Huntsville, Ontario

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Huntsville (2001 population 17,338) is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada.

The area was first settled and founded in 1869 by Captain George Hunt, who built a small agricultural centre there. In 1870, a post office was built and the area was named Huntsville after Hunt, who became the first postmaster. In the following year, the Muskoka Colonization Road reached this area. A water route north from Port Sydney to Huntsville opened in 1877 and a railway route was built by the Northern and Pacific Junction Railway in 1885, which encouraged development and resulted in Huntsville becoming officially incorporated in 1886.

The community became an important industrial area in the late 19th century and had several saw, planing and shingle mills, as well as a tannery. Today, the many lakes and hills in the area and the town's closeness to Algonquin Park, combined with its proximity to Toronto, make Huntsville and the Muskoka region a major tourist destination. Resorts such as Deerhurst Resort, where Shania Twain was discovered in 1988-1989, and Hidden Valley Resort are located within the town's boundaries. There are also a handful of large manufacturers in Huntsville such as Panolam and Kimberly Clark.

[edit] Transportation

Huntsville is accessible through a variety of roadways, including Highway 60, Highway 11, and Muskoka (Regional) Road 3. Buses to and from Toronto come into the city daily. Passenger train service to the town from Toronto is provided daily by Ontario Northland Railway.

Huntsville has a public transit system consisting of a single bus route.

Huntsville supports a number of Arts Festivals including Huntsville Festival of the Arts. The Huntsville Festival of the Arts recently provided a seed grant which enabled a book of poetry entitled Fringe Festival Poetry, Poems from the Poetry Cafe, edited by June Salmon and Marta Mirecki-de Roode. Other arts activities include the annual Muskoka Novel Marathon, started by Canadian authors Martin Avery and Mel Malton in 2001. The town is especially proud of its new Municipal Centre and performing arts theatre, the Algonquin Theatre.

The theatre provides a beautiful and professional space for local dance, music, and school activities. For profit venues are also scheduled, and most of the labour is provided by local volunteers.