Hastings, Ontario

Template:Canadian City "Hastings, ON" and "Hastings, Canada" redirect here. For other articles with similar names, see Hastings (disambiguation).

Hastings, Ontario is an amalgamated village on the Trent River in the municipality of Trent Hills in Northumberland County in Canada. A few properties on the northwest edge of the community are actually included as part of Peterborough County. Hastings gained its present name in 1852 and was officially incorporated as a village in 1874. Hastings has a population of 1,208 as of the 2001 Census. It is known as "The Hub of the Trent", as Hastings is directly on the Trent River. It has a tall, blue water tower which can be seen from kilometres outside of village limits.

Hastings is now part of the municipality of Trent Hills, and makes up the second biggest population centre in the municipality. Trent Hills has a population of 12,569, and was formed in 2001 through an amalgamation of the the Village of Hastings, the Town of Campbellford, Township of Seymour and the Township of Percy. The amalgamation also included the community of Warkworth, which was part of Percy. The current mayor of Trent Hills is Hector MacMillan. Mayor MacMillan was elected during the 2003 municipal election, and, as of November 13, 2006, was re-elected for a second term.

A marina was built in Hastings which added to the already busy waterfront. There is a chapter of the Lions Club in the village which is associated with the largest annual event in Hastings, the Canada Day celebrations. The celebrations include a parade that runs through downtown during the day, and a fireworks display at the waterfront at sundown.

History

The history of Hastings first started in 1615 when Samuel de Champlain navigated the area. The first settlement, known as Crooks Rapids, began in 1810 and was named in 1820. In Hastings' early history, lumber from the northern part of Peterborough passed through Hastings locks on its way to Lake Ontario. It originally had a foundry, a cotton factory, flouring and grist mills, a stone Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England and Presbyterian and Methodist Churches.

The locks were completed in 1844 and the waterways became part of the Trent-Severn passage. There are 60.5 kilometres (37.6 miles) from Lock 18 in Hastings to Lock 19 in Peterborough. Henry Fowlds bought Crooks Rapids in its entirety in 1851 and renamed the settlement to Hastings in 1852, when the first post office was opened.

Hastings was officially incorporated as a village in 1874 and retained that status until the formation of Trent Hills in 2001. Hastings is legally an unincorporated community, however it is most often incorrectly referred to as a village.

The Fowlds family

The Fowlds family had a large influence on the village of Hastings in its early history. Henry Fowlds bought and renamed the settlement of Crooks Rapids to Hastings, and his family played significant roles within the community, such as reeve (now the term "mayor" is used in most communities), and also started small businesses. There is a park in Hastings named after Henry Fowlds.

Henry Fowlds was born in 1790 in Scotland. In 1813, he married Jane Marshall Steele. Together they had ten children, (Eliza, John, James S., Robert H., Elizabeth, Henry M., Mary C., William J., Mary Anne, and Theresa) of which only five survived (James S., Elizabeth, Henry M., William J., and Theresa). Some of his children would go on to occupy important and influential positions in Hastings. The family came to North America in 1821, settling first in New York City, and then in Hartford in 1833. In 1834, they crossed the border and settled in Prince Edward County, Upper Canada. The Fowlds family settled in Asphodel Township in 1836, and then moved on to Westwood, where they set up a saw mill in conjunction with Dr. John Gilchrist in what was to become the village of Keene.

Henry Fowlds purchased the water rights, land and buildings of Crooks Rapids, later known as Hastings, from the Honourable James Crooks, on September 27, 1851. The Fowlds built upon this base, expanding their original saw mill to a corporate business of a saw mill, grist mill, general store and post office. The Fowlds were quite active in Hastings, occupying the seat of reeve, and the office of postmaster.

Transportation

File:Ontariomap.jpg

A map of Ontario, showing where Hastings is located relative to other cities, towns and villages.

Hastings is served directly by County Road 45, County Road 25 and County Road 2. The centre of uptown Hastings is located at the intersection of County Road 2 and County Road 45 (known as Albert Street and Bridge Street within the Hastings boundaries). County Road 25 starts at the south edge of town and leads south. Before it exits the community, it is known as Cardinal Drive.

