Ontario, California Ontario California was founded by George Chaffey, a Canadian Engineer, and his brother William.  George and William purchased 6,218 acres of land called the "San Antonio Lands".  This was the beginning of their new model colony.  The centerpiece was "Euclid Avenue", 8 miles long and two hundred feet wide, the twin "driveways" separated by  a parkway which is seeded in grass and lined with Pepper Trees until today.  The continuation of this charming concept which the Chaffey brothers began so many years ago is being revisited by the coming development of  "The New Model Colony Residential" community which will add 100,000 new residents and several thousand businesses when built-out.   Today, although Ontario leads the Inland Empire as an economic giant with a population of over 170,000 residents, providing over 80,000 jobs, and generating nearly $4 Billion in annual taxable sales revenue. Ontario has very well managed to retain its sense of tradition and small town charm. Ontario offers state of the art accomodations  for conferences, trade shows or large community events such as the Ontario Convention Center, site of the President George W. Bush 2002 "Town Hall Forum on the Ecomony in California".    Ontario International Airport  with its new $270 million twin terminals will continue to help support Ontario's diverse and growing economy.   The shopping and entertainment culture is definitely embraced by this community in the 1.7 million square foot  "Ontario Mills Mall"  which is the largest outlet and entertainment mall in Southern California.   Over 21 miilion visitors in 2002 enjoyed the various venues at Ontario Mills like over 52 Theatre screens, Rainforest  Cafe, Wolfgang Pucks, Game Works, Dave & Buster's, over 200 Shops, Vans Skate Board Park, Four nearby Hotels and so much more.   Ontario's location in the sun-belt assures mild, Mediterranean weather with brisk winters and pleasantly cool summer nights. Temperatures vary during the seasons, typically falling between 45 degrees and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. With an elevation of 925 feet, Ontario averages 312 days of sunshine per year. The mild weather allows residents to enjoy over 300 acres of Ontario's many parks as well as the nearby Orange County and San Diego attractions including Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm and Sea World. Close to the San Bernardino Mountains, residents can also enjoy world-class skiing at Big Bear during the winter months.  It all began with a vision to build a community "a model colony" that families can grow and enjoy for many generations to come and Ontario has certainly become that "Model Colony" for all residents to enjoy.