Everything about Peterborough Ontario totally explained
Peterborough is a
city on the
Otonabee River in central-eastern
Ontario,
Canada, 125 kilometres (78
mi) northeast of
Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 in the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area (CMA) had a population of 121,570. It presently ranks as the
33rd largest CMA in Canada. The current
mayor of Peterborough is Paul Ayotte.
Peterborough is known as the gateway to the "cottage country" of the
Kawarthas, a large recreational region of the province. The city is the seat of
Peterborough County.
History
First Nations groups followed retreating glaciers into the area 11,000 years ago. Woodland Natives inhabited the area circa 1000 BC to
AD 1000, followed by
Iroquois and
Mississaugas circa 1740.
In 1615,
Samuel de Champlain traveled through the area and stayed for a brief time near the present-day site of
Bridgenorth, just north of Peterborough.
In 1818, Adam Scott settled on the west shore of the
Otonabee River. The following year he began construction of a sawmill and gristmill, establishing the area as Scott's Plains. The mill was located at the foot of present day King Street and was powered by water from Jackson Creek.
1825 marked the arrival of 1,878
Irish immigrants from the city of
Cork. In 1822, the British Parliament had approved an experimental emigration plan to transport poor Irish families to
Upper Canada. The scheme was managed by
Peter Robinson, at the time a politician in York (present-day Toronto). Scott's Plains was re-named Peterborough in his honour.
In 1845,
Sandford Fleming, inventor of
Standard Time and designer of Canada's first postage stamp, moved to the city to live with Dr. John Hutchison and his family, staying until 1847. Dr. John Hutchison was one of Peterborough's first resident doctors.
Peterborough was incorporated as a town in 1850 (population 2,191).
Beginning in the late 1850s, a substantial canoe building industry grew up in and around Peterborough. The
Peterborough Canoe Company was founded in 1893, with the factory being built on the site of the original Adam Scott mill. By 1930, 25% of all employees in the boat building industry in Canada worked in the Peterborough area. The period from 1928-36 saw the establishment of the
Johnson Motor Company/
Outboard Marine (the makers of motorized boat engines) as an outgrowth of the original industry.
Peterborough would also see extensive industrial growth as the city was one of the first places in the country to begin generating hydro electrical power (even before the plants at
Niagara Falls). Companies like
Edison General Electric Company (later Canadian General Electric) and America Cereal Company (later to become
Quaker Oats, and in 2001 PepsiCo, Inc.), opened to take advantage of this new cheap resource.
In 1904, the village of Ashburnham (founded in 1859), on the east shore of the Otonabee River, was annexed to Peterborough. This area of the city is still referred to as "East City" by local residents. It is sometimes regarded as a separate entity to Peterborough, with residents referring to local businesses and homes as being in "East City", as opposed to the main bulk of the city. Peterborough was incorporated as a city on
Dominion Day—
July 1,
1905 (population 14,300). The city's
flag and
coat of arms were adopted in 1951.
In the 1970s, the Ontario Government helped sponsor the building of Peterborough Square with the aid of the Ontario Downtown Renewal Programme (ODRP). The mall was anchored by an
Eaton's store. Eaton's has since left, and the mall is currently without an anchor. The
call centre ICT Group, Inc. takes up the bulk of the anchor store's vacant space, and the rest of that area is other assorted office space. More recently, the Government relocated the central office of the
Ministry of Natural Resources to a site downtown (across the street from Peterborough Square).
Ann Arbor, Michigan became Peterborough's
sister city in 1983.
Demographics
The population of the
Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) of Peterborough was 121,570 (Ontario 12,160,282, Canada 31,612,897) and of these 80,000 lived within the urban core. Peterborough lists as the
33rd largest urban area in Canada (14th in Ontario).
Children under five accounted for 4.8% of the resident population of the city (Ontario 5.8%, Canada 5.6%). People of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) made up 18.1% of the resident population (Ontario 13.0%, Canada 13.2%). The average age of a person in Peterborough was 40.6 years (Ontario 37.2 years, Canada 37.6 years).
The population density of Peterborough (CMA) averaged 85.4 people per square kilometre (221.2/sq mi), compared with an average of 12.6 people per square kilometre (32.6/sq mi) for the province.
It is anticipated that the city's population will grow by approximately 20,000 in the next 10 years, reaching 98,900 by 2017.
Economy
Manufacturing is the biggest local industry with
General Electric and
Quaker Oats maintaining large operations in Peterborough. The city is also a 'bedroom' community for workers of
General Motors Canada: the GM
Oshawa Autoplex is actually the largest industrial employer of Peterborough citizens. The Peterborough Regional Health Centre is the largest employer, followed by school boards and local government.
Companies like General Electric and Outboard Marine, with their high paying manufacturing jobs, had a major impact on the growth of the city. Aging facilities and more expensive labour compared with the developing world worked against the city. The
NAFTA agreement of the early 1990s saw a major shift in trading patterns for many Canadian companies. Other innovations like just in time delivery and pressure to produce ever cheaper goods impacted some of the large multi-nationals in the 1970s and 1980s. Today GE, PepsiCo Quaker, Siemens and numerous smaller manufacturing companies are experiencing significant growth. Minute Maid (Coca-Cola) recently invested $
CDN20 million in a new warehouse and product line while auto parts supplier Ventra has doubled in size. Manufacturing job creation kept pace with the provincial average from 1991-2001. Lower costs, reliable labour and high quality post-secondary institutions are a competitive advantage for Peterborough. Peterborough was ranked number one location for business in Ontario by
Canadian Business magazine in late 2004.
Government
Peterborough is a
single-tier municipality governed by a
mayor-council system. The
Mayor of Peterborough is elected by direct
popular vote to serve as the chief executive of the city. The Peterborough City Council is a
unicameral legislative body, comprising the Mayor and 10 city councillors representing 5 geographical wards of the city. The present wards are as follows;
- Ward 1 - Otonobee - represented by - Eric Martin and J. Douglas Peacock
- Ward 2 - Monaghan - represented by - Henry Clarke and Jack Doris
- Ward 3 - Town - represented by - Ann E. Farquharson and Dean Pappas
- Ward 4 - Ashburnham - represented by - Patti S. Peeters and Len Vass
- Ward 5 - Northcrest - represented by - Shirley Eggleton and Bob Hall
Peterborough City Hall is located at 500 George Street North in downtown Peterborough and also houses the central offices of
Peterborough Social Services.
Transportation
Roads and highways
Peterborough is located 125 kilometres (78 mi) northeast of Toronto and is served by provincial
Highway 115 (from
Highway 401) and the
Highway 7 junction, which becomes the
Peterborough By-Pass. The eastern segment of Highway 7 was separated from the central segment by 6 km until the creation of the By-Pass. This
freeway style highway runs 12.5 km off Highway 115 with five entrance routes into the city. Its entire length is part of the
Trans-Canada Highway.
Public transit
Public transit in the city of Peterborough is
Peterborough Transit.
Intercity buses
Peterborough Transit's hub is a central terminal located on Simcoe Street in the city's downtown core. It also serves as the regional terminus for
Coach Canada (formerly Trentway Wagar) routes into the city.
Greyhound Lines of Canada operates an inter-city terminal nearby.
Railways
Peterborough is served by
Canadian Pacific Railway. No passenger services currently exist, but the federal government plans to reinstate them.
(External Link
)
Air
Peterborough Airport is located off Highway 115.
Water
Otonabee River is part of the
Trent-Severn Waterway.
Public library system
The
Peterborough Public Library was established in 1911, and was originally known as
Carnegie Library. It now has two branches:
The
Main Library, located at 345 Aylmer St. North, is a full service library with a well-stocked current circulating collection of books, CD audio books, CD-Music, DVDs and magazines. In addition to encyclopedias and dictionaries, the Reference Collection includes a local history collection, government documents, electronic resources and microforms selected to answer the information needs of our community. The library was recently used for the filming of the 2008-Bound Motion Picture
Jumper.
The
DelaFosse Branch, established in 1957, is located in the south end of the city at 729 Park St. South. It is a small neighbourhood branch with a recreational reading collection of approximately 14,000 hardcover and paperback books for all ages. Recent additions to the collection include a variety of multimedia including CDs, DVDs, CD-ROMs, and CD audio books.
The Peterborough Public Library is part of a larger borrowing network that shares a database of materials with The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and Asphodel-Norwood Public Library System. This group of libraries is referred to as PACLAN (Peterborough and County Library Automation Network).
Education
» See also the category
Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board
The
Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board is the
public English language school board that takes in the regions of the previous Peterborough County Board of Education and the Northumberland-Clarington Board of Education and covers almost 7,000 square kilometres. It serves the communities located in the Kawarthas to the north, and south to Lake Ontario.
Hastings County is its eastern border and its western border extends to the
City of Kawartha Lakes and to the edge of the
City of Oshawa.
The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board presently operates 82 elementary schools, 15 secondary schools and 4 adult learning centres serving both the urban area and the outlining rural communities.
Peterborough Victoria Northumberland & Clarington Catholic District School Board
The
Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board is the
Catholic (
Separate) English language school board for the region.
The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board presently operates 33 elementary schools and 15 secondary schools.
Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud
The
Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud is the
Catholic (
Separate) French language school board for the South-Central region of Ontario, which includes Peterborough.
The Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud presently operates 41 elementary schools and 8 secondary schools, of which the only school in Peterborough is the elementary school
Monseigneur-Jamot.
Post secondary institutions
Trent University
Established in 1964, Trent University is a
liberal arts and science oriented institution. Trent's academic focus is on environmental, cultural, and science studies. The main
Symons Campus of Trent, located in the city's far north end, is approximately 14.60 square kilometres, over half of which is a part of Trent's Nature Areas, an ecologically diverse wild-life
preserve.
Trent University is divided into a series of colleges: Champlain, Lady Eaton,
Catharine Parr Traill, Otonabee,
Peter Gzowski, and Julian Blackburn. Each college has its own residence hall, dining room, and student government, except Julian Blackburn, which consists only of part-time students, and thus doesn't require a residence or dining facility.
Fleming College
Established in 1967, Fleming College, (formerly Sir Sandford Fleming College), is a multidisciplinary institution with two primary campuses within the city of Peterborough:
McRae Campus is located in a renovated
textile mill located downtown on McDonnel Street.
Sutherland Campus is located on Brealey Drive in the city's west end, and has recently undergone a massive expansion. The new St. Joseph’s at Fleming is the first long-term care facility to be built on a college or university campus. In 2005, the Peterborough Sport & Wellness Centre was constructed to accommodate the college's athletic needs. The college also operates campuses in nearby
Lindsay,
Cobourg, and
Haliburton.
Landmarks and notable institutions
Peterborough and the Kawarthas offer a multitude of
attractions and events for all
demographics. Rich in
heritage, the region is host to an amazing array of museums, cultural exhibitions, indoor and outdoor galleries and theatres,
Aboriginal heritage attractions and historical sites, as well as a vibrant arts community.
The
Peterborough Centennial Museum & Archives is home to a diverse collection of artifacts. It was established in 1897 and moved to its present site on Armour Hill in 1967. The Archives collection includes items from
Catharine Parr Traill, the
original
Peter Robinson papers, the
Park Studio
Fonds and the
Balsillie collection of Roy Studio Images, over 300,000 film and glass plate negatives dating back to 1896.
The
Trent-Severn Waterway passes through Peterborough and includes the
Peterborough Lift Lock, the world's largest
hydraulic lift lock, which opened in 1904. It is also the world's highest lift lock with a rise of 65 feet (19.8 m).
Del Crary Park is a large
urban greenspace on Little Lake, located in close proximity to downtown Peterborough that's also home of the Peterborough Yacht Club. Free outdoor events and concerts are held here during the summer months, including the international
Festival of Lights fireworks displays, Wednesday and Saturday evenings from June through August. The Art Gallery of Peterborough, opened in 1974, is situated on the shore of Little Lake beside Del Crary Park and features 1,004 pieces from around the world.
Showplace Performance Centre is a 647 seat, state of the art
performance facility located downtown that opened in 1996. The
Canadian Canoe Museum, located on Monaghan Road, is a unique national
heritage centre that explores the
canoe's enduring significance to the peoples of Canada.
Arts organizations
Artspace(External Link) is one of Canada's oldest artist-run art centres, founded in 1974. Its mandate is to support the growth and development of
contemporary artists. Artspace maintains a public gallery. Noted artist
David Bierk was one of the founding members.
The Peterborough Arts Umbrella
(External Link) is a membership-based arts facility. The PAU is mandated to serve practitioners of all artistic disciplines in Peterborough and surrounding area, and maintains a public gallery. Some services the PAU provides include a digital media centre, rehearsal spaces for music and theatre, workshops, and an accessible gallery for local and Canadian artists.
Peterborough New Dance and Public Energy
(External Link) was founded by
Bill Kimball in 1994, and is a presenter and animator of
contemporary dance and
performance. It is the only full-time presenter of contemporary dance in Ontario outside of
Toronto and
Ottawa. The organization also supports the development of local dance and performance artists, produces the annual Emergency festival of new dance featuring area artists, and presents indigenous performing artists.
The
(External Link) was
incorporated in 1967, with historical roots reaching back before the turn of the century. The PSO presents symphonic music. Music Director
Michael Newnham has led the organization since 2001, which offers concerts and educational outreach programming to Peterborough and beyond.
The
Starfire Band was originally formed in 1999 by Peter Ford. It was an offshoot of the Kawartha Wind Symphony, which was composed of the older generation of musicians.
The Starfire band was created for the younger generation of musicians and consists of students from Grade 7 to Grade 12 in the
Peterborough, Ontario area who are interested in music, not necessarily with any or much experience.
Sports teams
Peterborough is well known for its junior level hockey team, the
Peterborough Petes of the
OHL. The 'Petes' were established in 1956 and have become the longest continuously operating team in the league. The Petes have produced a record number of
National Hockey League players such as
Eric Staal,
Jordan Staal,
Mike Fisher,
Chris Pronger,
Steve Yzerman,
Bob Gainey,
Mike Ricci,
Larry Murphy,
Tie Domi, and coaches such as
Scotty Bowman,
Roger Neilson,
Mike Keenan,
Gary Green, and
Dick Todd. They have also graduated the most players to the
NHL of all current OHL teams.
The
Peterborough Memorial Centre, constructed in 1956, is the home of the Peterborough Petes and was named in honour of the many
war veterans who came from the region. It is located at the east of the exhibition grounds at the corner of Lansdowne and George Streets. In 2003, the Memorial Centre was renovated adding 24 luxury box suites, improved concessions, a licensed restaurant, new seats, boards, scoreboard and the addition of air conditioning.
The city also carries a Tier II Junior "A" team known as the
Peterborough Stars that play in the
Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League.
Lacrosse is also popular in the area. The city's two major teams are the
Peterborough Lakers (defending
Major Series Lacrosse champions) and the
Peterborough Jr. Lakers.
Media and journalism
Main article: Media of Peterborough, Ontario
Social services
Youth Emergency Shelter
Community Opportunity & Innovation Network Inc.
Annual events
Artsweek - annual celebration of the arts in Peterborough held in September.
Downtown Countdown - alcohol/drug-free New Year's Eve celebration (website currently down)
Emergency: Festival of New Dance and Performance by Peterborough Area Artists - festival held in late March / early April, produced by Public Energy and Peterborough New Dance
Festival of Trees - fundraiser in support of local healthcare built around a show of decorated Christmas trees and other seasonally themed displays, late November, Memorial Centre
Peterborough Folk Festival (External Link) - three-day music, arts and community festival, featuring free all-day outdoor event with five stages, traditionally held last weekend in August
The Ontario municipal holiday (held on the first Monday in August) which is called Simcoe Day in Toronto and Colonel By Day in Ottawa is called Peter Robinson Day locally
Summer Festival of Lights - free concert series and fireworks, Wednesdays and Saturdays from June to August, Del Crary Park
Peterborough Kinsmen Santa Claus Parade(External Link) - first Saturday of December at the new time of 5:00 pm. This year's theme "Christmas Through the Eyes Of A Child."
Events listings
Quid Novis - Central Ontario's Online Info Source since 1996
Peterborough and Kawarthas Tourism Calendar of Events - Tourism Events list in Peterborough
Peterborough Promotions General Events List for Peterborough.
Notable current and former residents of Peterborough
Sebastian Bach, musician, actor, and former lead singer of Skid Row
David Bateman (Canadian poet), actor and playwright
Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of Research In Motion
Scotty Bowman, former hockey coach, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens
Dave Carley, playwright
Steve Chiasson, (1967-1999) NHL player
George Albertus Cox, (1840-1914), former mayor, Canadian Senator
Seán Cullen, comedian
Robertson Davies, (1913-1995), novelist, playwright, critic, journalist and professor
Jason Dunn, lead singer of the Christian band Hawk Nelson
Mike Fisher, NHL player with the Ottawa Senators
Sandford Fleming, (1827–1915) Canadian engineer, inventor (invented Standard Time)
Matt Frewer, aka 1980s icon "Max Headroom"
Bob Gainey, former NHL player and now General Manager with the Montreal Canadiens
Emily Haines, musician, lead singer of Metric
Ronnie Hawkins, Rock and Roll legend, currently resides in Lakefield (Peterborough County)
Barclay Hope, actor
William Hope, actor
David Kaye, voice actor
Mike Keenan, NHL coach with the Calgary Flames
Gerard Kennedy, 2006 Liberal leadership candidate, studied at Trent University.
Norman Knott, (1945–2003) artist from Curve Lake
Steve Larmer, former NHL player with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers
Yann Martel, winner of the Booker Prize, studied philosophy at Peterborough's Trent University
Greg Millen, hockey analyst
Paul Nicholas Mason, author of Battered Soles and The Discipline Committee
Leah McLaren, journalist, author
Derek McCormack, writer
Trevor McNevan, member of Christian rock band Thousand Foot Krutch
Susanna Moodie, (1803-1885) Canadian author
Roger Neilson, (1934-2003) innovative NHL coach who spent 10 years coaching the Peterborough Petes
Catherine Parr Traill, 19th century Canadian author
Lester B. Pearson, former Prime Minister of Canada
Corey Perry, NHL player with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Bobby Roode, professional wrestler working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Serena Ryder, singer and songwriter
Neil Sanderson, the drummer of Three Days Grace
Cory Stillman, NHL player with the Ottawa Senators
Thomas Symons, founding President of Trent University
Christian Tanna and Jagori Tanna, brothers and founders of the band I Mother Earth
Estella Warren, former synchronized swimmer turned model and actress
Greg Wells, songwriter and record producer
Rob Wells, songwriter and record producer
Peter Wray, film maker, writer and marketing strategist
Further Information
Get more info on 'Peterborough Ontario'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://peterborough__ontario.totallyexplained.com">Peterborough, Ontario Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
