Owen Sound

Owen Sound
City (lower-tier)
City of Owen Sound

Owen Sound Harbour
Nickname(s): The Scenic City
Owen Sound
Coordinates: 44°34′N 80°56′W / 44.567°N 80.933°W / 44.567; -80.933Coordinates: 44°34′N 80°56′W / 44.567°N 80.933°W / 44.567; -80.933
Country  Canada
Province  Ontario
County Grey
Government
 • City Mayor Ian Boddy
 • Governing Body Owen Sound City Council
 • MPs Larry Miller
 • MPPs Bill Walker
Area[1][2]
 • Land 24.27 km2 (9.37 sq mi)
 • Urban 20.91 km2 (8.07 sq mi)
 • Metro 628.64 km2 (242.72 sq mi)
Elevation 307 m (1,007 ft)
Population (2016)[1][2] [3]
 • Density 1,053.7/km2 (2,729/sq mi)
 • Urban 22,032
 • Urban density 1,053.7/km2 (2,729/sq mi)
 • Metro 31,820
 • Metro density 50.6/km2 (131/sq mi)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
Forward sortation area N4K
Area code(s) 519 & 226
Highways  Highway 21
 Highway 6
 Highway 26
Website www.owensound.ca
Dwellings: 9,532 dwellings
Community of Owen Sound, at the base of the Owen Sound inlet, in 1880.

Owen Sound (Canada 2016 Census population 22,032), the county seat of Grey County, is a city in the northern area of Southwestern Ontario, Canada. (The 2016 population of Grey County was 93,830 in 2016).[4] Owen Sound is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay.

The primary tourist attractions are the many waterfalls within a short drive of town.[5] Owen Sound is one of the best places to retire in Ontario, according to Comfort Life, a publication for seniors. According to Comfort Life, The Canadian Association of Retired Persons, Yahoo Finance and The Globe and Mail agree with this recommendation.[6]

History

The area around the upper Great Lakes has been home to the Ojibwe people since prehistory. In 1815, William Fitzwilliam Owen surveyed the area and named the inlet after his older brother Admiral Edward Owen. A settlement called "Sydenham" was established in 1840 or 1841 by Charles Rankin in an area that had been inhabited by First Nations people. John Telfer settled here at that time and others followed. By 1846, the population was 150 and a sawmill and gristmill were operating. The name Sydenham continued even as the community became the seat for Grey County in 1852.[7]

An Ontario historical plaque explains that a First Nations Band, led by Chief Newash had a reserve in the area totaling about 11,000 acres. In 1842 they established the village of Newash which initially contained fourteen log houses, a school and a barn; the population was served by Wesleyan Methodist missionaries. In 1857, the government took over the reserve area and moved most of the inhabitants of Newash to Cape Crocker.[7]

Over the years, Owen Sound was a major port best known for its taverns and brothel. The community was called names as the Chicago of the North, Corkscrew City, and Little Liverpool because of its rowdy reputation.[8][9][10] Supporting this reputation was a tavern named "Bucket of Blood", located on the corner of an intersection known as "Damnation Corners", because of taverns on all four corners but this was only ablock away from an intersection called "Salvation Corners" with its four churches.[11][12]

Sydenham was renamed Owen Sound in 1851; by then, it was served by a direct road to Toronto, the Toronto-Sydenham Road; some of it still exists as a part of Highway 10.[13][7] The community became an incorporated town in 1857, with a population of nearly 2000.[7][14] In 1873, the Grey and Bruce Railway from Weston arrived and allowed for shipping goods to and from the community.[13] he Toronto-Sydenham Road Heritage Plaque

Constructed mainly between 1848 and 1851, this colonization road served to open up portions of Grey and Dufferin counties and to provide a more direct route between Owen Sound and Toronto.Located in Memorial Park, Hwys 6 & 10, Chatsworth.

