Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Wellington County, Ontario

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Country
  
Canada

Time zone
  
EST (UTC-5)

Population
  
86,672 (2011)

University
  
University of Guelph

County seat
  
Guelph (independent)

Area
  
2,657 km²

Province
  
Ontario


Municipalities
  
ListTownship of Centre WellingtonTown of ErinTownship of Guelph/EramosaTownship of PuslinchTownship of MapletonTown of MintoTownship of Wellington North

Website
  
www.county.wellington.on.ca/

Clubs and Teams
  
Guelph Storm, Guelph Hurricanes, Elora Rocks

Destinations
  
Guelph, Elora - Ontario, Fergus, Erin, Mount Forest - Ontario

Points of interest
  
Elora Gorge, McCrae House, Guelph Civic Museum, Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate, Palmerston Railway Heritage

Wellington County is a county located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The County, which is made up of two towns and five townships, is predominantly rural in nature. However many of its residents commute to Guelph, Kitchener, Brampton, Mississauga, and even Toronto. According to the 2016 Census, the population of the County, including the City of Guelph, was 222,726.

Contents

Map of Wellington County, ON, Canada

Subdivisions

The County is made up of seven lower tier municipalities including:

  • Centre Wellington, Township of
  • Erin, Town of
  • Guelph/Eramosa, Township of
  • Mapleton, Township of
  • Minto, Town of
  • Puslinch, Township of
  • Wellington North, Township of

    • The City of Guelph is part of the Wellington census division, but is independent of the County.

    History

    In 1837 by Act of Parliament the new District of Wellington was formed and a court house and jail in the town of Guelph were authorized. The District was named after England's Duke of Wellington and initially included the counties of Wellington, Waterloo, Grey and parts of Dufferin.

    In 1840, the District Council of Wellington consisted of eighteen municipalities as follows: the town of Guelph, the villages of Fergus, Elora, Mount Forest and Orangeville, and the following historic townships:

  • Arthur, area 64,494 acres (261 km²). Opened in 1835, it was named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Community centres: Arthur, Kenilworth and Mount Forest.
  • Eramosa, area 44,482 acres (180 km²). Opened in 1821. The name is an attempt to render in English the Indian "un-ne-mo-sa", which means dog. Community centres: Eden Mills and Rockwood.
  • Erin, area 70,557 acres (286 km²), opened in 1820, Community centres: Erin, Hillsburgh, Mimosa
  • West Garafraxa, area 46,950 acres (190 km²), Opened in 1821. Name is believed to be from an Indian word meaning "the place of panthers." Community centres: Fergus (only partially in the township), Reading, Metz and Garafraxa
  • Guelph Township, area 35,543 acres (144 km²). Opened on April 23, 1827 by John Galt on behalf of the Canada Company.
  • West Luther, area 49,830 acres (202 km²). Opened in 1821 and named after the leader of the Reformation in Germany, Martin Luther. It was said that the surveyor, a Roman Catholic, having been embarrassed by the endless swamps he had encountered declared that this was "the meanest piece of country he had seen" and named it Luther for that reason. Community centres: Monck, Stonywood, Damascus and Arthur.
  • Maryborough, area 56,728 acres (230 km²). Opened in 1840 and named after a brother of the Duke of Wellington, Baron Maryborough. Community centres: Drayton, Moorefield and Rothsay.
  • Minto, area 69,927 acres (283 km²) Opened in 1840 and named after the Earl of Minto, a famous pro-consul in India. Settled mainly between 1861 and 1875. Comummnity centres: Harriston, Palmerston, and Clifford.
  • Nichol, area 26,996 acres (109 km²) One of the townships leased by Joseph Brant under power of attorney for the Indians of the Grand River region. The Township was granted to Hon. Thomas Clark on a lease of 999 years for 3,564, but the contract was modified by the Crown. The Township was opened for settlement in 1822. Named in honour of Col Robert Nichol of Norfolk who distinguished himself in the War of 1812 and latter in political battles. Community centres: Elora, Fergus, Salem and Barnet.
  • Peel, area 74,525 acres (302 km²), Opened in 1835 and named in honour of Sir Robert Peel. Settled mainly between 1850 and 1853. Community centres: Drayton, Glenallan, Goldstone and Alma.
  • Pilkington, area 28,983 acres (117 km²) named in honour of Lieutenant Robert Pilkington (later General Pilkington) who accompanied John Graves Simcoe to Upper Canada. Pilkington acquired 20,000 acres (80 km²) of land. Community Centre: Elora in Nichol Township.
  • Puslinch: area 58,291 acres (236 km²) Named from Pushlinch in Devonshire, Lady Colborne's home before her marriage. .

    • By January 1854, Wellington County became an individual entity. At the time, it included the Townships and Towns of Amaranth, Arthur, Eramosa, Erin, Guelph, Guelph (Town), Garafraxa, Maryborough, Nichol, Peel, Pilkington, and Puslinch. Other municipalities were added between 1857 and 1881. Guelph separated in 1879 and was incorporated as a City; it lost representation on the County Council. Orangeville and Garafraxa East were annexed by Dufferin County.

    In 1999, seven new municipalities (Townships) were created within Wellington County through amalgamation.

    From "poorhouse" to museum

    In 1877, the County opened the Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge, or Poorhouse as it was called, on Wellington Road 18 between Fergus and Elora. Over the years, approximately 1500 "deserving" poor, including those who were destitute, old and infirm or suffering from disabilities were housed here. The sixty bed house for "inmates" was surrounded by a 30 acre "industrial" farm with a barn for livestock that produced some of the food for the 70 residents and the staff and also provided work for them. Others worked in the House itself. According to a 2009 report by the Toronto Star, "pauperism was considered a moral failing that could be erased through order and hard work". A hospital was added in 1892. A nearby cemetery has 271 plots for those who died. In 1947 the House was converted into the Wellington County Home for the Aged and in 1975 the building reopened as the Wellington County Museum and Archives.

    A historic plaque was erected at the museum, indicating that the "government-supported poorhouse" was "the shelter of last resort for the homeless and destitute, who traded spartan accommodations for domestic or agricultural labour".

    Demographics

    Historic population, for the County only, excluding Guelph are as follows:

  • 2016: 90,032
  • 2011: 86,672 (5-year population growth: 1.4%)
  • 2006: 85,482 (5-year population growth: 5.3%)
  • 2001: 81,143 (5-year population growth: 7.3%)
  • 1996: 75,585

    • Figures below are for the full Wellington census division, which combines Wellington County and the City of Guelph.

  • 2016 population: 222,726
  • 2016 land area: 2,660.57 sq. km.
  • 2016 population density: 83.7
  • 2016 total number of private dwellings: 90,846

    • Community involvement and awards

    In October 2008, the County of Wellington was named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers by Mediacorp Canada Inc. and featured in Maclean's newsmagazine. Later that month, the County was recognized as one of Waterloo Area's Top Employers and featured in the Guelph Mercury newspaper.

    The County of Wellington proudly received the 2015 Employer of Distinction Award at an Award Ceremony presented by the Guelph and District Human Resources Professionals Association in Guelph.

    Travel Region

    Wellington County is part of the Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association and Central Counties of Ontario, two tourism related associations.

    References

    Wellington County, Ontario Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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