Petrolia (Ontario)

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Petrolia
Nickname : Canada's Victorian Oil Town
Victoria Hall
Victoria Hall
Location in Ontario
Petrolia (Ontario)
Petrolia
Petrolia
State : CanadaCanada Canada
Province : Ontario
County : Lambton
Coordinates : 42 ° 53 ′  N , 82 ° 9 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 53 ′  N , 82 ° 9 ′  W
Area : 12.68 km²
Residents : 5742 (as of 2016)
Population density : 452.8 inhabitants / km²
Time zone : Eastern Time ( UTC − 5 )
Postal code : N0N
Area code : +1 519 and 226
Foundation : 1866
Mayor : John McCharles
Website : town.petrolia.on.ca
Street scene 2012
Street scene 2012

Petrolia is a city in Lambton County in the Canadian province of Ontario with 5742 inhabitants (2016).

geography

The cities of Sarnia and London are 30 kilometers to the northwest and 70 kilometers to the east, respectively. In Petrolia, the connecting roads Ontario Highway 4 and Huron County Road 21 intersect . The distance to the south shore of Lake Huron is 20 kilometers.

history

Petrolia was originally called Petrolea, but the name was changed due to a typographical error. Both the original and current names reflect the discovery of oil in the area. When oil was found by chance in Oil Springs, ten kilometers to the south, in 1858 , it marked the beginning of the oil boom in North America. In 1861 oil was also found in what is now Petrolia. Since the wells were more productive there than in Oil Springs, the production activities shifted there and Petrolia quickly developed into a center of oil production. The city became very wealthy and at times had the highest per capita income in Canada. As a testament to this wealth, many impressive public buildings can still be seen in the city. Since the development of oil production was hampered by the lack of a railway line, the citizens built a railway line on their own, which paid for itself in the first six months of operation. The city was officially founded in 1866. In the 1860s and 1870s, numerous refineries were built. However, when the market leader Imperial Oil moved its main activities to Sarnia in 1898, an economic downturn began in Petrolia. However, some smaller funding facilities are still in operation today. In memory of booming oil production times, Petrolia Canada's Victorian Oil Town is called .

Historic post office
Petrolia Public Library ,
formerly the train station

sons and daughters of the town

Other personalities associated with the place:

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Statistics Canada
  2. ^ History
  3. ↑ History of Oil Production

Web links

Commons : Petrolia, Ontario  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files