Louis' Steakhouse, a popular upscale restaurant just outside town, was opened by the Gavaris family in the 1980s in a historic building which changed hands several times before being demolished in 2016.[15] It was originally a home (built in 1881), but became a brothel from 1907-1915,[16] where the madam would stand in its castle-like tower and watch the port for a ship to come in, and she would ready her prostitutes to excite the sailors. This reputation for vice and villainy, and the problems that came with it, caused the city to ban all drinking establishments for several decades. The city was "dry" until 1972.[17]

Billy Bishop Home/Museum

One of the city's most famous sons was World War I flying ace and Victoria Cross winner William Avery "Billy" Bishop, born in Owen Sound, was Canada's leading pilot in the war. He flew with the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force. 1917 and 1918, Bishop was credited with downing 72 enemy aircraft. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross.[7] After the war, he was promoted to Air Marshall and worked as director of recruiting for the R.C.A.F. Bishop is also one of the few to have tangled with the Red Baron and survived, forcing the German pilot to retreat in a damaged aircraft. Bishop later recalled that it was a "close shave, but a wonderful, soul-stirring flight."[18] Bishop's boyhood home, one of the National Historic Sites of Canada, is a museum with artifacts from his life.[13]

The Billy Bishop Regional Airport in the nearby Municipality of Meaford was named after him. His modest gravesite can be visited in the city's Greenwood Cemetery by those willing to take the time to locate the stone. His boyhood home is now a museum dedicated to his life and to Canada's aviation history. The town was also the home of NHL Hall-of-Fame goaltender Harry Lumley and the artist Tom Thomson (buried in the nearby village of Leith). Surgeon Dr. Norman Bethune, an avowed communist and pioneer of public medicine who gained notoriety in his innovative medical work with the Chinese army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, is an alumnus of the Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute. Legendary hockey broadcaster Bill Hewitt was once sports director of the local AM radio station, CFOS. Tommy Holmes, another Victoria Cross winner, was also from Owen Sound, and the city's armoury bears his name.

In 2005 Owen Sound became the National Communities in Bloom champion in the cities of 20,001–50,000 category in Canada for its beauty, natural landscape, and strong sense of community.[19] Owen Sound has been recently recognized as a good retirement community due to its cultural, sports and natural amenities.[20]

Geography & climate

Owen Sound experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb)[21] that is moderated by Lake Huron. Winters are cold and very snowy, while summers are warm and humid, but cooled by the lake waters (Georgian Bay and Lake Huron on either side) more than most other areas of southwestern Ontario. Precipitation is moderately high, as Owen Sound is in the direct line of the Great Lakes snowbelt, with an annual average of 1100 mm. Summer thunderstorms are a common occurrence.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Owen Sound was 104 °F (40.0 °C) on 3 July 1911.[22] The coldest temperature ever recorded was −34 °F (−36.7 °C) on 6 February 1895.[23]