County Road 45 is a longer route that helps connect Hastings to other communities in the region. County Road 45 runs from Cobourg, the county seat, which is 45 kilometres to the south of Hastings. It ends at Highway 7, part of the Trans-Canada Highway, in the village of Norwood to the north. It helps connect Hastings to Highway 401, the busiest expressway in Canada. The 401 expressway runs west to east, directly north of Cobourg and connects directly to County Road 45. Hastings can be reached via interchange #474, County Road 45 Cobourg-Norwood.

The Trent River is also crucial for local transportation, as well as recreation. The Trent River connects directly to Lake Ontario, which is south of Hastings, making Hastings easy to access by boat. Hastings is a hub for fishermen and boaters because of the marina; many people travel through and around Hastings each year.

Demographics

In 2001, Hastings' population totaled 1,208, increasing by precisely 6% from 1996-2001, when Hastings had a population of 1,140 people. There are 537 private dwellings located within Hastings, and the population density is 511.9 people per square kilometre. The total area of the village is 2.36 square kilometres.

The White population accounts for the vast majority of Hastings' human population, at 99%. The remaining 1% is made up of First Nations, Chinese and South Asian people. During the summer months, fishing on the Trent River in Hastings is locally popular, causing a short-term population increase due to the influx of tourist anglers. These tourists tend to be more diverse than the residents of Hastings. (For example, there are many ethnic Chinese fishermen). Most of Hastings' year-round residents speak English only, at about 90%. Similarly, the majority of Hastings' full-time residents are Christian, although about 25% reported that they have no religious affiliation.

Population History

2001	1996	1991
1,208	1,140	1,148

Government

File:Trenthillscouncil.jpeg

The Trent Hills Municipal Council.

The chart below shows the structure of the municipal government of Trent Hills. These politicians were elected as of the 2003 municipal election, and were all re-elected as of the municipal election on November 13, 2006. (Note that the Deputy Mayor also serves as a councillor for ward 1).

Government of Trent Hills

Mayor	Deputy Mayor	Ward 1 - Campbellford/Seymour	Ward 2 - Percy	Ward 3 - Hastings
Hector MacMillan	William J. Thompson	Eugene Brahaney	Dean Peters	Camille Edwards
		Rosemary Kelleher-MacLennan	William White

The Member of Parliament for Member of Provincial Parliament for Northumberland is Lou Rinaldi.

Education

Hastings Public School provides elementary education to Hastings' children. For secondary education, Hastings residents attend the Campbellford District High School. The nearby Norwood District High School serves the minority of residents who live in Peterborough County. These schools are all part of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. Peterborough, the most populous city in the area, has two institutions of post-secondary education: Fleming College and Trent University. Trent University's academic focus is on environmental, cultural, and science studies. Vocational education is provided by Fleming College, which is a multidisciplinary institution with four campuses. The college is also a well respected business skills training centre.

Belleville, another nearby city, also provides post-secondary education with Loyalist College, well known in the region for its journalism, photojournalism, radio and television broadcasting programs as well as its health services programs.

The municipality of Trent Hills is currently working to improve the local educational system, and to make it more convenient for residents to attend university or college without having to leave Trent Hills. After elementary and secondary education, residents tend to leave the area for university and college education, not to return. This also has a large influence on the local economy because of the aging population and younger residents moving away.

Economy

One of the Hastings welcome signs.

The municipality of Trent Hills is currently attempting to revitalize the economy. The Hastings downtown core has two and three-storey buildings surrounding the intersection of Bridge Street and Front Street. Main downtown runs along central Bridge Street and central Front Street, where the community's only set of street lights is located. In the 1990s, one of the downtown buildings, which consisted of a restaurant, burned down, but Hastings still has many restaurants and stores. There are plans under consideration for a new shopping plaza to be built downtown, along with other finalized plans, in accordance with the Trent Hills Economic Stategic Plan. The plan is important for the well being of the local economy because of the aging population; residents are retiring and leaving the workforce, leaving vacancies in local businesses; people are also leaving the area to receive post-secondary education. The municipality intends to fill these positions by getting younger residents into the workforce at an earlier age.

