Smiths Falls
| Smith Falls | |||
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| Nickname : Heart of the Rideau Canal | |||
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| Location in Ontario | |||
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| State : |
 Canada
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| Province : | Ontario | ||
| Coordinates : | 44 ° 54 ′ N , 76 ° 1 ′ W | ||
| Area : | 961 km² | ||
| Residents : | 8978 (as of 2011) | ||
| Population density : | 9.3 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Time zone : | UTC -5 | ||
| Postal code : | K7A | ||
| Area code : | +1 613 | ||
| Foundation : | 1854 | ||
| Mayor : | Dennis Staples | ||
| Website : | www.smithsfalls.ca | ||
 Rideau Canal through Smith Falls |
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Smiths Falls is a city in Lanark County , Canada . Smith Falls is located in southeastern Ontario . The population was around 8,978 in 2011. The Rideau Canal runs through the city.
history
The city was named after Thomas Smyth , a loyalist to the British monarchy, who bought 1.6 km² of land in 1786. During the construction of the Rideau Canal, the number slowly increased. In 1846 there were already 700 people living in the city. In 1850, Canada's largest railroad companies put the city on a rail network to connect Toronto , Kingston , Ottawa and Montreal . The two largest companies at the time were Brockville & Ottawa and the Grand Trunk Railway , which competed against each other. Due to the geographical location and the Rideau Canal, which at that time offered enough water for the steam-powered trains, both companies planned their routes through the city. The Canadian Pacific and Canadian Northern Railway (later Canadian National ) built stops. The Canadian National train station has since been converted into a museum.
During World War II , prisoners of war were transported by train to their camps near Smiths Falls. The German first lieutenant Franz von Werra managed to escape from the prison train, he fled to the United States and on to Germany. Franz von Werra was the only prisoner of war who managed to escape like this. This escape was described in a book and filmed under the title One Came Through . The film premiered on March 6, 1958 in North America at the Soper Theater in Smiths Falls.
Location and climate
Smiths Falls is located between Toronto , Montreal , Ottawa and Kingston . Ottawa is located approximately 75 km northeast of Smiths Falls. Brockville about 50 km to the southeast, Kingston about 95 km to the southwest.
Temperatures between January and April average between −8 and +8 degrees Celsius . Between May and August the average temperatures are between 5 degrees Celsius at the beginning of May, rise to 13 in June, to 28 in July and drop to 19 degrees Celsius in August. Between September and October, average temperatures of 17 and 14 degrees are reached. In November and December they drop to 1 and -10 degrees Celsius.
Economy and Infrastructure
Due to the central location and several larger cities within a radius of 100 km, most of the residents work in these cities. One of the main industries in Smith Falls is tourism, state and municipal corporations, and some private companies. In 1963, the Hershey's company opened a production facility for its chocolate products, which over the years has developed into the largest employer with up to 750 employees and, with the heavy traffic in the factory, the economic engine of the city. After the factory closed in 2008, urban development stagnated for a few years until a production facility for medical hemp was opened in the Hershey factories . This has developed, also with the general hemp legalization in Canada in 2018 , to the largest hemp production location in the country and Smiths Falls is sometimes referred to as "Canadas Pot Capital".
education
Smiths Falls has four elementary and three high schools up to grade 12. The town has no colleges.
media
Regional newspapers such as The Record-News EMC and Smiths Falls This Week appear weekly in Smiths Falls . There are also two radio stations in the city. One is CJET-FM - Jack FM , which broadcasts adult hits, and Country 101.1 , a country music radio station.
traffic
Road links
The Ontario Highway 15 connects Smith Falls with Carleton Place (with connection to the Ontario Highway 7 , which runs here as part of the Trans Canada Highway ) and Kingston (connection to the Ontario Highway 401 ). The border with the United States is approximately 70 km away.
Air connections
Smiths Falls has a small airport (ICAO code: CYSH) located approximately 5 miles outside of Smiths Falls. The nearest international airport in Ottawa is about 67 km from Smiths Falls.
Rail connections
The city is connected as a rail hub to the rail network of the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian National Railway . Via Rail intercity trains connect the city with Toronto Union Station and Ottawa several times a day .
bus connections
Greyhound Canada operates several regular intercity lines connecting Smiths Falls with other cities.