The Blue Mountains, Ontario Explained

The Blue Mountains
Official Name:Town of The Blue Mountains
Settlement Type:Town (lower-tier)
Flag Size:120x100px
Pushpin Map:CAN ON Grey#Canada Southern Ontario
Coordinates:44.4833°N -103°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name1:Ontario
Subdivision Name2:Grey
Established Title:Settled
Established Title2:Formed
Established Date2:January 1, 2001
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Andrea Matrosovs
Leader Title1:Federal riding
Leader Name1:Simcoe—Grey
Area Land Km2:287.24
Population Total:7025
Population As Of:2016
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Density Km2:24.5
Postal Code Type:Postal Code
Postal Code:N0H 2P0
Area Code:519 & 226
Website:www.thebluemountains.ca
Leader Title2:Prov. riding
Leader Name2:Simcoe—Grey
Timezone:EST
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Blank Name:Highways

The Blue Mountains is a town in Grey County, southwestern Ontario, Canada, located where the Beaver River flows into Nottawasaga Bay. It is named for the Blue Mountain, and hence the economy of the town is centred on tourism, particularly on the Blue Mountain ski resort and the private Georgian Peaks, Osler, Craigleith and Alpine Ski Clubs.

The town was formed on January 1, 2001, when the Town of Thornbury was amalgamated with the Township of Collingwood. Thornbury is home to the architecturally unique L.E. Shore Memorial Library, named after the founding partner of the architectural practice of Shore Tilbe Irwin + Partners, and designed by the firm.

During the Southern Ontario Tornado Outbreak of 2009, a tornado passed through the Blue Mountains area on August 20. The tornado passed by Thornbury and hit Craigleith before moving out onto Georgian Bay.

Ravenna is the setting for the novel Ravenna Gets by author Tony Burgess.

Recreation

The Blue Mountains has a host of recreational activities for all the seasons. Most notably is the winter skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. In the summer there is hiking, downhill/cross-country biking, an extravagant mini putt,[2] the Ridge Runner[3] and events such as Met Con Blue.[4] If physical activities are not what you are looking for, The Village at Blue Mountain[5] has a plethora of boutiques, coffee shops, restaurants, hotels and chalets, as well as golf courses within walking distance. Less than a 5-minute drive away there is the Scandinave Spa[6] which situated on 25 acres of natural Ontario birch, as well as the Scenic Caves.[7]

Craigleith Provincial Park is located along Highway 26 near Blue Mountain resort.

The Bruce Trail passes through sections of the town. The Kolapore area for mountain biking and cross-country skiing, Metcalfe Rock which is popular with rock climbers as well as the Duncan Crevice Caves Nature Reserve are in the area as well.

Communities

The primary population centres are Thornbury and the modern resort-style communities clustered around the foot of the escarpment near the ski resorts. Additionally the town's territory also includes the rural communities of Banks, Camperdown, Castle Glen Estates, Christie Beach, Clarksburg, Craigleith, Duncan, Gibraltar, Swiss Meadows, Heathcote, Kolapore, Little Germany, Lora Bay, Loree, Ravenna, Red Wing, Slabtown, and Victoria Corners.

Thornbury

Thornbury was first incorporated in 1831 and divided from Collingwood Township in 1887 as a separate administration.[8] This existed until 2001 when it remerged with Collingwood Township to form Town of The Blue Mountains municipality. The town was a shipping and processing centre for local agricultural produce especially apples through its harbour on Georgian Bay, Lake Huron. There was also a small fishing fleet that operated from the harbour and the post office dates from 1854.[9]

Rail service reached Thornbury on September 2, 1872, when the Northern Railway of Canada's North Grey Railway was built westward through Grey County from Collingwood to Meaford; the line reached Meaford later that year, in December.[10] The line was originally planned to extend all the way to Owen Sound, but this vision went unrealized due to factors such as terrain, financial limitations, and competition from the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway, which reached Owen Sound in 1873.[11] The railway was later part of the Grand Trunk Railway and Canadian National Railways (CNR) systems. Thereafter, it became known as the CN Meaford Subdivision. Regular passenger service ceased in 1960; the line itself was abandoned in 1985.

Many large late nineteenth century houses on tree lined streets characterize the town suburbs.[12] Thornbury is home to the architecturally unique L.E. Shore Memorial Library, built in 1995 and named after the founding partner of the architectural practice of Shore Tilbe Irwin + Partners who designed it.[13] In more recent years, Thornbury has become a winter and summer destination for individuals from across Ontario to vacation. The town also holds an annual Canada Day celebration that takes place on the main street.[14]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, The Blue Mountains had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 284.65km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[15]

Population trend:[16]

Canada 2016 CensusPopulation % of Total population
Visible minority group
Source:[17]
South Asian 0 0
20 0.2
0 0
20 0.2
0 0
Southeast Asian 0 0
Other visible minority 60 0.8
Total visible minority population100 1.4
Aboriginal group
Source:
80 1.1
30 0.4
0 0
Total Aboriginal population 105 1.4
6,820 97.1
Total population 7,025 100

Notable residents

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Census Profile, 2016 Census: The Blue Mountains, Town . . June 13, 2019.
  2. http://www.bluemountain.ca/cascade_putting_course.htm Cascade Putting Course
  3. http://www.bluemountain.ca/winter_ridge_runner.htm Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster
  4. http://metconrace.com/ Met Con Blue Mountain Adventure Race
  5. http://bluemountainvillage.ca/ Blue Mountain Village
  6. http://www.scandinave.com/en/bluemountain/ Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain
  7. http://www.sceniccaves.com/ Scenic Caves Nature Adventures
  8. Web site: Thornbury BIA - 3. www.thornbury.ca. 2016-07-11.
  9. Book: Hamilton, William. The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names. Macmillan. 1978. 0-7715-9754-1. Toronto. 174.
  10. Web site: Smith . Jeffrey P. . C.N.Rys. Meaford Subdivision . CNR-in-Ontario.com . 20 June 2016 . 19 December 2021.
  11. Web site: Cooper . Charles . The North Grey Railway . .
  12. Web site: We Used to have a Railway Running through Thornbury . beavervalleyprobus.com/. July 11, 2016.
  13. Web site: The Leonard E. Shore Memorial Library: A Living Legacy. 30 Nov 2012. The Blue Mountains Public Library.
  14. Web site: Canada Day - Town of the Blue Mountains, ON.
  15. Web site: Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Ontario . . February 9, 2022 . March 30, 2022.
  16. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
  17. Web site: Blue Mountains, Ontario (Town) Census Subdivision. Statistics Canada. Community Profiles, Canada 2006 Census.