Azilda, Ontario
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Azilda is a community in the Ontario city of Greater Sudbury. It gets its name from Azilda Bélanger, the first female pioneer of the area. The community borders the eastern shore of Whitewater Lake.
From 1973 to 2000, Azilda was part of the town of Rayside-Balfour, in the Regional Municipality of Sudbury. On January 1, 2001, the Regional Municipality was dissolved into the single-tier City of Greater Sudbury.
The community's population is majority Franco-Ontarian. There are two francophone schools (École publique Franco-Nord and École catholique Ste-Marie) and no English schools. All anglophone students must attend a school in one of the neighbouring communities.
Recently, the highway linking Azilda to downtown Sudbury has been increased from two lanes to four lanes (Regional road 35). This development improves the commute for Azilda's workers, who are mostly employed in Sudbury (5 minutes drive, 7 Km). In addition, it shortens the travel time for tourists hoping to visit Sudbury Downs, which is located in the outskirts of Azilda.
On September 12, 1906, Azilda was the site of a train wreck.