| LaSalle | |
| Official Name: | Town of LaSalle |
| Settlement Type: | Town (lower-tier) |
| Pushpin Map: | CAN ON Essex#Canada Southern Ontario |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Name1: | Ontario |
| Subdivision Name2: | Essex |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Title1: | Member of Parliament |
| Leader Title2: | Provincial Representative |
| Leader Name: | Crystal Meloche |
| Leader Name1: | Chris Lewis (CPC) |
| Leader Name2: | Anthony Leardi (PC) |
| Established Title: | Incorporated |
| Established Date: | 1991 |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Land Km2: | 65.35 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 32,721 |
| Population Density Km2: | 500.7 |
| Timezone: | EST |
| Utc Offset: | −05:00 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −04:00 |
| Postal Code Type: | Forward sortation area |
| Postal Code: | N9H to N9J |
| Area Code: | 519, 226, and 548 |
| Coordinates: | 42.2167°N -87°W |
| Website: | www.lasalle.ca |
LaSalle is a town in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. It is a bedroom community of the City of Windsor and part of the Windsor Census Metropolitan Area, and is located south of that city. LaSalle, along with Windsor, is the oldest French settlement area in Southwestern Ontario, and the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in Canada west of the Quebec border. The town was named for explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.
The current Town of Lasalle was originally incorporated as the Township of Sandwich West in 1861. A portion of the township incorporated as the Town of Lasalle in 1924, but was dissolved in 1959 and rejoined Sandwich West. In 1991, the Township changed its status to that of a Town and was renamed Lasalle. It is the second most populous municipality within Essex County after the Municipality of Lakeshore. The town's land area includes Fighting Island in the Detroit River at its western side. Fighting Island is privately owned by BASF, the world's largest chemical company.
One of LaSalle's biggest events is the annual Strawberry Festival[3] which takes place on the first weekend in June. The annual LaSalle Craft Beer Festival, put on by the Corporation of the Town of LaSalle, is another annual event that features different types of beer, from popular brands to smaller microbreweries.[4]
In LaSalle, there are two secondary schools: Sandwich Secondary School and St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic Secondary School. Elementary schools include Sacred Heart Elementary School, Legacy Oak Trail Public School, LaSalle Public School, Sandwich West Public School, School Monseigneur Augustin Caron, Legacy Grove Public School and Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School.
LaSalle also has a bicycle trail network called the LaSalle Trail, which links up to neighbouring Windsor Trail network, allowing people to ride from Sandwich Secondary School to Windsor's Riverfront Trail. The town has expressed intention to connect LaSalle (and indirectly, Windsor) to the Chrysler Canada Greenway by constructing a link to the Trans Canada Trail near Oldcastle.
LaSalle has a 2.6-km loop trail called Brunet Park. Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 28 min to complete. This trail is great for hiking, running, and walking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. The best times to visit this trail are May through May. With 40 km of paved trails in LaSalle, you can walk, jog or ride your bicycle throughout the town. There are 16 signs along the trails. Be sure to check out each trail sign and read the interesting facts about LaSalle, Ontario and/or Canada. The map will help you find your way. [5]
The town also features the Vollmer Culture and Recreation Complex, home to the LaSalle Vipers, of the GOJHL and the LaSalle Sabres, of the OMHA. It is also home to the LaSalle Stompers, of the Ontario Soccer Association. The complex has multiple rooms for hosting of events, 2 arenas, an Olympic-sized pool and slide, outdoor skate park, splash pad, soccer fields, and baseball diamonds.
LaSalle is currently revitalizing their waterfront with an initiative called the LaSalle Landing. This project will include an event centre, a retention pond, sport zone, water fountain, skate trail, boat launch and multiple new bridges.[6] This project is projected to cost 48.5 million dollars.[7] LaSalle will be using $4 500 000 from the Federal Gas Tax and $500 000 from the Pedestrian Safety Reserve to help pay for the project. LaSalle has taken on $12 000 000 of debt after being denied a grant through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.[8]
Besides the urban area proper of LaSalle itself, the town of LaSalle comprises a number of villages and hamlets, including Delisle's Corners, Heritage Estates, Lukerville, Oliver and River Canard.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, LaSalle had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 64.96km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[9]