Chatham-Kent

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Chatham-Kent
Chatham ON 1.JPG
Location in Ontario
Chatham-Kent, Ontario
Chatham-Kent
Chatham-Kent
State : CanadaCanada Canada
Province : Ontario
Coordinates : 42 ° 24 ′  N , 82 ° 11 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 24 ′  N , 82 ° 11 ′  W
Height : 200  m
Area : 2 458  km²
Residents : 103,671 (as of 2011)
Population density : 42.2 inhabitants / km²
Time zone : Eastern Time ( UTC − 5 )
Postal code : N7L - N7M
Area code : +1 519, 226
Foundation : 1998
Mayor : Randy Hope
Website : www.chatham-kent.ca

Chatham-Kent (officially: Municipality of Chatham-Kent ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario . It was formed in 1998 from the merger of Chatham with Kent County and has the status of a one-tier parish .

geography

The predominantly rural community is located in the southwest of the province between Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair . With an area of ​​2458 km², it is the twelfth largest in Canada. The Thames River and Sydenham River flow through Chatham-Kent and both flow into Lake St. Clair.

A little more than half of the population live in the city of Chatham. Other population centers are Wallaceburg , Blenheim , Tilbury , Ridgetown , Dresden , Thamesville and Wheatley . Chatham-Kent is bordered by Lambton County to the north, Middlesex County to the northeast, Elgin County to the east, and Essex County to the west. The community is also bordered by the Indian reservations of 47 Moravian and Walpole Island.

history

The town of Chatham was built around a naval port in the 1790s and was named after Chatham in the English county of Kent . After the Gnadenhütten massacre in Ohio in 1782, Christian Munsee settled in the area . During the British-American War , the Battle of the Thames River took place on October 5, 1813 near Chatham .

Kent County was an important stop on the Underground Railroad in the 19th century . Numerous escaped slaves settled in Chatham and the surrounding area, including Josiah Henson , whose life story served as a template for the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe . The abolitionist John Brown planned the (ultimately failed) raid on the city of Harpers Ferry .

Kent County consisted of the parishes (townships) Camden, Chatham, Dover, Harwich, Howard, Orford, Raleigh, Romney, Tilbury East and Zone. These were merged in 1998 to Chatham-Kent.

Economy and Transport

Chatham-Kent is shaped on the one hand by agriculture , on the other hand by the automotive industry . The most important companies are the commercial vehicle manufacturer Navistar International and the supply companies Mahle GmbH , Autoliv and Dana Incorporated . The place Blenheim is the seat of RM Auctions, the world's largest auction house for vintage cars. Commercial Alcohol operates Canada's largest ethanol plant in Chatham .

Chatham-Kent is on Highway 401 , Canada's main highway. VIA Rail serves Chatham station with corridor passenger trains , while rail freight is handled by the Canadian National Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway . Greyhound Lines offers various bus connections to surrounding cities.

Personalities

Web links