Oakville, Ontario

Oakville (2004 population estimate 155,700 ^[1]) is a town on Lake Ontario in southern Ontario, Canada, midway between Toronto (about 31 km or 19 mi away) and Hamilton (about 20 km or 12 mi away). Oakville is part of the Greater Toronto Area metropolitan community.

1 History
2 Divisions
3 Demographics
4 Sports
5 Education
6 Government
7 External links
8 References
9 See also

[edit] History

In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road. In 1805, the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada bought the lands between Etobicoke and Hamilton from the Mississaugas, except for the land at the mouths of Twelve Mile Creek, Sixteen Mile Creek, and along the Credit River. In 1807, British immigrants settled the area surrounding Dundas Street as well as on the shore of Lake Ontario.

In 1820, the Crown bought the area surrounding the waterways. The area around the creeks, approximately 1,000 acres (4 km²), was auctioned off to William Chisholm in 1827. He left the development of the area to his son, Robert Kerr Chisholm and his brother-in-law, Thomas Merrick.

Oakville's first industries included ship-building, timber shipment, and wheat farming. In the 1850s, there was an economic recession and the foundry, the most important industry in town, was closed. Basket-making became a major industry in the town, and a railway was built through it.

The town eventually became industrialized with the opening of the Petro-Canada refinery, the Procor factory, and, most importantly, the Ford Motor Company Canadian headquarters and factory.

In 1962 the town of Oakville merged with its neighbouring villages (Bronte, Palermo, Sheridan, and Trafalgar) to become the new Town of Oakville.

[edit] Divisions

Oakville's Planning Department divides it into 12 areas called communities. These divisions have little to do with politics and are based on traditional neighbourhoods. Oakville's communities are:

Old Oakville - located in South-Central Oakville along the shore of Lake Ontario, it is the original Oakville Settlement and is centered on Oakville Harbour.
Bronte - located in Southwest Oakville along the shore of Lake Ontario, it is a community centred on Bronte Harbour and includes the Coronation Park district to its east.
Eastlake - located in Southeast Oakville along the shore of Lake Ontario, it is bordered on the west by Morrison Creek and to the north by Cornwall Road. 2005 Town Planning documents say its eastern boundary is Winston Churchill Blvd but the same document's map shows a different configuration (see link).
Clearview - located in Center East Oakville, also sometimes referred to as Sherwood Heights.
College Park - located between 16 Mile Creek and just east of Trafalgar Road, from the QEW north to Upper Middle Road, it surrounds Sheridan College.
Iroquois Ridge South and North - located in North Centre East Oakville. The Falgarwood area is located in the southern end of the Iroquois Ridge South community.
Glen Abbey - located in West Oakville, it is a large area west of the Glen Abbey Golf Course, containing the West Mount real estate development.
Palermo - located in Northwest Oakville, it is a small community centred on the intersection of Dundas Street and Bronte Road (Highway 25).
River Oaks - located in North-Central Oakville, it includes the Oak Park development.
West Oak Trails - located in North Centre West Oakville, it is also a fairly recent development.

[edit] Demographics

According to the 2001 Canadian Census

Ethnic Origin	Population	Percent
English	43,370	30.18%
Canadian	38,935	27.09%
Scottish	28,420	19.77%
Irish	25,695	17.88%
Italian	12,280	8.54%
German	12,260	8.53%
French	10,970	7.63%

[1] Oakville is home to a number of ethnic groups. Due to its proximity to Toronto, the city is quite diverse. Visible minority groups (non-white population) consists of Asian (chiefly East Indian) 4.3%, Chinese 2.2%, and Black 1.9%. A growing mixed race population totals 1.4%.

79.4% of residents stated their religion as Christian, almost evenly split amongst Roman Catholics and Protestants including Anglicans. Non-Christian religions include Muslim: 2.0%, Hindu: 1.3%, Sikh: 1.1%, and Jewish: 0.7%. 14% indicated no religion.

Oakville is younger than Canada in terms of age. Some 21.7% of the population consists of children (ages 0 - 14), while those over 65 number 10.8%, resulting in a growth rate of 12.7% in the 5 years before 2001, and a median age of 36.4 years of age.

The median household income is $83,982, with an average house value of $306,209.

[edit] Sports

Oakville has a long history of sporting, especially in ice hockey. They have had their very own professional women's hockey team since 2003, a Tier II Junior "A" franchise since 1966, and a "AAA" hockey system. The City also has its own very successful Junior "B" lacrosse team that just won the Founders Cup as National Champions. Oakville's soccer club is also the largest in Canada.

Oakville Ice - National Women's Hockey League
Oakville Blades - Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League
Oakville Buzz - OLA Junior B Lacrosse League
Minor Oaks Hockey Association - Ontario Minor Hockey Association
Oakville Aquatic Club
Oakville Soccer
Oakville Crusaders - Ontario Rugby Union

[edit] Education

Elementary schools and high schools in Oakville are a mix of private and public schools. Oakville is covered by the Halton District School Board, Halton Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest, and Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud

Oakville is home to Sheridan College, a renowned animation and business studies institute, and Oakville's only higher education facility.

[edit] Government

[edit] Municipal

At the municipal level, the governing body is the Oakville Town Council consisting of a mayor and twelve councillors. The town is divided into six wards, with two councillors elected to represent each ward.