| Brighton | |
| Official Name: | Municipality of Brighton |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality (lower-tier) |
| Motto: | Where the past greets the future |
| Pushpin Map: | CAN ON Northumberland#Canada Southern Ontario |
| Coordinates: | 44.0308°N -77.7231°W |
| Coordinates Footnotes: | [1] |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Ontario |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Northumberland |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Brian Ostrander |
| Leader Title1: | Federal riding |
| Leader Name1: | Northumberland—Quinte West |
| Leader Title2: | Prov. riding |
| Leader Name2: | Northumberland—Quinte West |
| Established Title: | Formed |
| Established Date: | January 1, 2001 |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Area Land Km2: | 222.71 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Footnotes: | [3] |
| Population Total: | 12108 |
| Population Density Km2: | 54.2 |
| Timezone: | EST |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal Code |
| Postal Code: | K0K 1H0 |
| Area Code: | 613 |
Brighton is a town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, approximately 150km (90miles) east of Toronto and 1000NaN0 west of Kingston. It is traversed by both Highway 401 and the former Highway 2. The west end of the Murray Canal that leads east to the Bay of Quinte is at the east end of the town.
Brighton later developed into primarily an agricultural community, specializing in the farming of apples and production of new apple types. However, in recent years, many of the original orchards in the area have been partially removed, to make way for the steadily growing population, and more profitable agricultural produce, such as wheat, corn and soybeans. In late September, Brighton is host to Applefest, its largest yearly festival.
The Municipality of Brighton (formed on January 1, 2001, through an amalgamation of the former Town of Brighton and Brighton Township) is home to over 12,108 inhabitants,[4] with a higher than average percentage of those retired. This is common, as the quiet, clean and friendly atmosphere of many smaller towns near Lake Ontario tend to draw the elderly as popular places for retirement living.
Presqu'ile Provincial Park, just south of the town centre, is one of Brighton's most popular attractions. The park is noted for bird-watching and other nature-oriented activities. Memory Junction Railway Museum, located in a former Grand Trunk station, has a collection of rail equipment and memorabilia.
Besides the town proper of Brighton, the municipality of Brighton comprises a number of villages and hamlets, including the following communities such as Carman, Codrington, Hilton, Spring Valley, Smithfield (partially); Butler Creek, Cankerville, Cedar Creek, Gosport, Orland, Presqui'le Point, Wade Corners.
The village of Brighton was incorporated on January 1, 1859. On December 1, 1980, it became a town.[5]
The original Simpson house, at 61 Simpson Street, was built in 1850.[6]
Part of the current Municipality of Brighton is on a separate artificial island. This is a consequence of the borders chosen when the Township of Brighton was created in 1851, and the excavation of the Murray Canal across the historic Isthmus of Murray. The Murray Canal opened in 1889.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Brighton had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 223.24km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[7]