Kitchener

Long a key business and industrial hub, Kitchener remains as important to the Ontario and wider Canadian economies as it has been since the country was in its infancy.

Back then, meat and liquor manufacturers primed the pump -- if you took a drink in a Prohibition speakeasy it may well have come from a plant in Kitchener -- but now the insurance industry and Research in Motion have a similar effect, though manufacturing still retains a strong presence.

The region has gained most of its attention in recent years because it is the seat of RIM and the BlackBerry device that revolutionized how the world stays connected. If you're more into sports, Kitchener is also the area that the NHL could be targeting for future expansion plans because it lies just outside the territorial exemption zone granted to both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres. But major junior hockey flourishes here as the Rangers are perhaps the most distinguished club in all of central Canada and have sent many eventual Hall of Famers to the pros.

The recreational sports culture in Kitchener is as strong as any community around and that is evident in how many Canadian Olympians and champions outside of hockey -- former world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis being the best example -- hail from the area.

Perhaps the appeal of Kitchener lies in its sheer size and scope. If its twin city of Waterloo and the general "Tri-Cities" area are taken into account, the region has just a shade under 500,000 people. With that type of population base, the diversity of the area is quite extensive. There are two world-class universities in the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University and the largest Oktoberfest festival outside of Germany takes place in Kitchener, a nod to the Germanic presence that still pervades the area more than a century after immigrants came here. Another quirky feature of Kitchener lies just outside town where a thriving Mennonite community still lives in much the same way their forefathers did centuries ago. Outside of town also lies the pretty village of St. Jacob's, an arts and crafts mecca where locals and tourist flock to, particularly in the autumn. Elora Gorge is likely the area's most notable geographical landmark and a nice anecdote for outdoorsy types.

Golf has a long history in the area. The LPGA conducts the second of two Canadian stops on its schedule at Grey Silo in Waterloo not far from where the locals widely supported the now defunct Nationwide Tour stop at the private Whistle Bear Golf Club. Rebel Creek Golf Club in the tiny village of Petersburgh is a fun but plenty difficult setup. Though well outside of town and up to an hour away, Tarandowah Golfers Club, Otter Creek Golf Club and FireRock Golf Club (which is actually closer to London), combine to offer a varied, high-end golf experience but all are reasonably priced.