Ajax, Ontario, is a picturesque waterfront town located in the Durham Region of Southern Ontario, Canada. Nestled in the eastern part of the Greater Toronto Area, Ajax is named after HMS Ajax, a Royal Navy cruiser that served in the Second World War. With a population of 126,666 as of 2021, Ajax is approximately 11 kilometres east of Toronto on the shores of Lake Ontario. It is bordered by the City of Pickering to the west and north, and the Town of Whitby to the east.
The history of Ajax, Ontario, dates back to the Archaic period (7000-1000 BCE) when indigenous peoples were active in the watersheds of the Duffins Creek and the Carruthers Creek. However, no major settlements were built due to the poor navigability of these streams. The area became part of the Pickering Township after the British conquest of New France in 1760.
The conversion of the main local trail into the Kingston Road in 1799 led to increased settlement in what is now Ajax. The Pickering Village, now a neighbourhood in Ajax, evolved as the major population centre of the Township in the first half of the 19th century, supported by a timber and agricultural boom.
In 1950, Ajax was incorporated as an Improvement District, a form of local administration managed by the Lieutenant Governor's appointees. In August 1954, the Ontario Municipal Board declared Ajax a town, granting it full municipal status. On 1 January 1974, Ajax became a part of the newly formed Regional Municipality of Durham.
Ajax, Ontario, is bordered to the west and north by the City of Pickering, to the east by the Town of Whitby, and to the south by Lake Ontario.
Ajax, Ontario, is made up of several neighbourhoods, each with its unique charm and character.
In 2012, Ajax Council and a private developer entered into an agreement for the purchase and sale of 9 acres of vacant town-owned land at the corner of Bayly Street and Harwood Avenue. This area, known as "Pat Bayly Square", opened in September 2018 and offers residential, retail, and office space, as well as a civic square and civic facility.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Ajax had a population of 126,666 living in 39,488 of its 40,275 total private dwellings. The median age is 38.4 years, around 3 years less than the national average of 41.6 years. As of 2021, the median value of dwellings in Ajax is $850,000.
The main self-reported ethnic and cultural origins in Ajax, Ontario, include English, Indian, Canadian, Irish, Scottish, Jamaican, Filipino, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Chinese, and Tamil. Ajax has the highest Black population percentage of any major Canadian municipality.
English is the most commonly understood language in Ajax, Ontario, with 97.97% of the people knowing it. Other common languages include Punjabi, Urdu, Tagalog, Tamil, and Italian.
Ajax GO Station is served by GO Transit's Lakeshore East line, with service from Toronto and Oshawa. Road transportation in Ajax is dominated by Highway 401, which runs east–west through the town, dividing it in half.
Ajax, Ontario, has a rich history of music and dance. From the regular dances for the town's teenagers in the 1950s and 1960s to the punk-rock capital of Canada in the 1990s, Ajax has always been a hub for music lovers.
