Central Ontario
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Central Ontario is the portion of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies between Georgian Bay and a portion of the north shore of Lake Ontario. The population was 959,266 in 2001, this number does not include large numbers of seasonal residents, which at peak times of the year swell its population to well in excess of 1.5 million. Although it contains small urban centres, much of Central Ontario is covered by farms, lakes, rivers or sparsely populated forested land on Canadian Shield.
It is located entirely within Southern Ontario. Central Ontario is not geographically close to the actual 'centre' of Ontario as its name would indicate, but in the transitional area between Northern and Southern Ontario, although it is considered a sub-region of the south or billed as a 'gateway to the north'.
Parry Sound District and Muskoka District are within Central Ontario, but are treated as part of Northern Ontario by federal economic development programs because of these districts' special economic circumstances; Parry Sound, but not Muskoka, is now classed with Northern Ontario by the provincial government.
All or part of Grey County and Bruce County may on occasion get included with Central Ontario but far more often are treated as part of Western Ontario or the Georgian Triangle area, which includes parts of both Central and Western Ontario. Hastings County and Prince Edward County may be considered part of Central Ontario by different sources; they are sometimes included as being in Eastern Ontario, mostly because they share the same telephone area code 613.
The southern portion of the region is mostly agricultural land mixed with wooded areas with growing urban cities Barrie and Peterborough. Both serve as regional centres with strong economic ties to the Greater Toronto Area due to their proximity to its outer fringes. Barrie in particular, has a fast growing population as a result of the GTA's northern encroachment and has benefited economically from its key position as a gateway to the north. Both cities also overlap into the Greater Golden Horseshoe region. Some studies go as far as to say that the Kingston-Belleville region may one day be included in this description
[edit] Geography
The Canadian Shield runs over the northern part of Central Ontario, a recreational area with a much increased summer-time population, including the wilderness of Algonquin Provincial Park. Often referred to as 'Cottage Country', this area's lakes and rivers are dotted with numerous cottages, some of them seasonal, but in recent years there is a growing trend for some of these 'summer cottages' to be used as year-round residences due to a number of factors, abundance of outdoor recreation, baby-boom retiree population, increased local services and improved wireless communication.
The Trent-Severn Waterway or canal, constructed over many years in the mid-19th century spans Central Ontario via a series of boat locks, connecting Georgian Bay with Lake Ontario, entering the bay at Port Severn and Lake Ontario at the Trent River in Trenton. Bypassing many rapids, this world renowned waterway is used by pleasure boaters and anglers during the summer months.
[edit] List of Counties or Districts
- Parry Sound District
- Muskoka
- Haliburton County
- Simcoe County
- Dufferin County
- Kawartha Lakes
- Northumberland County
- Peterborough County
- Hastings County
- Prince Edward County
| Northwest: Northern Ontario | North: Northeastern Ontario | Northeast: Eastern Ontario |
| West: Georgian Triangle |
Central Ontario | East: Eastern Ontario |
| Southwest: Southwestern Ontario | South: Golden Horseshoe/ Greater Toronto Area |
Southeast: Lake Ontario |
