Stratford, Ontario
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Stratford, Ontario | |
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| Motto: "Industria et Ars (Industry and Arts)" | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | Canada  |
| Province | Ontario  |
| County | Perth |
| Established | 1859 (as town) |
| 1886 (city) | |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Dan Mathieson |
| - Governing Body | Stratford City Council |
| Area | |
| - City | 21.92 km² (8.5 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 364 m (1,194.2 ft) |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
| - City | 30,461 |
| - Density | 1,205.1/km² (3,121.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Postal code span | N4Z, N5A |
| Area code(s) | 519 |
| Website: The City of Stratford Website | |
Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of 30,461 in 2006.
Both the city and the river were named when it was first settled in 1832 after Stratford-upon-Avon, England, of Shakespearean fame. It is the seat of Perth County. Stratford was incorporated as a town in 1859 and as a city in 1886. The first mayor was John Corry Wilson Daly and the current mayor is is Dan Mathieson. The swan has become a symbol of the city, with 24 white swans and two black swans released every year into the Avon River.
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[edit] History
The town was originally a railway junction and furniture manufacturing had become a large part of the local economy by the twentieth century. A 1933 strike by furniture workers in Stratford, led by the Communist Workers' Unity League, marks the last time the army was deployed to break a strike in Canada.
The city's economy took a major turn when the Shakespearean Stratford Festival started in 1953. The annual festival now brings hundreds of thousands of theatre goers and tourists to the area. Celebrities such as Alec Guinness, Christopher Plummer, and William Shatner have performed at the festival. The festival is world renowned and takes place in four theatres throughout the city; the Festival Theatre, Avon Theatre, Tom Patterson Theatre and the Studio Theatre.
[edit] Notable past and present residents
Several celebrities hail from Stratford. Canadian news anchors Lloyd Robertson and Tony Parsons both got their start in broadcasting at local radio station CJCS, Robertson in 1952 and Parsons in 1957. Current residents include CBC news anchor Peter Mansbridge and wife Cynthia Dale, as well as film and stage actor Colm Feore. Thomas Edison briefly worked as a telegraph operator for the Grand Trunk Railway at Stratford's railway station and the assistant architect of the United States Capitol, Michael G. Turnbull, was born in Stratford and lived there until the age of eleven, when his family emigrated to the United States. Stratford is also the home of NHL hockey players Tim Taylor, Chris Taylor, and Dan McCarthy [1], and is credited as the home of superstar Howie Morenz, who was from nearby Mitchell, Ontario.. William D. Connor, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin from 1907 - 1909, grandfather of former Congressman Melvin R. Laird, and great-grandfather of Jessica Laird Doyle, wife of Governor James Doyle of Wisconsin, was born near Stratford on a farm. Daniel A. Barker, a successful pianist, was born in Stratford in 1948.
[edit] Transportation
Historically, the city was a railway junction. Today, Canadian National Railways, and the Goderich-Exeter Railway provide freight links, and VIA Rail Canada is the passenger carrier. While not on the Ontario freeway system, it is at the junctions of Highways 7, 8, and former 19 (Now Perth Road 119), and is connected to Highway 401 by expressways from Kitchener. Greyhound Canada provides daily service between London, Ontario and Kitchener, and Stratford Transit provides local service.
[edit] Sports
Stratford is home of the very successful OHA Midwestern Junior B hockey team, the Stratford Cullitons. The Cullitons have produced NHL players such as Chris Pronger and Rob Blake and won several Sutherland Cup championships. Another hockey organization within the city is the Stratford Minor Hockey Association, which includes houseleague and travel teams for younger players. Stratford also has an Intercounty Baseball League Team called the Stratford Nationals, and a soccer team in the Kitchener and District Soccer League. Also a very succesful Men's Rugby Team, the Black Swans. The local high schools fare well in regional, provincal and even national levels of sports.
[edit] Music
In September 2005, Stratford hosted the Ovation Music Festival. The 2005 Ovation Music Festival opened with the performances of Sum 41 and Simple Plan. The following night, the festival attracted a slightly larger crowd with entertainers like Sloan, Finger Eleven and Our Lady Peace. On the closing day and evening, the festival diversified its musical offerings even more, reaching out to a wide audience range with various musical tastes that included Fefe Dobson, Divine Brown, k-os and the Barenaked Ladies.
