St. Thomas, Ontario
| St. Thomas | |||
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 City Hall of St. Thomas |
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| Location in Ontario | |||
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| State : |
 Canada
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| Province : | Ontario | ||
| County : | Elgin County | ||
| Coordinates : | 42 ° 47 ′ N , 81 ° 11 ′ W | ||
| Height : | 209 m | ||
| Area : | 35.63 km² | ||
| Residents : | 38,909 (as of 2016) | ||
| Population density : | 1,092 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Time zone : | Eastern Time ( UTC − 5 ) | ||
| Postal code : | N5P-N5R | ||
| Area code : | +1 519 and 226 | ||
| Foundation : | 1810 | ||
| Mayor : | Joe Preston | ||
| Website : | www.stthomas.ca | ||
St. Thomas is a city in southwestern Ontario in Canada . The city is the administrative center of Elgin County , but does not belong to the county itself .
history
The first European settlers came to today's urban area in 1810. One of the settlers known by name was Daniel Rapelje (1774-1828), a veteran of the British-American War , who built a mill on the land allotted to him in 1814, which was one of the nucleus of today's city. Another important building, the Old Church, was also built on land provided by Rapelje. The developing settlement was named after Thomas Talbot, who promoted the development of Ontario in the early 19th century. Since 1844, the settlement of the main town of Elgin County, it was in 1852 into an independent village ( village ), in 1861 to a small town ( town ) and in 1881 to a complete city ( city )
In 1824 the first medical training center for the province of Ontario was established in St. Thomas.
In the late 19th century, the city, which is almost halfway between Detroit and Buffalo or Toronto , developed into an important crossing point for railway lines. In 1914 there were a total of 8 railway companies operating here and more than 100 train movements per day were made through the city. The name "Railway Capital of Canada", which is still known today, dates from that time .
In the 1950s and 1960s, the railroad was replaced as the most important branch of industry by automobile manufacturers and suppliers. Firms like Magna , Ford, and Sterling dominated the city's economy for the next 50 years. Due to the economic crisis that started in 2007 , several large industrial companies closed between 2008 and 2011 and St. Thomas suffered from high unemployment as a result. The structure of employers has slowly diversified since then. Classic industrial companies such as the automotive supplier Takumi Stamping Canada are still based in St. Thomas, but wholesalers such as Masco Canada have also set up shop. The place is increasingly trying to market the remains of the railway infrastructure for tourism.
jumbo
On September 15, 1885, the then famous circus elephant Jumbo died at the city's train station after being rammed by a freight train. A life-size statue was erected to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the elephant's death.
climate
The city is located in the humid temperate and continental climate zone. There are hot, humid summers and cold winters. Especially in autumn and winter, the temperatures are moderated by the water surface of the Great Lakes. The annual amount of precipitation is distributed relatively evenly over the year.
population
According to the population census from 2016, the place had 38,909 inhabitants, compared to 37,905 inhabitants in 2011. The vast majority of the population consists of people with English as their mother tongue and of northern European origin. A large part of the inhabitants count themselves among the Christian churches. In other parameters such as age structure , unemployment rate and per capita income , the population roughly corresponds to the average of the province of Ontario.
State institutions
The town's mayor is Joe Preston, and the town council has eight members in addition to the mayor. Mayors and city councilors are each directly elected by voters from across the city. The city's administration consists of 11 departments.
The headquarters of a regiment of pioneers of the Canadian army has been located in St. Thomas since 1997 .
education
Schools of all levels, from preschool to elementary schools to secondary schools, are available from different sponsors. There is also a vocational college in the village with a branch of the Fanshawe College .
Infrastructure
The closest neighboring cities are London directly to the north, Brantford in the northeast and Chatham in the southwest.
Through the city run the highways Ontario Highway 3 and Highway 4 , about which there is direct access to running between St. Thomas and London Freeway 401 / 402 's.
Local public transport is provided via a network of bus routes in the city area. A connection to the rail network only exists for isolated freight transports. The city has a small airport on the eastern city limits, but there are no regular flights from there.
Cultural and leisure facilities
The two largest urban parks are Pinafore Park in the south and Waterworks Park in the north. Both parks are around 40 hectares and offer a variety of recreational opportunities.
In St. Thomas there are a number of sports facilities and clubs appropriate for the size of the city.
The main focus of museums in the city is on local history and the connection to the railroad. The largest museums are the old Canada Southern Railway station with the North America Railway Hall of Fame , the Elgin County Railway Museum and the Elgin Military Museum .
Historic Buildings
There are still a few buildings of historical value in the village. Well-known include the main building of the old train station, the town hall, a former arsenal and the town's first church.
sons and daughters of the town
- Joe Thornton , ice hockey player
- DJ Kennington , racing driver
- Rachel McAdams , actress
- Helen Shaver , actress and director
- Cory Emmerton , ice hockey player
- Dell Henderson , actor
- Mitchell Hepburn , politician
- Philip Francis Pocock , Catholic clergyman
- Greg McKegg , ice hockey player
- Angela Schneider (* 1959), rower
Web links
- Overview of the history on the city's homepage ( Memento from May 3, 2019 in the Internet Archive )
- City profile on the St. Thomas Chamber of Commerce homepage
- Tourist information about St. Thomas
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Statistics Canada, 2016 Census - St. Thomas. Statistics Canada, accessed December 30, 2018 .
- ↑ Information on D. Rapelje on a plaque on Talbot Street in St. Thomas.
- ↑ Information about the old church on a board in front of the church.
- ^ Alan Rayburn: Place Names of Ontario , University of Toronto Press, 1997, ISBN 0-8020-7207-0 , p. 304.
- ^ Entry on the founder of the school on the homepage of the Ontario Heritage Trust . Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ↑ Article in The Globe and Mail on the economic situation in St. Thomas on July 9, 2011. Retrieved on August 26, 2019.
- ↑ Homepage of Takumi Canada. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ^ Homepage of Masco Canada. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ↑ Article in the Montreal Gazette of July 3, 2015 on St. Thomas' rail connection. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ^ Environment Canada : St. Thomas WPCP. In: Canadian Climate Normals 1981-2010. Retrieved August 9, 2019 .
- ↑ Representation of the city council on the city's homepage ( Memento from May 3, 2019 in the Internet Archive ).
- ↑ Representation of the city administration on the city's homepage ( Memento from May 2, 2019 in the Internet Archive ).
- ↑ Representation of the 31st Combat Engineer Regiment on the homepage of the Canadian Army. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
- ↑ Overview of the educational offers in St. Thomas. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ↑ Description of the branch in St. Thomas on the homepage of Fanshawe College. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ↑ Overview of the city's bus network ( Memento from May 3, 2019 in the Internet Archive ).
- ↑ Representation of the urban parks on the city's homepage ( Memento from May 3, 2019 in the Internet Archive ).
- ↑ Overview of sports facilities and clubs in St. Thomas. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- ↑ Presentation of the CASO on railwaycitytourism.com . Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ Representation of the Elgin County Railway Museum on railwaycitytourism.com . Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ Homepage of the Elgin Military Museum. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ↑ Overview of historical buildings on the city's homepage ( Memento from May 3, 2019 in the Internet Archive ).
- ↑ Description on the homepage of Parks Canada . Retrieved July 1, 2019.