Lake of Bays, Ontario

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dock and boat-launch on the Lake of Bays in Dwight, Ontario

The Township of Lake of Bays is an area municipality within the District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. It is named after the Lake of Bays.

Located in the northeast corner of the District Municipality of Muskoka, the Township of Lake of Bays offers a natural landscape of forests, rocks, lakes and wetlands. Because of its natural beauty, it is an important cottaging, recreation and tourism destination in Ontario. Currently, the economy of the Township is primarily based on tourism, recreation, and the service sector with forestry and aggregate (composite) extraction contributing as well.

The Township of Lake of Bays with its permanent population of 3,000 and seasonal population of 18,000 encompasses approximately 66,000 hectares (163,083 acres) of land. The Township is situated 193 kilometres north of Toronto.

[edit] History

The Township of Lake of Bays was established in 1971 from the Townships of Franklin, Ridout, McLean, Sinclair and Finlayson in the former District of Muskoka.

Lake of Bays is situated in Ontario's cottage country and has long been a vacation destination for the inhabitants of Toronto and the surrounding areas. In the early 20th century Bigwin Inn, a resort that once operated on Bigwin Island, was a sought after destination point by many individuals and groups.