Like many outlying towns in the Toronto area, Ajax is primarily a bedroom community for people who work in Toronto proper. As such it is a much more tightly knit community than any you would find closer to the city. Most of the streets and neighborhoods are quiet, residential, and green and the homes on them cost much less than condos in Toronto. Residents of Ajax know one another and their children and often participate together in community events like block parties, school sporting events, and the Ajax Family Festival. Crime is unavoidable in any society where people live together and even more so around major cities like Toronto, but is generally limited in Ajax to the occasional home invasion.
With the new influx of immigrants from Asian countries relocating to Toronto and surrounding area, Ajax is becoming increasingly multicultural. Recent census data shows that 89,835 residents of Ajax, 36% identify themselves as belonging to a visible minority, with the largest ethnic groups being African Canadian and Asian. Ajax also welcomes gays and lesbians and offers civil union ceremonies for those wishing to enter into same-sex marriages.
Ajax offers many programs and services for its residents to enjoy at the community level including a public library, public pool, a skate park, and numerous other parks and nature areas within town. There are many recreational programs offered at the school and community level ranging from making your own business cards, to competitive intra-town leagues that aim for the big titles and gather a substantial following.
For those aiming to go professional, there are two minor league teams in Ajax, the Ajax Spartans baseball association and the Ajax Knights hockey association. Three soccer clubs reside in Ajax, Ajax Soccer Club, Ajax United, and Ajax Azzuri. Ajax-Pickering Dolphins, a football team, also play in town. All of these games are open for public viewing and are often well attended by everyone from posh lawyers to people who drive septic trucks.
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