Stratford is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada located 100 kilometers west of Toronto along the Avon River. It has a population of around 30,000. Stratford is best known for hosting the annual Stratford Festival which features Shakespearean plays from April to October and attracts many international visitors. Some key strengths of Stratford include the Stratford Festival, low crime rate, and proximity to nature. However, Stratford also faces weaknesses such as an aging population and lack of younger generations as many graduates leave for university and do not return. Popular tourist attractions beyond the Stratford Festival include sites related to Justin Bieber, who is from Stratford.

1. Stratford
Ontario, Canada
Saki Yamamuro
1/10/17
Ritsumeikan University
1521170020-0
Fig.1 Stratford (Dorchester & Norfolk Limo)

2. — Stratford is a city in Perth County, southwestern
Ontario, Canada. It is located 100 kilometers west
of Toronto.
— Stratford lies along the Avon River, which has been
helping the settlers’ mixed farming, dairying and
hog production.
— The Perth County was settled by English, Irish, and
German immigrants in 1820’s.
— Stratford is named after Stratford-upon-Avon,
England, where is known as the birthplace of
William Shakespeare. The city is best known for the
art town. There is the annual Stratford Festival
Shakespeare plays, music, and visual arts from
April to October, and many audiences visit every
year from all over the world (Encyclopedia
Britannica, Inc. 2017).
Basic Information of Stratford
Fig. 2 A Map of Stratford (Stratford Festival, 2017
Fig. 4 The
Location of
Stratford (The
Corporation of
the City of
Stratford, 2014)
Fig. 3 Stratford Festival (TripAdvidor LLC, 2017)

3. Basic Information of Stratford (cont.)
Stratford Toronto
Population in 2006
and 2011
2006: 30,516
2011: 30,886
2006: 2,503,281
2011: 2,615,060
Median age of the
population
43.8 39.2
Land Area
(Square km)
26.95 630.21
Population density
per square
kilometer
1,146 4,149.5
Location Longitude: -81
Latitude: 43.4
Longitude: -79.4
Latitude: 43.7
Topology: elevation 345m (1,132ft) 76m (249ft)
Fig. 5 Stratford (Historica Canada, 2013)

4. Stratford Toronto
Climate • Stratford has a humid
continental climate type. It
has four seasons, but
summer is mild while the
temperature extremely drop
in winter.
• The highest temperature ever
recorded was 38.9C (102F) in
July 1936. The coldest ever
was -35C (-31F).
• Toronto is bounded by Lake Ontario,
Etobicoke Creek, Steeles Avenue, and
Rouge River.
• The Lake Ontario brings cool wind in
Toronto. It is one of warmer cities in
winter in Ontario.
• The lowest ever recorded was -31.3C
(-24.34F) in 1943, and the hottest
ever recorded was 40.6C (105F) in
July, 1936.
Political
situation
• Stratford is governed by
an elected City Council
and ten councilors.
• The current mayor is Dan
Mathieson.
• Toronto involves the election of
representatives to the federal,
provincial, and municipal levels of
government.
• 22 members from Toronto sit in
Parliament in Ottawa.
Basic Information of Stratford (cont.)

5. Stratford Toronto
Economic
situation
• A successful agricultural area but
Economic is stabilized mostly by
railway repair shops, engineering
industries and light manufacturing
where the arts and tourism related.
• The number of domestic ticket
buyers in 2015 is increased. 20% of
Stratford Festival audiences are form
United States.
• Toronto is a financial and
industrial center in Canada. It
is contributing 20% of GDP in
Canada.
• A high concentration of banks
• Toronto Stock Exchange is the
world’s seventh largest stock
exchange.
Trade • According to The Corporation of the
City of Stratford, Stratford has very
useful access of transportation;
major highways, three international
airports within one hour, mainline
connects to Detroit, Chicago and
Buffalo.
• Advanced digital media and
technologically diverse programs are
offered in University.
• Toronto is important center
for media, publishing
companies, and film
productions.
• The Toronto Stock Exchange
(TSX) is the most popular
stock exchange in Canada,
which consists a market cap
of $1,917.163 billion
Basic Information of Stratford (cont.)

6. Basic Information of Stratford (cont.)
Fig. 6 Weather Norms: 30-Year Average (The Corporation of the City of Stratford, 2014)

7. SWOT Analysis of Stratford
Strengths
• The annual Stratford Festival
• Many exchange students
• Low crime rate
• Hockey- Stratford Cullitons
• Music Concerts
• The Swans of Stratford
• Bed and Breakfasts
• Natures and parks
• Sunday Market
Weakness
• Lack of population
• Not enough younger generations
• Heavy snow in winter
• Lack of transportation than Toronto
– (every half-hour six days a week)
• Opportunities
• Public education –Advanced French
classes
• More Exchange students from Brazil and
Japan
• New Chef School opened
• Waterloo Stratford Campus- digital
media
• Hockey- Stratford Warriors produce
notable NHL players
• Threats
• Only 22 white swans and 1 black
swan in Stratford due to climate
change in 2013
• Heavy snow in winter causes poor
transportation- “snow day”- delay in
education and job.

8. — Strength
1. Stratford’s crime rate dropped significantly. The city’s overall
crime dropped to 84.6 in 2010 to 55.9 in 2011. Thefts
dropped by 40% in 2011 form 2010.
2. In 2013, Stratford welcomed 29 exchange students. 2012
was 21 exchange student, and 2011 was only 5. Each
exchange students pay $12,000 for a full year school
payment.
SWOT Analysis of Stratford (cont.)

