Originally settled by 18th-century English and Scottish immigrants, Toronto has grown into a cosmopolitan metropolis, home to 80 ethnic groups speaking around 100 languages with 44% of the population of nearly 2½ million born overseas. Canada's largest city, covering a maximum of 27 mls from E to W and 13 mls N to S, it is also the country's leading financial and commercial centre with the headquarters of many banking and industrial institutions concentrated in the densely packed downtown area. The city has taken to high-rises in a big way, with a crop of gleaming towers in the financial district as well as rows of distinctly less attractive tower blocks along the shoreline; the skyline is dominated by the spectacular, pencil-thin CN Tower that claims to be the world's tallest free-standing structure. There are still pockets of the old, prosperous Victorian town to be found, however, principally the stately, mock-Gothic City Hall, and Parliament and university buildings. To the NE of downtown, Cabbagetown has neighbourhoods of grand Victorian villas, while the St Lawrence area retains its still flourishing Victorian market. There are also plenty of ethnic areas such as Little Italy (although there is a diverse mix of nationalities living there now), large, vibrant Chinatown, Portugal Village, Greektown on Danforth Ave, and the Kensington Market area – originally a Jewish district but now a multicultural neighbourhood crowded with fruit and veg shops and second-hand/vintage clothing boutiques. Chic, up-and-coming areas include upmarket Yorkville – hangout of hippies in the 1960s – and Yonge & Eglinton in Midtown with a range of trendy shops and bars; the Distillery District near the waterfront is now a pedestrian-only precinct with galleries, studios and shops; Gay Village, around Wellesley and Church, is the vibrant centre of the gay scene. The city is rather short on green areas, although compact and shady Queen's Park at the centre of the university district is a summer haven and Toronto Islands in the harbour comprises 17 islands of parkland connected by walkways. The city is renowned for hosting various international festivals and is the most frequently used location for film-makers after Los Angeles and New York, earning it the nickname "Hollywood North"; recent films to use the city as a backdrop include Chicago, X-Men and My Big Fat Greek Wedding.