North Dumfries, Ontario
Encyclopedia
The Township of North Dumfries is a rural
township
in Ontario
, Canada
, part of the Region of Waterloo. Its 2006 Census population was 9,063.
The township includes the communities of Ayr
, Branchton, Clyde, Reidsville and Roseville.
but in the early 19th century was part of Gore District. Galt was founded on the east bank of the Grand River
by Absalom Shade
on behalf of William Dickson
of Niagara. Dickson had bought 94305 acres (381.6 km²) of land in 1816 for 24,000 pounds, and named it after his hometown of Dumfries
in Scotland
. That same year, he had the land surveyed and opened it for settled. In 1817, the first sawmills were operating and there were 38 families with a total population of 163 people. In 1819, the first municipal meeting for the Township of Dumfries North was held.
In 1820, Dickson encouraged further settlement on his land by inviting other Scotsmen to buy land, resulting in a wave of immigration from 1825 until 1832 when every plot of land was filled.
What is now North Dumfries originally formed the north half of Dumfries Township, hence the current name. With the introduction of the county system in the mid-nineteenth century, Dumfries was split between the new Waterloo and Brant Counties. The remaining southern half of the old Dumfries Township is now South Dumfries in Brant County. At about the same time Dumfries Township was divided, the City of Galt was extracted from it as an autonomous municipality within the new Waterloo County
. Though the two municipalities (Galt and North Dumfries) were now technically separated from one another, their histories are tightly interwoven as the township nearly envelopes what was then Galt.
The township's easternmost section (around the village of Clyde) was originally part of Wentworth County (now the city of Hamilton
); it was transferred to Waterloo Region in the 1970s.
, and 1.5% visible minorities, of which the largest groups are Black
(0.4%), South Asian and Latin American (0.3% each). Around 21.2% of the population is under the age of 14, while those over 65 number 10.3%. The average age is 39.0. There are 3050 private dwellings occupied by usual residents, out of a total of 3103 dwellings. Mother tongues spoken are:
Population trend:
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
township
Township (Canada)
The term township generally means the district or area associated with a town. However in some systems no town needs to be involved. The specific use of the term to describe political subdivisions has varied by country, usually to describe a local rural or semi-rural government within the county...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, part of the Region of Waterloo. Its 2006 Census population was 9,063.
The township includes the communities of Ayr
Ayr, Ontario
The village of Ayr, Ontario, Canada is a settlement located within the Township of North Dumfries in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Southwestern Ontario...
, Branchton, Clyde, Reidsville and Roseville.
History
The history of North Dumfries is closely tied to that of the old City of Galt, now part of the City of CambridgeCambridge, Ontario
Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...
but in the early 19th century was part of Gore District. Galt was founded on the east bank of the Grand River
Grand River (Ontario)
The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...
by Absalom Shade
Absalom Shade
Absalom Shade was a businessman and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania around 1793 and worked as a carpenter in Buffalo, New York. In 1816, he was hired by William Dickson to manage his lands in Dumfries Township in Upper Canada. Shade operated a general...
on behalf of William Dickson
William Dickson (Upper Canada)
William Dickson was a businessman, lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Dumfries, Scotland in 1769. In 1785, he emigrated to the Niagara peninsula, where he managed mills and a store for Robert Hamilton, his cousin...
of Niagara. Dickson had bought 94305 acres (381.6 km²) of land in 1816 for 24,000 pounds, and named it after his hometown of Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. That same year, he had the land surveyed and opened it for settled. In 1817, the first sawmills were operating and there were 38 families with a total population of 163 people. In 1819, the first municipal meeting for the Township of Dumfries North was held.
In 1820, Dickson encouraged further settlement on his land by inviting other Scotsmen to buy land, resulting in a wave of immigration from 1825 until 1832 when every plot of land was filled.
What is now North Dumfries originally formed the north half of Dumfries Township, hence the current name. With the introduction of the county system in the mid-nineteenth century, Dumfries was split between the new Waterloo and Brant Counties. The remaining southern half of the old Dumfries Township is now South Dumfries in Brant County. At about the same time Dumfries Township was divided, the City of Galt was extracted from it as an autonomous municipality within the new Waterloo County
Waterloo County, Ontario
Waterloo County, created in 1853 and dissolved in 1973, was the forerunner of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It consisted of five townships: Woolwich, Wellesley, Wilmot, Waterloo, and North Dumfries...
. Though the two municipalities (Galt and North Dumfries) were now technically separated from one another, their histories are tightly interwoven as the township nearly envelopes what was then Galt.
The township's easternmost section (around the village of Clyde) was originally part of Wentworth County (now the city of Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
); it was transferred to Waterloo Region in the 1970s.
Demographics
The ethnic makeup of the township is 98.5% WhiteWhite people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
, and 1.5% visible minorities, of which the largest groups are Black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
(0.4%), South Asian and Latin American (0.3% each). Around 21.2% of the population is under the age of 14, while those over 65 number 10.3%. The average age is 39.0. There are 3050 private dwellings occupied by usual residents, out of a total of 3103 dwellings. Mother tongues spoken are:
- English as first language: 88.7 %
- French as first language: 1.3 %
- English and French as first language: 0 %
- Other as first language: 10.1 %
Population trend:
- Population in 2006: 9063 (2001 to 2006 population change: 3.4 %)
- Population in 2001: 8769
- Population in 1996: 7817
- Population in 1991: 6821