Wellington, Ontario

Wellington
Main street of Wellington
Wellington Location in southern Ontario
Coordinates: 43°57′08″N 77°21′02″W / 43.95222°N 77.35056°W / 43.95222; -77.35056Coordinates: 43°57′08″N 77°21′02″W / 43.95222°N 77.35056°W / 43.95222; -77.35056[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Prince Edward
Area
• Total	6.99 km2 (2.70 sq mi)
Elevation[2]	78 m (256 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	1,860
• Density	270/km2 (690/sq mi)
Time zone	Eastern Time Zone (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern Time Zone (UTC-4)
Postal codes in Canada	K0K 3L0
Area code(s)	613, 343

Child at Play on Wellington Beach

Patio at the Drake Devonshire

Wellington is an unincorporated place and community in Prince Edward County in eastern Ontario, Canada. It has a population of 1,860 (2011 Census). One of Prince Edward County's fastest growing communities, Wellington's population is expected to double in the next twenty years.^[3] The Village sits on the shores of both Lake Ontario and West Lake, and is the geographic hub for exploring much of Prince Edward County's wine region, with over 60% of County wineries located within a 10km radius of the Village.^[4]

The renowned Sandbanks Beach, the northern-most of Sandbanks Provincial Park's beaches, lands in the Village of Wellington, where it is called Wellington Rotary Beach. It is separated from the Sandbanks Provincial Park by a canal through the beach to Wellington Harbour.^[5] Wellington Rotary Beach, completed in 2009, has a boat launch, boardwalk, picnic tables, sun shelter, washrooms, changerooms and an interpretive walkway.^[6]

The Toronto hotelier, The Drake Hotel, transplanted its boutique brand to Prince Edward County, choosing the Village of Wellington to open the Drake Devonshire in the fall of 2014. ^[7]

History

Wellington was once called Smokeville. The name Smokeville came from the fact that in 1780s, the settler Daniel Reynolds was nicknamed Old Smoke by the First Nations. When the post office was established in the 1830s, the village was named Wellington after the 'Iron Duke,' Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington (1769-1852).

One of Prince Edward County's earliest residents, Daniel Reynolds, first came to the area in the 18th century and settled in Wellington where his house remains today along Main Street.^[8]

Demographics

Sports and Recreation

Wellington is an active community that is home to a number of athletic clubs and recreational facilities.

Athletic Clubs in the Village of Wellington

• The Wellington Dukes Junior A hockey team of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. The Dukes play at Essroc Arena (capacity 1,600).^[11]
• The Prince Edward County Baseball Association plays all its games in Wellington and the rep teams of the Quinte Royals Baseball Club (Midget and Minor Midget) play their homes games at the Wellington Field of Dreams.^[12]
• The Prince Edward County Skating Club, a not-for-profit, volunteer run figure skating club that is sanctioned by Skate Canada.
• The equestrian centre, Haderway Farms, is located just outside the Village, two minutes to the north.

Sporting and recreational facilities

• The Wellington and District Community Centre, which houses the Essroc Arena, a walking track, a number of conference rooms, and a full service kitchen and cafeteria.
• Wellington-on-the-Lake Golf Course, an Azinger design championship length 9-hole course with four sets of tees, and a practice area consisting of a 120,000 square foot bent grass tee deck, an aquatic range, a 5,000 square foot practice putting green and a practise bunker.
  

  Swings at Wellington Park
• Three baseball diamonds and a tennis court.
• A running track and a dual-purpose football/soccer playing field on the grounds of CML Snider School.
• Wellington Harbour, a municipally run marina that opens onto Lake Ontario and West Lake.
• The Millennium Trail, a 49 km multi-purpose recreational use trail passes right through the Village of Wellington.
• Wellington Park, a waterfront park in the centre of the Village, which contains a popular, community-built playground, a pavilion, barbecue pits and picnic tables.

Education

English language public elementary education from JK to Grade 8 is offered at CML Snider Public School. ^[13] Students must travel to nearby schools in Belleville for separate school French Immersion education, or to Quinte West for French-language public elementary education. Both Belleville and Quinte West are about 25 minutes by car north of Wellington.

Secondary students travel to Prince Edward Collegiate in Picton for English language public secondary education, or to Bayside Secondary School in Quinte West for French Immersion public secondary education.

Media

Since 1992, the community has been served by the Wellington Times newspaper, one of Ontario’s last independently owned community newspapers. The Times is available at over 50 retail locations across the County and has a circulation of approximately 4,000.^[14]

Cultural

• Wellington Heritage Museum is located in the heart of the Village. It was built in 1885 as a Quaker Meeting House and now features exhibits on local history. The museum houses the Douglas A. Crawford Canning Industry Collection that explores the importance of the canning industry to Prince Edward County. There were over 75 different canning factories operating in the County between 1882 and 1996.

References

External links

• Daniel Reynolds House (c. 1799) in Wellington
• Wellington & District Business Association
• Discover Wellington
• CML Snider School