St. Thomas, Ontario
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Motto: Strength through progress. | ||||
| Location | ||||
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| City Information | ||||
| Established: | {{{Established}}} | |||
| Area: | 32.24 km² | |||
| Population:
- City |
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| Population density: | 1030.9/km² | |||
| Time zone: | Eastern: UTC -5 | |||
| Postal code span: | N5P, N5R | |||
| Local area code: | ||||
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Latitude: |
42°47'58"N–42°45'16"N 81°12'52"W–81°08'48"W |
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| Elevation: | ? m MSL | |||
| Government | ||||
| Mayor: | Cliff Barwick
List of mayors of St. Thomas, Ontario |
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| Governing body: | St. Thomas City Council | |||
| Members of Parliament: | ||||
| Joe Preston (CPC) | ||||
| Provincial Representatives: | ||||
| Stephen J. Peters (OLP) | ||||
| City of St. Thomas | ||||
| 1(sc) According to the Canada 2001 Census. Template help Edit Template  |
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St. Thomas is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat for Elgin County and part of the greater London urban area, gaining its city charter on March 4, 1881.
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[edit] History
The city, located at the intersection of two historical roads, was first settled in 1810. It was named the seat of the new Elgin County in 1844 and was incorporated as a village in 1852, as a town in 1861, and as a city in 1881.
In the late 19th century and early 20th century several railways were constructed through the city, and St. Thomas became an important railway junction. A total of 26 railways have passed through the city since the first railway was completed in 1856. It has earned the title of the "Railway Capital of Canada." In the 1950s and 1960s, with the decline of the railway as a mode of transportation, other industry began to locate in the city, principally primary and secondary automotive manufacturing.
Jumbo (the elephant) died here on September 15, 1885, when a train crashed into him. There is a life-sized commemorative statue that was erected in 1985, on the centennial of Jumbo's demise.
The city was named after Thomas Talbot who helped promote the development of this region during the early 19th century.
[edit] Mayors
Cliff Barwick is the current mayor of St. Thomas.
[edit] Demographics
- Caucasian: 95.5%
- Aboriginal: 1.2%
- Visible minorities: 3.3%
- Protestant: 52.1%
- Catholic: 21%
- No affiliation: 22.1%
- Other: 4.8%
[edit] Education
Fanshawe College has a campus in St. Thomas. Catholic schools are controlled by the London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB) and public schools are controlled by the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB). There are two independent Christian schools, St Thomas Community Christian School and Faith Christian Academy.
| School name | Type | Grades | № students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Voaden S.S. | public | 9–12 | 670[1] |
| Balaclava St. P.S. | public | JK–8 | 200[1] |
| Central Elgin Collegiate Institute | public | 9–12 | 765[1] |
| Edward St. P.S. | public | JK–6 | 152[1] |
| Elgin Court P.S. | public | JK–6 | 413[1] |
| Elmdale P.S. | public | JK–6 | 135[1] |
| Fanshawe College | |||
| Forest Park P.S. | public | JK–6 | 472[1] |
| Homedale P.S. | public | 7–8 | 446[1] |
| Locke's P.S. | public | JK–8 | 453[1] |
| Monsignor Morrison | Catholic | JK–8 | 480[2] |
| Myrtle St. P.S. | public | JK–6 | 211[1] |
| New Sarum P.S. | public | JK–8 | 453[1] |
| Parkside C.I. | public | 9–12 | 940[1] |
| St. Gabriel's C.S. | Catholic | K–3 | |
| St. Joseph's H.S. | Catholic | 9–12 | |
| St. Raphael's C.S. | Catholic | 4–8 | 305[2] |
| Scott St. P.S. | public | JK–8 | 236[1] |
| Southwold P.S. | public | JK–8 | 626[1] |
| Wellington St. P.S. | public | K–6 | 300[1] |
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o As of 2003-10-30, obtained from the TVDSB website.
- ^ a b As of 2004–2005 school year, obtained from the LDCSB website.
- Abbreviations: C.I. = Collegiate Institute; C.S. = Catholic School; H.S. = High School; P.S. = Public School; S.S. = Secondary School
[edit] Media
St. Thomas has several media outlets based in the city. The St. Thomas Times-Journal is the city's newspaper, owned by Bowes Publishers. Rogers Cable has a local cable television channel. A low-power FM radio station — VF8016, 90.1 MHz — broadcasts religious activities from Faith Baptist Church of St. Thomas.
CFHK-FM, branded as 103.1 Fresh FM, is also licensed to St. Thomas, although its programming largely targets the larger London market.
Although the city does not have its own television station, Industry Canada has allocated channel 33 for future use in St. Thomas.
[edit] Parks
There are three major parks in the city: Pinafore Park in the south, beside Pinafore Lake; and Waterworks Park in the north, straddled by Kettle Creek and the Waterworks Reservoir nearby.
The Trans Canada Trail goes through St. Thomas, with a pavilion located in Jonas Street Park.
[edit] Notable residents
- Rachel McAdams, actress (The Hot Chick, Mean Girls, The Notebook, Wedding Crashers, Red Eye, The Family Stone, Marriage)
- Stephen J. Peters, politician, MPP for Elgin—Middlesex—London, Minister of Labour (Ontario), previously Minister of Agriculture and Food (Ontario)
- Joe Thornton, professional ice hockey player (San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
- Helen Shaver, actress, director, producer (The Amityville Horror, The Color of Money, Judging Amy)
- Stephen Ouimette, actor, director widely known for his work at the Stratford Festival of Canada
- Aaron Walpole, the third-place finisher in the third season of Canadian Idol
[edit] External links
- City of St. Thomas official website
- St. Thomas Times-Journal
- St. Thomas, Ontario, the Railway Capital of Canada
- Elgin County Railway Museum
- http://www.elgintheatreguild.ca
| North: Central Elgin | ||
| West: Southwold | St. Thomas | East: Central Elgin |
| South: Central Elgin |
