling countryside where signs sometimes beacon visitors to pull in and purchase food and quilts from local farmers. Waterloo is just a few minutes south of the popular town of St. Jacobs, which is also known for it's Mennonite heritage and huge farmer's market, and 15 km from Elmira.
In the News: In August 2009 Fortune Magazine named named BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion the world's fastest-growing compan. In the past year revenues climbed 53 % to $3.42 billion.
Lucy Izon
Canada Cool is produced by award-winning Canadian travel writer & speaker Lucy Izon. Her travel stories & reports have appeared in numerous leading North American publications including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul. Bio page
Canada’s Coolest:
Welcome to a new feature on Canada Cool. I'll be presenting different 'Coolest' lists with my favorites and I encourage you to nominate suggestions from your own experiences. You can Twitter @CanadaCool or email Lucy@CanadaCool.com. Let me know what makes your suggestion exceptionally cool. Remember, by contributing your comments you are giving Canada Cool permission to quote you. Only a selection of submissions will be included, but all comments and submissions are greatly appreciated!
The first feature is: Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives
Here are some of my favorites...
The Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta - This 229 km (142 mi) Rocky Mountain route from Banff/Lake Louise to Jasper passes 100 frozen rivers and nudges the base of the Athabasca Glacier - the most accessible glacier in the world. You can stop and explore it. It spills down from the Columbia Icefield, an area of ice so massive that you could fit the entire population of North America on it with each person getting at least a square metre of space.
The Corridor, Algonquin Park, Ontario – this 56-km stretch of Hwy 60 cuts through the southwest section of Algonquin Park. Less than three hours north of Toronto the park is a nature-lover's paradise with 7,725 km of lakes, rivers, forest, trails, camping, comfortable lodges and 2000 km of canoe routes. Offers hiking trails to stop and enjoy, but what makes it really cool is that it’s one of the best places in North America to spot moose (especially in May and June). And, on Thursday nights in August up to 600 cars will gather to listen to wolves howl.
The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – Driving this 303 km (187 mile) route is like riding a roller-coaster: the road snakes around hairpin turns, rises to heights over 365 metres (1200 ft), weaves around headlands revealing spectacular coastal scenery, and plunges down to sea level taking you into the heart of small fishing communities. The most dramatic scenery is between the Cape Breton Highlands National Park entrance near Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, so go slow. And, plan some flexibility into your schedule, so you can drive it on a clear day.
And here are some of your nominations for 'Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives'...
More from Canada’s Coolest
'Canada's Coolest' topics we'll be publishing in the future:
- Golf Course Features
- Haunted Hotels
- Hotel Special Services
Send your suggestions to lucy@CanadaCool.com
Recent 'Canada's Coolest' topics:
