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Peterborough, Ontario

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Peterborough Ontario
The flag of Peterborough

(in detail)

The coat-of-arms of Peterborough]
(in detail)
City nickname: "The Electric City"
Area¹
 - Total
 - Water
58.61 km²
? km² ?%
Population (2004)¹ 74,600
% Change (1996 – 2001): 2.4
Racial Origins:
Population density¹ 1218.9/km²
Latitude and longitude44°N 79°W / 44°N 79°W / 44; -791.
Dwellings:30,804¹
Postal code:K9H, K9J, K9K, K9L
Area code:705
MayorSylvia Sutherland
MPsDean Del Mastro (Conservative)
MPPsJeff Leal (Liberal)
Altitude:? m
External link: http://www.city.peterborough.on.ca/
¹ According to the 2001 Statistics Canada census
File:Peterborough01.gif
location of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

Peterborough (2004 population 74,600 and the metropolitan population numbers 112,000) is a city on the Otonabee River in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, 125km northeast of Toronto. Peterborough is a gateway to the "cottage country" of the Kawarthas, a large recreational region of the province. The city is the seat of Peterborough County.

The Trent-Severn Waterway passes through Peterborough and includes the Peterborough Lift Lock, the world's largest hydraulic lift lock, which opened in 1904. It is also the world's highest lift lock with a rise of 65ft (19.8m).

History

Paleo-Indian groups followed retreating glaciers into the area 11,000 years ago. Woodland Indians inhabited the area circa 1000 BC-1000 AD, followed by Iroquoians and Mississaugas circa 1740.

In 1615, Samuel de Champlain traveled through the area and stayed for a brief period of time near the present-day site of Bridgenorth, just north of Peterborough.

In 1818, Adam Scott settled on the west shore of the Otonobee River. The following year he began construction of a sawmill and gristmill, establishing the area as Scott's Plains.

1825 marked the arrival of 2,000 Irish immigrants from the city of Cork. In 1822, the British Parliament had approved an experimental emigration plan to transport poor Irish families to Upper Canada. The scheme was managed by Peter Robinson, at the time a politician in York (present-day Toronto). Scott's Plains was re-named Peterborough in his honor.

In 1845, Sandford Fleming, inventor of Standard Time and designer of Canada's first postage stamp, moved to the city to live with Dr. John Hutchison and his family, staying until 1847. Dr. John Hutchison was one of Peterborough's first resident doctors.

Peterborough was incorporated as a town in 1850 (population 2,191).

Peterborough Lift Lock

Beginning in the late 1850's, a substantial canoe building industry grew up in and around Peterborough. The Peterborough Canoe Company was founded in 1893, with the factory being built on the site of the original Adam Scott mill. By 1930, 25% of all employees in the boat building industry in Canada worked in the Peterborough area. The period from 1928-36 saw the establishment of the Johnson Motor Company/Outboard Marine as an outgrowth of the original industry. Canoe building remained significant here until the early 1960's. Reflecting this heritage the city is now home to the Canadian Canoe Museum.

Peterborough would also see extensive industrial growth as the city was one of the first places in the country to begin generating hydro electrical power (even before Niagara). Companies like Edison General Electric Company (later Canadian General Electric) and America Cereal Company (later to become Quaker Oats), opened to take advantage of this new cheap resource.

Peterborough was incorporated as a city in 1905 (population 14,300).

Demographics

According to the Canada 2001 Census the population of the Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) of Peterborough was 1,102,423 (Ontario 11,410,046, Canada 30,007,094) and of these 771,446 lived within the urban core. This made Peterborough the 4th largest urban area in Canada (4th in Ontario).

Males made up 47.6 % of the population and females 52.4 % (Ontario males 47.8% females 52.2%, Canada males 49.0% females 51.0%).

Children under five accounted for 4.8 % of the resident population of the city (Ontario 5.8%, Canada 5.6%). People of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) made up 18.1 % of the resident population (Ontario 13.0%, Canada 13.2%). The average age of a person in Peterborough was 40.6 years (Ontario 37.2 years, Canada 37.6 years).

The population density of Peterborough (CMA) averaged 85.4 people per square kilometre, compared with an average of 12.6 for the province.

Between the time of the previous census in 1996 and 2001, the population of Peterborough grew by 2.4 % (Ontario 6.1%). In 2005, the population of the Peterborough CMA was estimated at 112,000, a growth rate of 9.4 %.

Economy

Manufacturing is the biggest local industry with General Electric and Quaker Oats maintaining large operations in Peterborough. The city is also a 'bedroom' community for workers of General Motors. The GM Oshawa Autoplex is actually the largest industrial employer of Peterborough citizens. The Peterborough Regional Health Centre is the largest employer, followed by school boards and local government.

Companies like General Electric and Outboard Marine, with their high paying manufacturing jobs, had a major impact on the growth of the city. Aging facilities and more expensive labour compared with the developing world worked against the city. The NAFTA agreement of the early 1990's saw a major shift in trading patterns for many Canadian companies. Other innovations like just in time delivery and pressure to produce ever cheaper goods impacted some of the large multi-nationals in the 70s and 80s. Today GE, PepsiCo Quaker, Siemens and numerous smaller manufacturing companies are experiencing signficant growth. Minute Maid (Coca-Cola) recently invested $20 million in a new warehouse and product line while auto parts supplier Ventra has doubled in size. Manufacturing job creation kept pace with the provincial average from 1991-2001. Lower costs, reliable labour and high quality post-secondary institutions are a competitive advantage for Peterborough. Peterborough was ranked number one location for business in Ontario by Canadian Business Magazine in late 2004.

Media and journalism

Televison

Peterborough is home to two local television stations, CHEX which is owned by Corus Entertainment, is a CBC affiliate, and TVCOGECO which is owned and operated by Cogeco Cable Canada, and provided as a service to local cable subscribers. CHEX is one of the oldest broadcasting television stations in Canada. Founders included writer Robertson Davies and his father William Rupert Davies. The transmitter tower for CHEX Peterborough is on Television Hill on the east side of the city and is used to broadcast both television and radio.

Newspapers

The Peterborough Examiner is one of the original local publishers. In the 1990's tabloid style Peterborough This Week entered the market taking away a large share of the market away from the Examiner. Peterborough This Week started as a free tabloid style paper delivered to most homes in Peterborough County. Alternatively, The Arthur is a student newspaper funded and produced by Trent University students. It is distributed at no cost on the university campus and in downtown area.

Radio stations

Located just outside the operating frequency of the much larger Toronto based broadcasters has helped the city to create a wide variety of stations for a city of it's size. 1420 CKPT (oldies station), is one of the oldest stations in the city, it first started as a top 40's station. The other main AM station is 980 CKRU the "KRUZ".

101.5 CKWF - "The Wolf", active rock is one the original FM stations, having been through a variety of formats over the past few decades. The city also is home to both public broadcasting radio stations: CBC Radio One and CBC Radio Two, which often rebroadcast their Toronto feeds, with local news updates. Other stations of note: student run 92.7 CFFF - Trent University campus radio, 105.1 CKQM - "Country 105" country music and the French language: 106.3 CJBC-5 - La Première Chaîne

Education

Colleges and universities

The large, sprawling campus of Trent University (est. 1964) is in the city's north end. Trent University academic focus is on environmental, cultural and science studies.

Trades based eductaion is provided by Sir Sandford Fleming College (est. 1967), which emphasises technology skills as to supply local employers with skilled tradespeople. The College is also a well respected business skills training centre.

High schools

Peterborough's public elementary and secondary schools are part of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. Peterborough's Catholic elementary and secondary schools are part of the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board

Public

Catholic

Arts Organizations

Situated on the shores of Little Lake next to the downtown core, The Art Gallery of Peterborough [1] was incorporated in 1974. It is a public gallery and collector of contemporary art. It's located in a modern architectural styled building, and there have been several, never realised plans over the years to expand the galleries.

Artspace [2] is one of Canada's oldest artist-run centres, founded in 1974. Its mandate is to support the growth and development of contemporary artists. Artspace maintains a public gallery. Noted artist David Bierk was one of the founding members.

The Peterborough Arts Umbrella [3] held its first exhibition in 2000. The PAU is mandated to serve practitioners of all artistic disciplines in Peterborough and surrounding area, and maintains a public gallery. The PAU also runs a media centre, providing resources to members for the production of digitally-based audio and video works.

Peterborough New Dance/Public Energy [4] was founded by Bill Kimball in 1994, and is a presenter and animator of contemporary dance and performance. It is the only full-time presenter of contemporary dance in Ontario outside of Toronto and Ottawa. The organziation also supports the development of local dance and performance artists.

Social services

Sports teams

Peterborough is most famous for it's hockey teams including the Peterborough Petes of the OHL. The Petes have become legendary in Canada for their part in helping provide talent to the National Hockey League. The city has earned a reputation for their development of players. The city has numerous hockey teams covering all age ranges and abilities. Figure skating is another popular winter sport.

Taking advantage of the dozens of rinks in the region, the other popular sport in Peterborough is Lacrosse. Since the sport is played in the same size arena as that of hockey, it makes perfect use of the space in the summer months. The two major teams are the Peterborough Junior Lakers – Lacrosse and the Peterborough Lakers –.

Events

  • Summer Festival of Lights - annual free concert series & fireworks, Wednesdays & Saturdays from June to August, Del Crary Park
  • Festival of Trees - annual fundraiser in support of local healthcare built around a show of decorated Christmas trees and other seasonally themed displays, late November, Memorial Centre
  • Downtown Countdown - annual alcohol/drug-free New Years Eve celebration
  • Peterborough Folk Festival - annual three-day music and community festival, featuring free all-day outdoor event with five stages. Traditionally held last weekend in August.

Communities

North: Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield
West: Cavan-Millbrook-North Monaghan Peterborough East: Douro-Dummer
South: Otonabee-South Monaghan

External links

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