/  Highway 407 Pickering (2021 population 99,186[1]) is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada, immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region.

An increase in population occurred after the American Revolutionary War, when the Crown resettled Loyalists and encouraged new immigration.

The Wyandot (called the Huron by Europeans), who spoke an Iroquoian language, were the historical people living here in the 15th century.

The Onondaga (and other Iroquois) generally occupied territory to the south and west of Lakes Ontario and Erie in present-day New York that extended into Pennsylvania and the Ohio Valley, where they maintained hunting grounds.

In 1807, Quakers led by Timothy Rogers settled in the area, and by 1809, the population of Pickering Township consisted of 180 people, most of whom lived along the Duffins Creek.

During the War of 1812, the maintenance of the Kingston Road improved because of the increased military traffic and further contributed to the development of the area.

[8] In the 19th century, several other small communities developed in the Duffins Creek watershed, within the Pickering Township.

[7] A few communities also developed in the smaller Carruthers Creek watershed, including Audley (now part of Ajax), Kinsale, and Salem.

[10] In the later decades of the 19th century, a fall in the demand for wheat led to economic decline in the primarily-agricultural township.

[18] The city covers an area of 231 square kilometres (89 sq mi)[19] with an elevation of 89 metres (292 ft).

Prior to the war, the few suburban areas in the township were the communities of Dunbarton, Fairport Beach, Liverpool Market, and Rouge Hill.

Squires Beach, located by the lake shore in the southeast part of the city, is now a ghost town as the area was cleared from 1966 to make way for the construction of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station.

The only home standing in Squires Beach was built by Timothy Rogers in 1842 and relocated to Montgomery Park Road.

[28] The film industry has been very active in communities such as Whitevale, since the 1980s, due to the quality of the historical buildings and untouched nature of the landscape.

The television shows Hannibal (2013–2015) Suits (2011–2019), and American Gods (2017) have filmed extensively in Whitevale and in other locations in Pickering.

[29] Nautical Village is located at Frenchman's Bay and features entertainment, a playground, a boardwalk, restaurants, shops and an art gallery.

[33] As per the 2021 census, the most common ethnic origins in Pickering are English (14.0%), Irish (11.5%), Scottish (11.0%), Canadian (10.6%), Indian (9.6%), Italian (5.6%), German (5.0%), Jamaican (4.3%), Filipino (4.3%), Chinese (3.9%), British Isles (3.6%), Pakistani (3.5%), Sri Lankan (3.3%), and French (3.3%).

This was followed by Urdu (3.1%), Tamil (3.0%), Tagalog (1.8%), Arabic (1.2%), Spanish (1.1%), French (1.1%), Italian (1.0%), Gujarati (1.0%), Dari (0.9%), Mandarin (0.8%), and Cantonese (0.8%).

[citation needed] Pickering is a founding member of the Durham Strategic Energy Alliance or DSEA.

The nucleus of the DSEA is primarily Pickering businesses, such as Ontario Power Generation, Veridian, Siemens/Trench, Tetra Tech WEI, AECL, Intellimeter, Areva and Eco-Tec Inc.[citation needed] Other notable organizations with headquarters in Pickering include: Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.

In 2012 Search Engine People, Canada's largest Internet-marketing company, moved to Pickering's downtown.

[citation needed] With the implementation of Seaton and downtown intensification, the Province of Ontario's planning anticipates the creation of 40,000 new jobs for Pickering over the next two decades.

An enclosed pedestrian bridge constructed over the 14 lanes of highway 401 was a recent development that has contributed to Pickering's push for more density downtown.

It will include a water park, film studio, five star hotel, performing arts theater and possibly a casino.

The French public school board operates École Ronald-Marion, which serves both elementary and secondary students.

In September 2012, the Durham College/Centennial College Joint Learning Site opened at the north terminus of the pedestrian bridge.

The Joint Learning Site offers primarily graduate certificate programs, with a number of complementary courses and classes.