Midland, Ontario

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Midland
Town (lower-tier)
Town of Midland
Statue of a trumpeter swan in downtown Midland.
Statue of a trumpeter swan in downtown Midland.
Coat of arms of Midland
Coat of arms
Midland is located in Southern Ontario
Midland
Midland
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Country  Canada
Province  Ontario
County Simcoe
Incorporated 1890
Government
 • Mayor Gord McKay
 • Governing Body Midland Town Council
 • MPs Bruce Stanton
 • MPPs Garfield Dunlop
Area[1][2]
 • Land 35.37 km2 (13.66 sq mi)
 • Metro 199.94 km2 (77.20 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1][2]
 • Town (lower-tier) 16,572
 • Density 468.5/km2 (1,213/sq mi)
 • Metro 35,419
 • Metro density 177.2/km2 (459/sq mi)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code FSA L4R
Area code(s) 705
Website www.midland.ca

Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada.

Situated at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, with a 125-bed hospital and a local airport (Midland/Huronia Airport). It is the main town of the southern Georgian Bay area. In the summer months, the area's population grows to over 100,000 with seasonal visitors to more than 8,000 cottages, resort hotels, provincial and national parks in the surrounding municipalities of Penetanguishene, Tiny and Tay.

History

The town of Midland was founded when, in 1871, the Midland Railway of Canada selected the sparsely populated community of Mundy's Bay as the new terminus of the Midland railway. At that time the Midland railway ran from Port Hope to Beaverton. The town site was surveyed in 1872–3 and the line to the town was completed by 1879. Settlers, attracted by the convenience of rail service, soon began to move into the area. [3] The company sold off lots in town (Midland City) to help finance the settlement. The village (incorporated in 1878) thrived based on Georgian Bay shipping and the lumber and grain trade. Incorporated into a town in 1890, a number of light industrial companies have established themselves in the area and tourism in the southern Georgian Bay area also contributes to the economy.

2010 tornado

On June 23, 2010, Midland was struck by an F2 tornado, causing $15 million in damage.[4] The most significant damage was reported at Smith's Camp, a trailer park at the south end of the town, where several mobile homes were completely destroyed. At one point for the first time in 25 years, Emergency Management of Ontario upgraded Environment Canada's Tornado warning to an extreme severe weather warning called "Red Alert" which was issued for most of Southern Ontario's cottage country due to the approaching severe weather and the possibility of violent tornadoes, therefore asking residents in the area to seek shelter. In addition, a State of emergency was also declared in Midland. While electrical service was knocked out for a time, there were no fatalities caused by the storm.[5]

Local attractions

In and around the centre of Midland there are a number of murals most of which were painted by now deceased artist Fred Lenz. The largest, depicting a meeting between a local native and Jesuit Missionary Jean de Brebeuf is on the silos overlooking the main harbour. This work was completed by Lenz's sons following his death in 2001.[6]

Notable sites in or near Midland include the Jesuit mission of Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, which is now a living museum depicting missionary life in the 17th century. The Martyrs' Shrine is a Roman Catholic church commemorating the Canadian Martyrs, eight missionaries from Sainte-Marie who were martyred during the Huron-Iroquois wars; it also operates as the Huronia museum. Pope John Paul II held a pastoral meeting at this site in September 1984.

The Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre[7] is nearby. The marsh provides habitat for trumpeter swans, black terns and least bitterns. The trumpeter swan is considered a symbol of Midland and a large statue of one has been erected by the harbour.

Martyrs' Shrine

In early June there is an annual Butter tart festival. This year Midland hosted its third annual Butter tart festival, selling around 70 thousand butter tarts. Many tourists flock to Midland during the festival. There are two divisions: amateur and commercial. The day after the Butter tart festival is the Butter Tart Trot, a 5-km fun run for older people and a 2.5-km run for children under 5 years old.

Sports activities

Midland is the home of The Midland Flyers Junior Ice Hockey Club of the Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League.

Boating, both power and sail, is very popular with a number of marinas and a sailing club based in the town. The town has easy access to the relatively sheltered waters of south eastern Georgian Bay. Among the marinas nearby are Bay Port Yachting Centre on the northwest side of the bay, and Wye Heritage Marina along the southeast shore. There is also good fishing.

Midland also has an ever growing and active cycling base. The Midland Tri Club has increased the number of road riders in the area. Many of these riders also participate in the popular weekly Time Trial series and group rides that run throughout the summer months. Mountain view Ski Center has also encouraged the growth of mountain bikers, with an extensive trail system in town. The Center hosts a variety of races, including a summer long weekly series, as well as a night race, high school event, and 9 hour relay. Also, an MTB club has been borne of the Center, and is expanding its breadth into competition and other pursuits.

In the winter, snowmobiling and ice fishing are popular activities. Mountain-view Ski Center has a modest elevation but usually a large base of all-natural snowfall and 6 runs and has 25 kilometres (16 mi) of cross country ski trails.

Notable residents

Demographics

Historical populations
Year Pop. ±%
1881 1,095 —    
1891 2,088 +90.7%
1901 3,174 +52.0%
1911 4,663 +46.9%
1921 7,016 +50.5%
1931 6,920 −1.4%
1941 6,764 −2.3%
1951 7,206 +6.5%
1961 8,656 +20.1%
1971 10,992 +27.0%
1981 12,132 +10.4%
1991 13,865 +14.3%
1996 16,347 +17.9%
2001 16,214 −0.8%
2006 16,300 +0.5%
2011 16,572 +1.7%

The census agglomeration area of Midland includes Tay Township and the Town of Penetanguishene.

Gallery

  • ON Midland1 tango7174.jpg

  • Downtown murals

  • ON Midland3 tango7174.jpg

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "cp2011" defined multiple times with different content
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_1_5466_1.html Ontario Heritage Trust Founding of Midland
  4. ↑ http://www.windsorstar.com/sports/tornado+inflicts+damage/3198353/story.html
  5. ↑ Midland storm was an F2 tornado, experts confirm CTV News, June 24, 2010 (access date November 10, 2015)
  6. ↑ Story of the painting of Fred Lenz last mural
  7. ↑ [1]
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

 Penetanguishene Georgian Bay
Midland Bay, Severn Sound
  Midland  
Tiny Tay
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