Burlington, city in Halton Regional Municipality, southeastern Ontario, Canada. The city is located opposite Hamilton and west of Toronto, on Lake Ontario. Manufactures include steel products, processed foods, packaging materials, automotive parts, and electrical equipment. Attractions include the Royal Botanical Gardens, which houses the world's largest lilac collection; the Joseph Brant Museum, named after a Mohawk chief; the Burlington Art Center, which contains a collection of contemporary Canadian ceramics; and the Ireland House at Oakridge Farm, a history museum depicting family life from the 1850s to the 1920s. The Sound of Music Festival takes place in June.
Burlington was laid out on lands awarded in 1798 to Joseph Brant for his services to the British during the American Revolution (1775-1783). It became an important agricultural center during the early 1900s. From the 1950s to the late 1980s manufacturing developed as Burlington's main economic activity. Burlington incorporated as a city in 1974. In the late 1990s growth was led by the financial, business, and retail-services sectors.
