Port Credit, Ontario

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Port Credit (pop. 10,260 - 2001 Census) is found at the mouth of the Credit River on the north shore of Lake Ontario, within the city of Mississauga. The town is bounded by the Canadian National Railway tracks on the north, Seneca Street and the Adamson Estate on the east and Godfrey's Lane and Shawnmarr Road on the west. Port Credit Secondary School is actually located outside the official community boundaries.

1 History
2 Location
3 Tourism
4 Notable Persons
5 External links

[edit] History

The story of Port Credit is told in the book, "Port Credit, A Glimpse of Other Days" by Verna Mae Weeks, self published. The name. "Port Credit" came from its' roots as a trading post where goods were traded or bought on credit. The earliest reference is on a map drawn in 1757 by La Broquerie at Fort Frontenac, a fort built by the French at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the site of the city of Kingston.

Port Credit did not amalgamate with its neighbouring settlements in southern Peel County when the Town of Mississauga was created from Toronto Township in 1968. Port Credit maintained its independence until the City of Mississauga was incorporated in 1974. The heart of Port Credit is its harbour at the mouth of the Credit River. Once a working fishing port and a regional trading centre for grain and other agricultural products, the Port Credit Harbour has seen many roles in the community. The port was supplanted as a trading centre for shipping by the coming of the railway, but it has always changed with the times. For much of the Nineteenth Century, it was the centre of the stone hooking trade. Today it has been redeveloped into a marina with its signature lighthouse located at the corner of Lakeshore Road and Front Street South. Formerly the home of the Port Credit Yacht Club, it is now the heart of a tourist and recreation centre. Port Credit Harbour Marina, the largest marina in the region, is the home of the prominent RIDGETOWN (launched June 24, 1905 as WILLIAM E. COREY), a Lake Bulk Freighter. On June 21, 1974 the RIDGETOWN was loaded with stone and sunk as a breakwater at the entrance to Port Credit Harbour with her cabins and stack still in place. She remains there today. The St Lawrence Starch Company was founded in 1889 and operated as the main industry in the village until 1990. Now it is the centre of urban renewal housing, a redevelopment that has revitalized the village.

The tallest structure in Port Credit used to be a 320 foot tall smokestack at the The St Lawrence Starch plant which has since been demolished. The felling of the stack drew a very large crowd numbering in the hundreds. The tallest structure now is a 28 story apartment building located on Park Street.

[edit] Location

Today, Port Credit presently forms a dynamic neighbourhood in Mississauga, due west of Toronto in Peel Region. Within Mississauga, it is centred around the intersection of Hurontario Street and Lakeshore Road south of the neighborhoods of Cooksville, east of Lorne Park, and west of Lakeview.

[edit] Tourism

Port Credit is commonly referred to as Mississauga's "Village on the Lake" along Lake Ontario. The area hosts several festivals and events, notably the Waterfront Festival which occurs at the end of June each year and the annual Blues and Jazzfest as well as the "In the Water Boat Show" in August. News of activities and events is now available on the net.

Port Credit has numerous shops and restaurants lining Lakeshore Road, in addition to lakeside parks, family neighbourhoods, high-rise condominiums and apartments. The majority of the high rise buildings are within walking distance of the Port Credit (GO Station) just north of the intersection of Lakeshore and Hurontario Street. This transportation hub of Southern Mississauga, linking both the city's bus system and GO Transit, is a busy place for rush-hour commuters during the weekday peak hours.

[edit] Notable Persons

Port Credit was the birthplace of many accomplished people, including Anthony Adamson architect and educator, Winnie Roach Leuszler (first Canadian to cross the English Channel) as well as the notorious convicted criminal, Karla Homolka.