Climate data for Owen Sound, 1981−2010 normals, extremes 1878−present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.6
(60.1)		 18.5
(65.3)		 26.1
(79)		 30.5
(86.9)		 36.1
(97)		 35.0
(95)		 40.0
(104)		 37.2
(99)		 35.6
(96.1)		 30.6
(87.1)		 22.8
(73)		 18.5
(65.3)		 40.0
(104)
Average high °C (°F) −1.9
(28.6)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 3.2
(37.8)		 10.3
(50.5)		 16.6
(61.9)		 21.7
(71.1)		 24.8
(76.6)		 24.2
(75.6)		 20.2
(68.4)		 13.4
(56.1)		 6.9
(44.4)		 1.1
(34)		 11.6
(52.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) −5.4
(22.3)		 −4.8
(23.4)		 −1
(30)		 5.8
(42.4)		 11.5
(52.7)		 16.6
(61.9)		 20.1
(68.2)		 19.6
(67.3)		 15.8
(60.4)		 9.6
(49.3)		 3.8
(38.8)		 −1.8
(28.8)		 7.5
(45.5)
Average low °C (°F) −9.0
(15.8)		 −8.7
(16.3)		 −5.2
(22.6)		 1.2
(34.2)		 6.4
(43.5)		 11.5
(52.7)		 15.3
(59.5)		 15.0
(59)		 11.4
(52.5)		 5.7
(42.3)		 0.7
(33.3)		 −4.8
(23.4)		 3.3
(37.9)
Record low °C (°F) −34.4
(−29.9)		 −36.7
(−34.1)		 −31.1
(−24)		 −18.3
(−0.9)		 −7.8
(18)		 −1.7
(28.9)		 1.1
(34)		 2.2
(36)		 −3.3
(26.1)		 −10.6
(12.9)		 −23.3
(−9.9)		 −30.0
(−22)		 −36.7
(−34.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 128.8
(5.071)		 86.3
(3.398)		 77.8
(3.063)		 71.0
(2.795)		 84.0
(3.307)		 73.5
(2.894)		 70.4
(2.772)		 78.7
(3.098)		 106.1
(4.177)		 98.0
(3.858)		 110.0
(4.331)		 129.9
(5.114)		 1,114.4
(43.874)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 27.9
(1.098)		 21.5
(0.846)		 42.4
(1.669)		 63.8
(2.512)		 84.0
(3.307)		 73.5
(2.894)		 70.4
(2.772)		 78.7
(3.098)		 106.1
(4.177)		 96.4
(3.795)		 82.8
(3.26)		 36.7
(1.445)		 783.9
(30.862)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 101.0
(39.76)		 64.8
(25.51)		 35.4
(13.94)		 7.3
(2.87)		 0.1
(0.04)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 1.6
(0.63)		 27.2
(10.71)		 93.2
(36.69)		 330.4
(130.08)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 20.7 15.0 12.9 13.4 12.8 11.1 10.4 11.6 13.9 17.7 17.7 19.7 176.8
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 4.4 3.5 6.4 12.3 12.8 11.1 10.4 11.6 13.9 17.5 13.7 7.1 124.7
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 17.4 12.3 7.8 2.0 0.04 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 5.5 14.0 59.5
Source: Environment Canada[24][25][23][22]

The city's downtown is located in a deep valley in the Niagara Escarpment.

Culture and events

Festival of Northern Lights.

The City of Owen Sound was a 2004 Cultural Capital of Canada and is home to a number of cultural events and facilities. It is home to the Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival, held every August, and the Festival of Northern Lights, a large Christmas lights festival with many displays along the Sydenham River, downtown, and in Harrison Park, held from November until January every Winter, as well as A Novel Marathon, a special event fund raiser for the Adult Literacy Program of the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library.

In 2007 Owen Sound celebrated its 150th year since incorporation, with special events throughout the year highlighted by the 10-day Homecoming 2007 celebrations July 27 to August 5.

Theatrically, the city's 400-seat Roxy Theatre, owned and operated by the Owen Sound Little Theatre, is used for the city's professional live theatre performances, as well as some concerts. The Youth Theatre Coalition is also prevalent in the area. It is a youth theatre company run entirely by youth and for youth. The organization presents musical, theatrical, and concert type performances throughout the year.

The city is also home to a good number of museums and cultural attractions, including:

Tom Thomson Art Gallery

Demographics

Historical populations
YearPop.±%
18713,369—    
18814,426+31.4%
18917,497+69.4%
19018,776+17.1%
191112,559+43.1%
192112,190−2.9%
193112,839+5.3%
194113,810+7.6%
195116,423+18.9%
196117,421+6.1%
197118,469+6.0%
198119,883+7.7%
199121,674+9.0%
199621,390−1.3%
200121,431+0.2%
200621,753+1.5%
201122,354+2.8%
201622,032−1.4%
Canada census – Owen Sound, ON community profile
2016 2011 2006
Population: 21,341 (-1.6% from 2011) 21,688 (-1.6% from 2006) 21,753 (1.4% from 2001)
Land area: 24.27 km2 (9.37 sq mi) 24.22 km2 (9.35 sq mi) 24.22 km2 (9.35 sq mi)
Population density: 879.2/km2 (2,277/sq mi) 895.5/km2 (2,319/sq mi) 898.1/km2 (2,326/sq mi)
Median age: 43.4 (M: 41.4, F: 45.4)
Total private dwellings: 10,098 9,736
Median household income: $40,919
References: 2016[34] 2011[35] 2006[36] earlier[37]

Education

Owen Sound is home to a campus of Georgian College. The campus currently offers 14 full-time programs, including its Great Lakes International Marine Training and Research Centre.[38] The centre trains professionals already working in the marine industry and students enrolled in the Marine Navigation Technology program and the Marine Engineering Technology program.