9. SWOT Analysis of Stratford (cont.)
— Weakness – not enough young generations
— Stratford is experiencing the aging society. Many high school
graduates leave the town for university, but some remains to
take over their family’s farm. People who left the town usually
get jobs outside Stratford. Declines in population is expected.
Fig. 7 Table summarizing
population by age and
sex. (Fpmarkets Canadian
Demographics, 2011)

10. Tourists Attractions
— Stratford Festival
— The Stratford Festival is an annual theater festival, and has 4 permanent venues: the Festival
Theater, the Avon Theater, the Tom Patterson Theater, and the Studio Theater. One of them plays a
Shakespeare play every year. Others plays musical, classical and contemporary plays for example,
Sound of Music.
— The image of Stratford dramatically changed after it is succeeded economically by theater and art.
Now, the Stratford Festival is one of most important tourists attractions.
— In 2016, 51% of visitors visited Stratford for the Stratford Festival.
Fig. 8 Stratford Visitor
Satisfaction Survey (Stratford
Tourism Alliance, 2017)
Fig. 9 Stratford Festival’s Gross Revenue and
Attendance (The Corporation of the City of Stratford,
2014)

11. — Justin Bieber’s hometown
— It is well-known just in Justin Bieber’s fun community, but Stratford
is where a famous popular singer, Justin Bieber’s hometown. He
started his singing carrier at the steps of Avon Theater.
— The Stratford Tourism offers “Bieber-iffic Map” to visiters to take a
tour of Justin Bieber’s memorial places. I actually studied at his high
school without knowing that Stratford is his hometown. There were
many Brazilian exchange students who came to Stratford just
because it is Justin’s hometown.
Tourists Attractions (cont.)
Fig. 11 Justin Bieber’s Stratford (Stratford Tourism, 2016)Fig. 10. Justin Bieber singing I’ll Be at Avon Theatre (Bieberpedia, 2017)

12. References
— Bajpai, P. (2017). Top companies trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Investopedia, LLC. Retrieved from https://
www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/081514/top-companies-trading-toronto-stock-exchange.asp
— Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. (16, Oct. 2017). Stratford Ontatio, Canada. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/place/Stratford-Ontario
— Firth, M. (2013). Goodbye, hometown: Small-town Ontario struggles to stay alive. News Ontario. Retrieved from
http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/2013/10/17/goodbye-hometown-small-town-ontario-struggles-to-stay-alive
— Statistics Canada. 2012. Stratford, Ontario (Code 3531011) and Canada (Code 01) (table). Census Profile. 2011 Census.
Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-XWE. Ottawa. Released October 24, 2012.
http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E (accessed December 18, 2017).
— Statistics Canada. 2012. Toronto, Ontario (Code 3520005) and Canada (Code 01) (table). Census Profile. 2011 Census.
Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-XWE. Ottawa. Released October 24, 2012.
http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E (accessed December 19, 2017).
— Stratford Tourism. (2016). Justin Bieber’s Stratford. Stratford Arts. Retrieved from http://www.visitstratford.ca/justin-biebers-
stratford
— The Corporation of the City of Stratford. (2014). Why invest in Stratford. Stratford Ontario Canada. Retrieved from https://
www.stratfordcanada.ca/en/dobusiness/whyinvestinstratford.asp

13. — Bieberpedia 2017, Justin Bieber singing I’ll be at Avon Theatre, digital image, Biberpedia, accessed 22 December 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=7f0kzD1xzvA
— Fpmarkets Canadian Demographics 2011, Table summarizing population by age and sex. Digital image, The Corporation of the City of Stratford, accessed
22 December 2017, https://www.stratfordcanada.ca/en/dobusiness/demographicprofile.asp
— Dorchester & Norfolk Limo, n.d., Stratford, digital image, Dorchester & Norfolk Limo, accessed 23 December 2017, http://dorchesterlimo.ca/stratford-
limousine-service.html
— Historica Canada 2013, Stratford, digital image, Historica Canada, accessed 23 December 2017, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/about/
— Stratford Festival 2017, A map of Stratford, Stratford Festival, accessed 22 December 2017, https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/Visit/GettingHere
— Stratford Tourism 2016, Justin Bieber’s Stratford, digital image, Stratford Tourism, accessed 22 December 2017,
http://www.visitstratford.ca/justin-biebers-stratford
— Stratford Tourism Alliance 2017, Stratford visitor satisfaction survey 2016, digital image, Stratford Tourism Alliance, accessed 22 December 2017, https://
student.unsw.edu.au/citing-images-and-tables-found-online
— The Corporation of the City of Stratford 2014, Weather norms: 30-year average, The Corporation of the City of Stratford, accessed 22 December 2017,
https://www.stratfordcanada.ca/en/dobusiness/maps.asp
— The Corporation of the City of Stratford 2014,The Location of Stratford, The Corporation of the City of Stratford, accessed 22 December 2017,
https://www.stratfordcanada.ca/en/dobusiness/maps.asp
— The Corporation of the City of Stratford 2014, Stratford Festival’s gross revenue and attendance, The Corporation of the City of Stratford, accessed 22
December 2017, accessed 22 December 2017http://www.stratfordcanada.ca/en/dobusiness/thearts.asp
— TripAdvisor, 2017, Stratford festival, digital image, TripAdvisor, accessed 22, December 2017, https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attractions-g155015-Activities-
Stratford_Ontario.html
References (figures)