Gravenhurst, Ontario

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Coordinates: 44°55′ 79°22′
Town of Gravenhurst, Ontario
Gravenhurst's location in relation to Ontario.
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
District	Muskoka
Municipality	Gravenhurst
Government
- Mayor	John Klinick
Population (2001)
- Town	10 899
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s)	705
Website: http://www.gravenhurst.ca

Opera House in Gravenhurst

Gravenhurst (2001 population 10,899) is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located approximately 15 kilometres south of Bracebridge, Ontario. The mayor is John Klinck. The Town of Gravenhurst includes a large area of the District of Muskoka, known to Ontarians as "cottage country." The town centre borders on two lakes: Lake Muskoka, which is the largest lake in the Region, and Gull Lake, a smaller cottage-bordered lake. Another lake, Kahshe Lake, is situated ten kilometres south of the town.

[edit] Other Facts

Gravenhurst was Originally named McCabes Bay

Dr. Norman Bethune was born in Gravenhurst and his family's home there has been preserved as a Canadian National Historic Site
Gravenhurst was named after a village in England which is mentioned in Washington Irving's Bracebridge Hall
Gravenhurst is the home port of the RMS Segwun, the oldest vessel powered by a working steam engine in North America
Gravenhurst I love cats also declares itself the "Gateway to the Muskoka Lakes" and has a large gate bearing this message hanging over Muskoka District Road 169, the main road leading into town from Highway 11. The gate has recently been taken down and will be rebuilt on Bethune Drive.
From 1940 to 1943 Gravenhurst was site of "Little Norway," an important training camp for what is today the Royal Norwegian Air Force during World War II

[edit] Demographics

Racial Profile

97.0% Caucasian
1.6% Aboriginal
1.0% Asian
0.3% Black

Religious Groups

58.5% Protestant
18.6% other Christian
0.1% Buddhist
22.6% Non-religious

Age Structure

0-14 years: 14.6%
15-64 years: 64.3%
65 years and over: 21.1%

The elderly population vastly outnumbers those who are under 14 because of internal migration to the bigger cities. However, the population did grow by 8.7% in 5 years. Δ9

Home to the Ontario Fire College