Country Canada Established 1885 Postal Code P0M Population 607 (2011) Area code Area code 807 Mayor Angelo Bazzoni | District Algoma Time zone EST (UTC-5) Website www.whiteriver.ca Province Ontario Local time Sunday 3:02 AM Number of airports 1 | |
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Weather -3°C, Wind SE at 5 km/h, 87% Humidity | ||
White River is a township located in Ontario, Canada, on the intersection of Highway 17 and Highway 631. It was originally set up as a rail town on the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885. In 1961, it was finally made accessible by car via Highway 17 of the Trans-Canada Highway.
Contents
Map of White River, ON, Canada
The forest industry was the largest employer until 2007, when the Domtar mill shut down.
The township is perhaps best known for being the home of Winnie the Pooh. In August 1914, a trapped black bear cub was sold to Captain Harry Colebourn in White River, and Colebourn named it Winnipeg, or Winnie, after his hometown of Winnipeg. Over the years, the animal became the basis for the popular literary character. The town celebrates "Winnie's Hometown Festival" every third week in August.
The White River railway station is the western terminus of the Sudbury – White River train.
Climate
White River advertises itself as "The Coldest Spot in Canada" with recorded temperatures as low as −58 °C (−72 °F). However, this is a myth, as the coldest temperature in Canada was recorded in Snag, Yukon, at −62.8 °C (−81.0 °F) on 3 February 1947. Even in Ontario, the coldest recorded temperature was in Iroquois Falls on 23 January 1935 [−58.3 °C (−72.9 °F)], which is also the lowest temperature ever recorded in Eastern Canada. White River's reputation for being the "coldest spot" is probably based on the fact that for many years, its reported temperature was deemed "the coldest in the nation today" from the handful of stations reporting daily temperature extremes in newspapers and on radio, with most stations' data being available only on a monthly basis to Environment Canada at the time.
Its official weather station (which closed in 1976) was located in a frost hollow, but most residential areas have good air drainage and do not see temperatures far below −40 °C (−40 °F). Gardeners can keep their flowers alive into October and grow non-boreal species such as silver maple.
Popular culture
White River is referenced by the Canadian singer/songwriter Christine Fellows in her song "Migrations".
Demographics
Population:
Mother tongue:
In 2006, the township was 61% White, 26% Metis, and 13% First Nations.