Tower · Toronto, Canada
CN Tower
The CN Tower (French: Tour CN) is a 553.3-metre-high (1,815.3 ft) communications and observation tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Built 1976.
Photo: Scott Webb scottwebb via Wikimedia Commons, CC0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Toronto, Canada |
|---|---|
| Type | Tower |
| Built | 1976 |
| Architect | John Andrews |
| Height | Height: 553.3 m |
| Coordinates | 43.6426° N, 79.3871° W |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What CN Tower is known for
The CN Tower (French: Tour CN) is a 553.3-metre-high (1,815.3 ft) communications and observation tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
About CN Tower
The CN Tower (French: Tour CN) is a 553.3-metre-high (1,815.3 ft) communications and observation tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Completed in 1976, it is located in downtown Toronto, built on the former Railway Lands. Its name "CN" refers to Canadian National, the railway company that built the tower.
History
The original concept of the CN Tower was first conceived in 1968 when the Canadian National Railway wanted to build a large television and radio communication platform to serve the Toronto area, and to demonstrate the strength of Canadian industry and CN in particular. These plans evolved over the next few years, and the project became official in 1972. The tower would have been part of Metro Centre (see CityPlace), a large development south of Front Street on the Railway Lands, a large railway switching yard that was being made redundant after the opening of the MacMillan Yard north of the city in 1965 (then known as Toronto Yard).
Planning a visit? Visit the official CN Tower website — the official site has the current visiting information.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Toronto |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Billy Bishop Toronto City Centre Airport (YTZ) |
| Distance from the airport | 0.8 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) · Toronto, Canada · 12.3 miles away
- John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM) · Hamilton, Canada · 42.4 miles away
- Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) · Buffalo, United States · 58.6 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Canada
More towers
Frequently asked questions
What is CN Tower?
The CN Tower (French: Tour CN) is a 553.3-metre-high (1,815.3 ft) communications and observation tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Where is CN Tower located?
CN Tower is in Toronto, Canada. Its coordinates are 43.6426° N, 79.3871° W.
How do I get to CN Tower?
The nearest town is Toronto, and the nearest airport is Billy Bishop Toronto City Centre Airport (YTZ), about 0.8 miles away (straight line).
When was CN Tower built?
CN Tower was built 1976.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CN_Tower — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q134883 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- http://www.cntower.ca/ — Official website of the landmark / managing body.
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.