Owen Sound is home to two high schools, St. Mary's and Owen Sound District Secondary School. OSDSS formed after the amalgamation of West Hill Secondary School and Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute.

Owen Sound also provides a variety of French education options in the form of French immersion programs in both the public and Catholic school systems, as well as the only all French school and preschool in Grey and Bruce counties. Opportunities offered to French students include exchange programs and French summer camps.

Transportation

MS Chi-Cheemaun in Owen Sound.

Located at the junctions of Ontario Highways 6, 10, 21 and 26, the city serves as a gateway to the Bruce Peninsula.

Owen Sound Transit provides local bus service and specialized transportation for those unable to use the regular transit buses.

As home port of the Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited, the inner harbour is where the MS Chi-Cheemaun car ferry from Tobermory to South Baymouth is docked during the winter months.

The Canadian Pacific Railway Owen Sound subdivision connected Orangeville and Owen Sound. Service was discontinued and the line was formally abandoned in 1995. The Canadian National Railway subdivision connected Guelph and Owen Sound via Palmerston, this line was discontinued in the 1990s.

Aircraft flying to Owen Sound may land at the Owen Sound Billy Bishop Regional Airport (CYOS).

Industry

The Parrish & Heimbecker Grain Terminal (Great Lakes Elevator Co Ltd) is located in the inner harbour. The original CPR grain elevators were destroyed by fire in 1911.

Health care

Owen Sound Hospital

Owen Sound is the seat of Grey Bruce Health Services and has the largest hospital (Owen Sound Hospital) in the Grey County and Bruce County region.

Recreation

The city is one of two (the other being Barrie) that are home to The Grey and Simcoe Foresters Primary Reserve Infantry regiment, as well as various cadet corps.

Some of the largest rainbow trout in the world have been caught in Owen Sound, and annual fishing derbies draw large participation from all over North America.

Southeast of the city are several popular Ontario ski resorts, including Blue Mountain and Beaver Valley. The city and area also have numerous snowmobile trails.

Sports

Owen Sound is the smallest city in Ontario (and one of the smallest in Canada) to host an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Major Junior Hockey team, in the Owen Sound Attack who play at the Bayshore Community Centre arena.

The Attack won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL Champions in 2011.

Former teams

Media

Jail

The County of Grey opened a complex in 1854, including a courthouse and police services, a land registry office and a county jail. In 1960, the County of Grey moved the courthouse and land registry to another location at the edge of present-day Owen Sound, Ontario. At that time, March 11, 1960, the County of Grey and the City of Owen Sound signed a two-part agreement that was subsequently passed into bylaw. The first part required that the City of Owen Sound immediately purchase the courthouse portion of the complex. Part two of the agreement requires the City of Owen Sound to purchase the jail portion when the County of Grey no longer needs it for its own use. This occurred in 1978, when the province of Ontario transferred the county jails to provincial entities. The County of Grey and the City of Owen Sound escaped the latter part of the 1960 agreement and have profited greatly ever since. The County of Grey receives a monthly payment (approximately $12,000 as of 2011) for which they have no obligation to maintain the property; the City of Owen Sound kept the police services in the old courthouse until 1987/88 and then leased it to an arts council. In doing so, the jail lost all of their former entrances and moved all activities to the side of the jail, immediately beside the adjacent residence.