The 2006 festival continued with an all-Canadian line-up. The 2006 Ovation Music Festival opened on the Friday with performances by Stablio, Hedley, Sloan and the only headlining appearance in Canada in 2006 by Nelly Furtado. The Saturday night attracted arguably the largest attended single event in the area with performances by Bobnoxious, controller.controller, Hawksley Workman and an amazing performance by The Tragically Hip. On the closing day (Sunday), the festival continued with a diverse selection with performances by local acts Dayna Manning and Brittlestar along with jacksoul, Ron Sexsmith, Jim Cuddy Band and legendary Canadian artists Bachman/Cummings, Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings from The Guess Who. The Ovation Music Festival continues to be one of the only music festivals in Canada with 100% Canadian content.
Winter concerts (produced by Standing Ovation Productions) have also taken place since 1997 at the Stratford Festival, where artists such as Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray, Blue Rodeo, Ronnie Hawkins, and Colin James have performed.
The Stratford Summer Music Festival has been held for seven seasons and features indoor and outdoor performances by international classical and world music artists as well as young Canadian performers in venues around downtown Stratford.
Notable musicians from Stratford include Richard Manuel of The Band, John Till who backed up Janis Joplin, Ken Kalmusky of the Great Speckled Bird (Manuel, Till & Kalmusky played together in The Revols), Cedric Smith, Richard Keelan, Jack Hayter, Louis Applebaum, John Boyden, Dayna Manning and Loreena McKennit.
[edit] Media and education
[edit] Newspapers
- The Beacon Herald,
- The Stratford City Gazette, and
- Inside Stratford-Perth.
[edit] Radio
- CJCS 1240 AM.
- CHGK-FM 107.7 FM
[edit] Education
The city's three secondary schools are:
- Stratford Central Secondary School,
- Stratford Northwestern Secondary School,
both part of the Avon Maitland District School Board, and
- St. Michael's Catholic Secondary School, which is part of the Huron Perth Catholic District School Board.
[edit] Time Line
- 1828 - Settlement begins.
- 1832 - Thomas Mercer Jones, an agent of the Canada Company, names the village "Stratford" and renames the portion of the Thames River running through it "The Avon River."
- 1849 - The Perth County News is Stratford's first weekly newspaper.
Ontario Street in the summertime. - 1853 - Perth County is created, with Stratford as its county seat.
- 1854 - Stratford is incorporated as a village.
- 1859 - Stratford is incorporated as a town.
- 1885 - Stratford is incorporated as a city with a population of 9000.
- 1918 - A gift from a Michigan CNR employee, swans come to live in Stratford.
- 1933 - The army is called in to end a general strike, the last time the military is used to quell a strike in Canada.
- 1936 - The Shakespearean Gardens are created.
- 1953 - The Stratford Shakespearean Festival Theatre is opened by a Stratford journalist, Tom Patterson.
- 1957 - The Festival moves into its first permanent structure.
- 1964 - The CNR shops close.
- 1997 - Nations in Bloom crowns Stratford the "Prettiest City in the World."
- 2003 - The Stratford Festival of Canada celebrated its 50th season welcoming 672,924 patrons to 18 plays.This was a record number of playgoers during the 50 seasons. The Avon Theatre realized a complete renewal and The Studio Theatre, a fourth theatre space seating 250 people was added.
[edit] Neighbouring communities
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Perth East (Milverton) |
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| St. Marys, London |
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Kitchener, New Hamburg, Shakespeare | ||
| Woodstock, Thamesford, Ingersoll |
[edit] Subdivisions Of Ontario
[edit] External links
- The City of Stratford at Statistics Canada
- The Stratford Festival Official Website
- Ovation Music Festival
- Stratford Summer Music Festival
- Stratford Public Library
- See Stratford Visitors Information
- Information About Stratford (stratfordweb.ca)
- The Stratford Conspiracy
