On this day, March 6, in 1834, the town of York was officially incorporated as the City of Toronto.

That would make our city, as it is known today, 184 years old. But this land, this space, these rivers and lakes – they didn't just pop into existence when the city was incorporated. 

On this day in 1834, the Town of York fully incorporated itself as the City of Toronto. Happy 184th Birthday, Toronto! 🎉 #TO184 pic.twitter.com/DCSN9Y1wgy

— Norm Kelly (@norm) March 6, 2018

Toronto has been around for a very, very long time, under various names and with various inhabitants, though the history of this land prior to its European settlement doesn't get as much attention as it deserves. 

Modern day Toronto is situated upon traditional territories, including those of the Wendat, Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nations, and the Métis Nation. 

Tkaronto is much older than 184 years.
I wish to acknowledge that Toronto is the traditional territory of Indigenous people who called this land home before the arrival of settlers and many still do. Land acknowledgements are first steps toward reconciliation not the last. https://t.co/naTbiHkExl

— Kristyn Wong-Tam (@kristynwongtam) March 6, 2018

The very name of this city (borrowed from a narrow stretch of water between Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching) is an Anglicization of the Mohawk word tkaronto, which is used to describe an area where trees grow in shallow water.

Reflecting this, many people have been wishing both Toronto and Tkaronto a happy birthday today – so many that latter word started trending locally on Twitter.

#HappyBirthdayToronto! Or should I say #Tkaronto? https://t.co/BbAZyQ6yp6 via @globeandmail pic.twitter.com/lVytY9uOnx

— Hermione Wilson (@hermioneOG) March 6, 2018

This land has been a site of human activity for at least 15,000 years, according to U of T.

A lot has happened in the area since then, including the Toronto Purchase of 1787 – when Loyalist settlers bought 250,880 acres of land from the Mississaugas for just 10 shillings (about $60 today).

Today is apparently Toronto's 184th birthday so let me remind you it's actually called Tkaronto and has been here for 15,000 years. Oh and we totally stole this land.

- ur friendly neighbourhood angry feminist #HappyBirthdayToronto

— Vanessa Marie Rose (@pizzathepuzzle) March 6, 2018

If you care to look, Toronto's deep history is actually visible across the city, from the winding route of Davenport Rd. (once an offshoot of the Portage Trail) to the name Spadina, which derives from the Ojibwa word ishpadinaa, meaning high place or ridge.

On this municipal anniversary, it's worth pausing to consider Tkaronto and the peoples who first called this place home.