Elmhirst's Resort is a local tourist attraction. Aside from the resort, there are trailer parks, beaches and camping grounds in the Hastings area. Most of the local beaches and camping grounds are located outside of Hastings on Rice Lake.

Climate

Because of the influence of the Great Lakes, Ontario experiences smaller variations in temperature and higher precipitation than would otherwise be expected for a region in the heart of a continent.

The last snowfall of the winter season is often experienced in spring. In the early portion of spring, climate can remain much like winter in Hastings, with possible snowstorms, lake effect snow, and cold temperatures. The temperature can plummet to lower than -10°C, with wind chills feeling much colder. To counter the winter temperatures, daytime highs can reach about 20°C. By mid to late spring, life returns to the area. April is the most common month in which the last snowfall occurs. By May, temperatures rise, and rain often falls.

In the summer months, the Great Lakes have a cooling effect. However, heat waves lasting up to a week, with temperatures higher than 30°C, are not uncommon. With the humidex factor, temperatures can often feel as if they are near 40°C or even 50°C. Thunderstorms are also very frequent during the summer months, especially on very hot days. Smog is an issue for Hastings and the rest of southern Ontario, primarily during hot and sunny weather.

In the fall, the release of heat stored in the lakes has a moderating effect. This provides relief from the overly hot summer temperatures. The first snowfall of the season is often observed in October or November, and prior to that, Hastings and the region experience frost. Lake effect snow and snowsqualls often occur during the fall months. Even in early fall, late September, temperatures can dip down to near zero. Under the right conditions, frost may be produced. Daytime highs can vary from above 20°C in early fall to well below freezing in late fall.

Winter is characterized by alternating currents of cold arctic air and relatively warm air masses from the Gulf of Mexico. The normal winter temperature is about -5°C to 0°C in Hastings, and can get quite a bit warmer, often above freezing, although temperatures can dip below -20°C without the wind chill factor.

Statistical figures

Below is some additional information on climate, including average temperatures and precipitation. This information was retrieved from The Weather Network's website. The data was observed and collected over a 30 year period, 1961-1990.

Temperature

January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
-3, -14, -8	-1, -13, -7	3, -6, -1	12, 0, 6	19, 6, 12	23, 10, 17	27, 13, 20	25, 12, 18	20, 7, 14	13, 2, 7	6, -1, 2	0, -9, -5

Each month includes three temperatures. The three are maximum, minimum and mean. Temperatures are in °C (degrees Celsius).

Precipitation

January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
16, 39	22, 33	41, 22	56, 8	70, 0	71, 0	69, 0	81, 0	74, 0	68, 2	62, 14	34, 42

Rainfall is listed first, in millimetres, and snowfall second, in centimetres.

• This data was collected from observations at Peterborough Airport.

Media

Hastings has three newspapers that operate throughout the area, and one radio station that broadcasts from the nearby town of Campbellford. The nearest television station broadcasts from the city of Peterborough; it is not in the immediate Hastings area.

Newspapers

The three newspapers that serve the Hastings area are The Community Press, The Shield and The Independent. All three serve other local villages and towns as well as Hastings, but Hastings does not have a newspaper that serves only the village itself.

Radio

• CKOL FM (Broadcasts from Campbellford throughout Trent Hills).

CKOL FM is a community radio station which broadcasts from Campbellford to serve Trent Hills and the surrounding area. It broadcasts at 93.7 on the FM dial, and typically plays oldies music. On a good day, broadcasts may be received from Roseneath through Keene, Norwood, Hastings, Campbellford, Havelock, Warkworth, Stirling and Marmora.

• See List of radio stations in Ontario.

Television

• CHEX-TV (CBC affiliate) broadcasts from Peterborough at Television Hill.

CHEX-TV is the nearest television station to Hastings, and provides regular programming, local news and current events.

• See List of television stations in Ontario.

External links

• Northumberland County Website
• Trent Hills Website
• Hastings Village Website