Peterborough, Ontario

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Peterborough, Ontario
Official flag of Peterborough, Ontario
Flag
Official seal of Peterborough, Ontario
Seal
Nickname: "The Electric City"
Motto: Dat natura, elaborant artes
(Nature Provides, Industry Develops)
Map of Ontario with Peterborough indicated with a red dot
Map of Ontario with Peterborough indicated with a red dot
Coordinates: 44°00′00″N, 79°00′00″W
Country Canada
Province Ontario
County Peterborough County
Established 1819 - Scott's Plains
Incorporated as town 1850 - Peterborough
Incorporated as city July 1, 1905
Mayor Paul Ayotte
MP Dean Del Mastro (CPC)
MPP Jeff Leal (OLP)
Area  
 - City 58.61 km²
Elevation 195 m
Population  
 - City (2004) 74,600
 - Density 1218.9/km²
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
Pop. Change (1996 – 2001): 2.4%
Dwellings: 30,804¹

Postal code: K9H, K9J, K9K, K9L

Area code: 705

¹ According to the Canada 2001 Census
Website: http://www.city.peterborough.on.ca/

Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, 125km northeast of Toronto. Peterborough currently has a population of 74,600, and a Greater Peterborough Area (GPA) population of 112,000. Peterborough is a gateway to the "cottage country" of the Kawarthas, a large recreational region of the province. The city is the seat of Peterborough County.

The Trent-Severn Waterway passes through Peterborough and includes the Peterborough Lift Lock, the world's largest hydraulic lift lock, which opened in 1904. It is also the world's highest lift lock with a rise of 65ft (19.8m).

Contents

[edit] History

Petroglyphs at Petroglyphs Provincial Park, north of Peterborough
Enlarge
Petroglyphs at Petroglyphs Provincial Park, north of Peterborough

First Nations groups followed retreating glaciers into the area 11,000 years ago. Woodland Natives inhabited the area circa 1000 BC to 1000 AD, followed by Iroquois and Mississaugas circa 1740.

In 1615, Samuel de Champlain traveled through the area and stayed for a brief period of time near the present-day site of Bridgenorth, just north of Peterborough.

In 1818, Adam Scott settled on the west shore of the Otonabee River. The following year he began construction of a sawmill and gristmill, establishing the area as Scott's Plains. The mill was located at the foot of present day King Street and was powered by water from Jackson Creek.

1825 marked the arrival of 2,000 Irish immigrants from the city of Cork. In 1822, the British Parliament had approved an experimental emigration plan to transport poor Irish families to Upper Canada. The scheme was managed by Peter Robinson, at the time a politician in York (present-day Toronto). Scott's Plains was re-named Peterborough in his honour.

In 1845, Sandford Fleming, inventor of Standard Time and designer of Canada's first postage stamp, moved to the city to live with Dr. John Hutchison and his family, staying until 1847. Dr. John Hutchison was one of Peterborough's first resident doctors.

Peterborough was incorporated as a town in 1850 (population 2,191). Beginning in the late 1850's, a substantial canoe building industry grew up in and around Peterborough. The Peterborough Canoe Company was founded in 1893, with the factory being built on the site of the original Adam Scott mill. By 1930, 25% of all employees in the boat building industry in Canada worked in the Peterborough area. The period from 1928-36 saw the establishment of the Johnson Motor Company/Outboard Marine (the makers of motorized boat engines) as an outgrowth of the original industry. Canoe building remained significant here until the early 1960's. Reflecting this heritage the city is now home to the Canadian Canoe Museum.

The Peterborough Lift Lock, constructed in 1904.
Enlarge
The Peterborough Lift Lock, constructed in 1904.

Peterborough would also see extensive industrial growth as the city was one of the first places in the country to begin generating hydro electrical power (even before the plants at Niagara Falls). Companies like Edison General Electric Company (later Canadian General Electric) and America Cereal Company (later to become Quaker Oats, and in 2001 PepsiCo, Inc.), opened to take advantage of this new cheap resource.

In 1904, the village of Ashburnham (founded in 1859), on the east shore of the Otonabee River, was annexed to Peterborough. Peterborough was incorporated as a city on Dominion Day — July 1, 1905 (population 14,300). The city's flag and coat of arms were adopted in 1951.

In the 1970s, the Ontario Government helped sponsor the building of Peterborough Square with the aid of the Ontario Downtown Renewal Programme (ODRP). The mall was anchored by an Eaton's store. More recently, the Government relocated the Ministry of Natural Resources to a site downtown (across the street from Peterborough Square).

Ann Arbor, Michigan became Peterborough's sister city in 1983.

[edit] Demographics

According to the Canada 2001 Census the population of the Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) of Peterborough was 102,423 (Ontario 11,410,046, Canada 30,007,094) and of these 71,446 lived within the urban core. This made Peterborough the 34th largest urban area in Canada (14th in Ontario).

Children under five accounted for 4.8 % of the resident population of the city (Ontario 5.8%, Canada 5.6%). People of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) made up 18.1 % of the resident population (Ontario 13.0%, Canada 13.2%). The average age of a person in Peterborough was 40.6 years (Ontario 37.2 years, Canada 37.6 years).

The population density of Peterborough (CMA) averaged 85.4 people per square kilometre, compared with an average of 12.6 for the province.

[edit] Economy

Manufacturing is the biggest local industry with General Electric and Quaker Oats maintaining large operations in Peterborough. The city is also a 'bedroom' community for workers of General Motors Canada: the GM Oshawa Autoplex is actually the largest industrial employer of Peterborough citizens. The Peterborough Regional Health Centre is the largest employer, followed by school boards and local government.

