If you live outside of Canada and you’ve heard of Kitchener-Waterloo, podría ser debido a Research in Motion.

No offense to Kitchener-Waterloo, but this Ontario region’s most famous product is much better known than the cities themselves. Con sede central en Waterloo, Research in Motion (también conocido como RIM) is the maker of the now-ubiquitous Mora.

Sin embargo, las ciudades gemelas de Cocinero–Waterloo, situado a unos 100 kilometros (60 millas) al oeste de Toronto, tiene otra demanda a la fama: The region is home to a large German-Canadian community, y su reunión anual Oktoberfest is the largest Bavarian festival in North America.

This year’s Oktoberfest opens today, De octubre 9, y se extiende hasta el sábado, De octubre 17. Usted puede get the whole calendar of Oktoberfest events here.

Here’s an excerpt from my book, Residentes en el Extranjero en Canadá, about the Kitchener-Waterloo region’s German heritage:

A principios de 1800, communities of Pennsylvania “Dutch” (actually settlers from Germany) moved north to southern Ontario to escape religious persecution in the United States. One of Ontario’s original Mennonite settlements, la ciudad de St. Jacobs outside Waterloo still has a significant Mennonite population, including bonnet-clad women and bearded men who sell vegetables, carnes, y atascos en el local farmers’ markets.

For a more detailed history of German immigration to Canada, echar un vistazo a The Encyclopedia of Canada’s Peoples.

En el ínterin, tuck into a Schnitzel and hoist a glass at Canada’s largest Oktoberfest!