Cambridge, Ontario

History

Cambridge began as a composite city in 1973, when the City of Galt, Towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair were amalgamated.

There was considerable resistance among the local population to this "shotgun marriage" arranged by the provincial government and a healthy sense of rivalry had always governed relations among the three communities. Even today, though many residents will tell the outside world that they call Cambridge home, they will often identify themselves to each other as citizens of Galt or Preston or Hespeler. Each unique centre has its own history that is well documented in the Cambridge City Archives.

The first mayor of Cambridge was Claudette Millar, who at the time was one of the few female mayors and, at 35, the youngest mayor in Canada.

As Cambridge has developed and the open spaces between the original municipalities have been filled in, a fourth commercial core, entirely modern in its construction, has emerged. The Macdonald-Cartier Freeway Highway 401 runs through its midst.

On May 17, 1974, flooding on the Grand River was so intense it filled city streets with water to a depth of about four feet. Hundreds of businesses and homes were severely damaged.

Economy

In 1988, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada opened a plant in Cambridge, which employs approximately 4,500 people and is the citys largest employer. Several other industrial companies also have locations in Cambridge, including Process Group Inc., Gerdau Ameristeel, ATS Automation Tooling Systems, Loblaw Companies Limited, Challenger Motor Freight Inc., Sutherland-Schultz Inc., Canadian General-Tower Ltd., Frito-Lay Canada (formerly Hostess), Babcock and Wilcox, Rockwell Automation, Tenneco Cambridge, Centra Industries and COM DEV International in addition to service companies such as Langdon Hall, Coronation Dental Specialty Group, Gore Mutual Insurance Co., Cowan Insurance Group and Lone Wolf Real Estate Technologies.

Attractions

Cambridge is home to many cultural events and activities, including the Mill Race Festival and the Rock the Mill music festivals in downtown Galt. Cambridge also has the Cambridge Highland Games in Churchill Park in July. Theres also Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory the annual dragon boat festival, the Cambridge fall fair which has been entertaining locals and visitors alike for over 100 years.

The Cambridge Santa Claus Parade is one of the first city parades in Ontario to go to the night-time format.

There is also the festive Christmas in Cambridge winter festival at Christmas featuring events like Unsilent Night, which began in New York City by Phil Kline. The City of Cambridges take on this event uniquely involves other aspects of the community such as Christie digital projection technology. University of Waterloo School of Architecture Cambridge students in Dr. Jeff Lederer’s Urban Revitalization and Design class designed the spectacular light installations.

The Cambridge Farmers’ Market has been in operation in the original building on the original site circa 1830; making it the third oldest market in the country. The Cambridge Farmers’ Market is now ranked as one of the top 10 markets in the country by Best Health Magazine. All the vendors come from within a 100 km radius to sell fresh fruits, cheese, vegetables, baked goods and more.

The Cambridge Centre of the Arts is a municipally operated community Arts Centre that is available to area residents, artists and organizations. The Arts Centre officially opened May 2001. Cambridge Galleries are a part of the Cambridge Public Library system with art exhibition spaces at Queens Square, Preston and the new Design at Riverside location. Together, the three galleries host approximately 23 exhibitions per year.

In June 2008, the new Cambridge City Hall facility opened as the first city hall in Canada to achieve the ranking of gold in the LEED from the Canada Green Building Council. The $30 million project was completed on time and on budget, and financed through a settlement of a loan with the city’s hydro utility. A conservative estimate comparing a standard 85,000-square-foot (7,900 m²) building to the new City Hall LEED standard building results in a $160,000 savings on energy per year or some $1.6 Million over 10 years. The open concept of the facility allows for greater air flow, reducing cooling costs and increasing the penetration of natural light to offset other light sources. A four-story "living wall" of tropical plants is located in the atrium and cleanses the air of pollutants such as formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, dust, and spores. Behind the living wall is a running water supply that provides humidity during the winter months and a soothing sound for employees and visitors to enjoy all year round.

The historic city hall in Cambridge was built in 1858 by local architect H.B. Sinclair for $3,650, replacing the original structure built in 1838. Built of granite and white limestone, locally-found blue granite was used as a decorative feature. The Historic City served as the communitys town hall and market place. Today, the Historic City Hall and the New City Hall are connected by a hallway constructed shortly after the New City Hall was built.

In the tradition of environmental stewardship, Cambridge preserves over 365 hectares of parkland which make up more than 80 parks in the city, as well as over 140 km of bike on-road cycling lanes.

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