Notable residents

Thomas William Holmes V.C.
Owen Sound City Hall

Sister cities

The sister city of Owen Sound is Miamisburg, Ohio.[40]

References

  1. 1 2 "Owen Sound (city) community profile". 2016 Census data. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2017-03-18.
  2. 1 2 "Owen Sound (census agglomeration) community profile". 2016 Census data. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2017-03-18.
  3. ↑ http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=POPC&Code1=0619&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=owen%20sound&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1
  4. ↑ http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CD&Code1=3542&Geo2=PR&Code2=61&Data=Count&SearchText=Grey&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All
  5. ↑ https://www.visitgrey.ca/play/outdoor-sights/waterfalls
  6. ↑ http://www.comfortlife.ca/blog/best-places-to-retire-in-ontario-10685/#_ftn6
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 http://www.waynecook.com/agrey.html
  8. ↑ https://www.owensound.ca/en/living/history.aspx
  9. ↑ White, Paul (2000). Owen Sound: The Port City. Toronto: National Heritage. p. 83. ISBN 1896219233.
  10. ↑ Boltman, Aly (June 29, 2009). "The mistress of Branningham Grove". Owen Sound Sun Times. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  11. ↑ https://www.owensound.ca/Modules/Facilities/Detail.aspx?CategoryIds=&FacilityTypeIds=&Keywords=&Page=2&CloseMap=false&Scroll=true&id=fcc8c22f-a2d7-4c7e-89ca-1d05f3ea5e04
  12. ↑ http://stgeorgesos.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ACO-Preservation-Works-St.-Georges-Anglican-Church.pdf
  13. 1 2 3 https://www.visitgrey.ca/unique-grey/historical-sites
  14. ↑ http://www.owensound.ca/live/about-owen-sound About Own Sound, retrieved 2013 April 3
  15. ↑ http://923thedock.com/branningham-grove-coming/
  16. ↑ http://923thedock.com/owen-sound-resident-once-again-tries-to-save-historic-branningham-grove/
  17. ↑ White, Paul (2000). Owen Sound: The Port City. Dundurn. p. 87. ISBN 1896219233.
  18. ↑ http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/2011/11/03/billy-bishop-vs-the-red-baron-a-close-shave-but-a-wonderful-soul-stirring-flight
  19. ↑ "Owen Sound wins her category in 2005 Communities in Bloom". Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  20. ↑ Bland, Warren R. (2005). Retire in Style 60 Outstanding Places Across the USA and Canada. Chester, New Jersey: Next Decade. pp. 57–62. ISBN 1932919198.
  21. ↑ http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/North-America_Koppen_Map.png Köppen Climate Classification Map of North America (University of Melbourne)
  22. 1 2 "Daily Data Report for July 1911". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  23. 1 2 "Daily Data Report for February 1895". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  24. ↑ "Owen Sound, Ontario". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Owen Sound". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  26. ↑ "Tom Thompson Art Gallery". Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  27. 1 2 "Welcome to Beth Ezekiel Synagogue". Beth Ezekiel Synagogue.
  28. ↑ "Ontario's Places of Worship". Ontario Heritage Trust.
  29. ↑ "Lupercalia". Mudtown Records. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  30. ↑ "Mudtown Records". Mudtown Records.
  31. ↑ "Get outta town to see..". NOW magazin. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  32. ↑ "Owen Sound City Band Homepage". Owen Sound City Band.
  33. ↑ "Festival of Northern Lights". City of Owen Sound.
  34. ↑ "2016 Community Profiles". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. February 21, 2017. Retrieved 2017-02-21.
  35. ↑ "2011 Community Profiles". Canada 2011 Census. Statistics Canada. July 5, 2013. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  36. ↑ "2006 Community Profiles". Canada 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  37. ↑ "2001 Community Profiles". Canada 2001 Census. Statistics Canada. February 17, 2012.
  38. ↑ "Great Lakes International Marine Training and Research Centre". Georgian College. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  39. ↑ Vance, Stephen (2015-12-08). "One Magic Weekend in Meaford". themeafordindependent.ca. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  40. ↑ "Owen Sound's sister city". Retrieved 28 May 2013.
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