Kitchener and Waterloo

Kitchener and Waterloo, which merge into one another for a combined population of 300,000, are usually referred to as K-W. Swiss-German Mennonites journeying from Pennsylvania in covered Conestoga wagons settled here around 1800, and the region's German origins remain obvious: there's a huge glockenspiel in downtown Kitchener by Speakers' Corner, and each October since 1967 the city has hosted Oktoberfest. The event now draws more than 700,000 people, who swarm to more than a dozen festival halls where they dance late into the evening, gorge on German-style food, and listen to oompah bands.