Companies like General Electric and Outboard Marine, with their high paying manufacturing jobs, had a major impact on the growth of the city. Aging facilities and more expensive labour compared with the developing world worked against the city. The NAFTA agreement of the early 1990's saw a major shift in trading patterns for many Canadian companies. Other innovations like just in time delivery and pressure to produce ever cheaper goods impacted some of the large multi-nationals in the 70s and 80s. Today GE, PepsiCo Quaker, Siemens and numerous smaller manufacturing companies are experiencing signficant growth. Minute Maid (Coca-Cola) recently invested $20 million in a new warehouse and product line while auto parts supplier Ventra has doubled in size. Manufacturing job creation kept pace with the provincial average from 1991-2001. Lower costs, reliable labour and high quality post-secondary institutions are a competitive advantage for Peterborough. Peterborough was ranked number one location for business in Ontario by Canadian Business magazine in late 2004.

[edit] Media and journalism

[edit] Television

Peterborough is home to two local television stations, CHEX-TV, a CBC affiliate owned by Corus Entertainment, and TVCOGECO which is owned and operated by Cogeco Cable Canada, and provided as a service to local cable subscribers. CHEX is one of the oldest broadcasting television stations in Canada. Founders included writer Robertson Davies and his father William Rupert Davies. The transmitter tower for CHEX Peterborough is on Television Hill on the east side of the city and is used to broadcast both television and radio.

[edit] Newspapers

The Peterborough Examiner is one of the original local publishers. In the late 1980s, tabloid-style Peterborough This Week entered the market, taking a large share of advertising away from the Examiner. Peterborough This Week started as a free tabloid-style paper delivered to most homes in Peterborough County. Alternatively, Arthur is a student newspaper funded and produced by Trent University students. It is distributed at no cost on the university campus and in the downtown area.

Since 1994, the Connection Newspaper (previously known as the Causeway Connection) has been established in the northern part of Peterborough County, now known as the Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield. This free monthly newspaper is distributed by mail to many homes in the area, providing a non-political, informative voice for that area.

[edit] Radio stations

In addition to Peterborough's own radio market, some (but not all) radio stations from the Greater Toronto Area can also be heard in the area. Peterborough is in a bit of an unusual position in this regard; the city has more radio stations of its own than some larger cities, such as Oshawa or Brampton, which are closer to the Toronto market.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Education

See also the category Schools in Peterborough, Ontario

[edit] Colleges and Universities

The campus of Trent University (est. 1964) is in the city's north end. Trent University's academic focus is on environmental, cultural, and science studies.

Vocational education is provided by Fleming College (est. 1967) — a multidisciplinary institution with four campuses. The college is also a well respected business skills training centre.

[edit] High schools

Peterborough's English language public elementary and secondary schools are part of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. Peterborough's Catholic (Separate) English language elementary and secondary schools are part of the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board. Peterborough's Catholic (Separate) French language elementary school, Monseigneur-Jamot, is part of the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud.

[edit] Public English

[edit] Catholic (Separate) English

[edit] Private English

[edit] Arts organizations

Situated on the shores of Little Lake next to the downtown core, The Art Gallery of Peterborough [1] was incorporated in 1974. It is a public gallery and collector of contemporary art. It's located in a modern architectural styled building, and there have been several, never realised plans over the years to expand the galleries.

Artspace [2] is one of Canada's oldest artist-run centres, founded in 1974. Its mandate is to support the growth and development of contemporary artists. Artspace maintains a public gallery. Noted artist David Bierk was one of the founding members.

The Peterborough Arts Umbrella [3] held its first exhibition in 2000. The PAU is mandated to serve practitioners of all artistic disciplines in Peterborough and surrounding area, and maintains a public gallery. The PAU also runs a media centre, providing resources to members for the production of digitally-based audio and video works.

Peterborough New Dance/Public Energy [4] was founded by Bill Kimball in 1994, and is a presenter and animator of contemporary dance and performance. It is the only full-time presenter of contemporary dance in Ontario outside of Toronto and Ottawa. The organziation also supports the development of local dance and performance artists, and presents Indigenous performing artists.

[edit] Social services

[edit] Sports teams

Peterborough is well known for its hockey teams, including the Peterborough Petes of the junior level OHL. The Petes have sent a significant number of players on to play in the National Hockey League. New owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins Jim Balsillie is a Peterborian. Figure skating is another popular winter sport. The city also carries a Tier II Junior "A" team known as the Peterborough Stars that play in the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League.

Taking advantage of the dozens of arenas in the region, lacrosse is also popular sport in Peterborough. The city's two major teams are the Peterborough Lakers and the Peterborough Jr. Lakers.

[edit] Annual events

  • Artsweek - annual celebration of the arts in Peterborough held in September.
  • Downtown Countdown - alcohol/drug-free New Years Eve celebration
  • Emergency: Festival of New Dance and Performance by Peterborough Area Artists - festival held in late March / early April, produced by Public Energy and Peterborough New Dance
  • Festival of Trees - fundraiser in support of local healthcare built around a show of decorated Christmas trees and other seasonally themed displays, late November, Memorial Centre
  • Peterborough Folk Festival - three-day music and community festival, featuring free all-day outdoor event with five stages. Traditionally held last weekend in August.
  • The Ontario municipal holiday (held on the first Monday in August) which is called Simcoe Day in Toronto and Colonel By Day in Ottawa is called Peter Robinson Day locally.
  • Summer Festival of Lights - free concert series and fireworks, Wednesdays and Saturdays from June to August, Del Crary Park

[edit] Events listings

[edit] Notable current and former residents

[edit] Communities

  • Cold Springs
  • Peterborough
North: Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield
West: Cavan-Millbrook-North Monaghan Peterborough East: Douro-Dummer
South: Otonabee-South Monaghan

[edit] External links

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