Hastings, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Hastings is an amalgamated
Amalgamation (politics)
A merger or amalgamation in a political or administrative sense is the combination of two or more political or administrative entities such as municipalities , counties, districts, etc. into a single entity. This term is used when the process occurs within a sovereign entity...
village within the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Trent Hills, Northumberland County
Northumberland County, Ontario
Northumberland County is situated on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in central Ontario, Canada. It is located east of Durham County , west of Hastings, southeast of Kawartha Lakes and south of Peterborough County. The county seat is Cobourg...
, in the province of 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...
. It is on the Trent River
Trent River (Ontario)
The Trent River is a river in southeastern Ontario which flows from Rice Lake to empty into the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario. This river is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway which leads to Georgian Bay. The river is 90 km long...
, in what is considered to be Ontario's "cottage country
Cottage country
Cottage country is a common name in Eastern Canada for areas that are popular locations for recreational properties such as cottages and summer homes. The name is often applied locally; that is, any major population centre may have its own popular "cottage country" area...
".
Hastings has a population of 1,208 as of the 2001 Census
Canada 2001 Census
The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In...
. It is known as "The Hub of the Trent", as Hastings is directly on the Trent River, and serves as a major centre for tourists, boaters, and fishermen. One of Hastings' notable symbols is a tall blue water tower which is perched on high ground in the northern portion of the community.
Hastings is now part of the municipality of Trent Hills, and makes up the second biggest population centre in the municipality. The current mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Trent Hills is Hector MacMillan. Mayor MacMillan was first elected during the 2003 municipal election, and as of October 25, 2010, was re-elected for a third term.
A marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
was built in Hastings which added to the already busy waterfront. In continuation of the street-scape design theme from the new Hastings Village Marina, a Hastings Waterfront & Downtown Improvement Plan was prepared in early 2009. In 2009, after a four-year break, the local Chamber of Commerce was revived. Its website contains a number of historical photographs of Hastings.
There is a chapter of the Lions Club
Lions Clubs International
Lions Clubs International is a secular service organization with over 44,500 clubs and more than 1,368,683 members in 191 countries around the world founded by Melvin Jones Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States, the organization aims to meet the needs of communities on a local and...
in the village which is associated with the largest annual event in Hastings, the Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
celebrations. The celebrations include, among other events, a parade that runs through downtown during the day, and a fireworks display at the waterfront in the evening. In recent years, the fireworks display has attracted an increasing number of spectators, and despite Hastings being a relatively small community, the display has been considered one of the best in Ontario.
The Hastings Memorial Arena
Hastings Memorial Arena
The Hastings Memorial Arena is a multipurpose arena located in Hastings, Ontario. It is home to a team in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association....
is a multipurpose arena located in downtown Hastings, which is home to a hockey team in the OMHA
Ontario Minor Hockey Association
The Ontario Minor Hockey Association is a major ice hockey governing body at the minor level. The OMHA is empowered by the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada. The OMHA oversees minor hockey from Initiation to Juvenile throughout the majority of southern Ontario...
and houses numerous other local events.
General history
The first European presence in the area dates to 1615, when Samuel de ChamplainSamuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
made a visit to Huronia. However, his "journals are too vague to make any final decisions." about the exact route taken. In 1810, James Crooks
James Crooks
James Crooks was a businessman and political figure in Upper Canada and Canada West.He was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1778 and came to Fort Niagara in 1791 where his half-brother, Francis, was operating as a merchant. In 1795, Francis, James and his brother William moved to Newark...
purchased 1050 acres (4.2 km²) of land on the north and south shores of the rapids at the top of Rice Lake, Ontario
Rice Lake, Ontario
Rice Lake is an unincorporated place and railway point in geographic Rice Township in Unorganized Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada, east of the border with the province of Manitoba.Rice Lake railway station is in the community...
. A map prepared by Lieutenant James Smith in 1816–17 shows the name Little Bobakaijuen opposite rapids. The settlement of Crooks' Rapids was named in 1820. As late as 1835, the only house on the site of the present village of Hastings was a small frame building on the bank, erected several years before that date by the Hon. Mr. Crooks as a mill, containing one run of stones. It is doubtful that it ever ground much, and it is believed to have been intended to secure the valuable mill privilege at that location rather than for practical utility.
Between 1837 and 1839 at a preliminary estimated cost of £7062, a lock was built at Crooks' Rapids, together with a dam and slides, "the expenditure on which gave occupation to a great number of persons; laid the foundation for the village of Hastings".
The following is a contemporary description of the village in the middle 19th century.
From the building of the locks at Crook's Rapids in 1837–8, that place gradually grew into a thriving village of much importance. T. Coughlan, Esq., was the first hotel keeper and store keeper in that place. Its most marked progress took place after the chief portion of the property was acquired by Henry Fowlds, Esq., and his sons, and their removal there in 1857. A new grist and flouring mill was added to the old one, a saw mill of great power and numerous saws, capable of manufacturing large quantities of lumber yearly for the foreign market, were speedily erected.
These were followed in later years, by other extensive factories filled with valuable machinery. Adjoining the saw mill mentioned, was a large woolen factory, which had just got into active operation when it was swept away by a most destructive fire in 1863, which also consumed the sawmill and its contents, and also a large planing millPlaning millA planing mill is a facility that takes cut and seasoned boards from a sawmill and turns them into finished dimensional lumber. Machines used in the mill include the planer and matcher, the molding machines, and varieties of saws...
and sash and door factory just erected by Mr. Henry Lye in close proximity. This great loss for a time checked the progress of the village, and paralyzed the enterprise of several active and industrious citizens. Another large factory erected for a cotton mill, a wool carding and knitting factory, and a bit larger saw mill than the former one, had in the meantime been erected on the south side of the river, just below the bridge, and these important structures with their valuable machinery, continue in active operation, and not only reflect much credit upon the enterprise of the place, but contribute much towards its prosperity.
Another serious fire occurred in Hastings in the spring of 1864, by which a fine brick store and a large stock of goods were almost entirely destroyed. Hastings was buoyant, rapidly progressive, and looking forward to the time ere long, it might become an incorporated village, when these severe disasters, followed by the general depression occasioned by scant harvests, and the embarrassment of the agricultural community, placed a barrier against further progress, and caused a withdrawal of a portion of the inhabitants to seek more remunerative employment elsewhere. But this dark day, it is believed, has to a threat extent passed away; and increased hope and renewed enterprise promise ere long to restore this fine village to more than its former prosperity.
For many years Hastings was but poorly furnished with church accommodation. This want has, however, been abundantly supplied, and several fine church edifices crown the rising ground which commands a beautiful view of the river and the bustling village. The first of these was the Free Presbyterian church, a large frame structure, erected in 1858, in which the Rev. James Bowie ministered for several years. An Episcopal church, also frame, pleasantly situated on the south side of the river, followed in 1863, of which the Rev. M. A. Farrar is Incumbent. In 1864, the Wesleyan Methodists, with commendable zeal and enterprise, completed a tasteful and commodious brick church, while in 1865, a much larger and well finished edifice of stone was erected and dedicated by the Roman
Catholics, chiefly through the zeal and indefatigable exertions of their pastor, the Rev. J. Quirk.
A neat and tasteful brick school house has now been many years in use, -- two or more teachers employed, and the most liberal provision made for the education of the rising generation.
In the year 1864, a printing press and type were introduced to the village, by Mr. A. E. Hayyter, and the Hastings Messenger was for a time published there, but the attempt was premature, and during the period of depression referred to, the effort was abandoned.
Hastings, besides its unlimited water power, is pleasantly and advantageously situated on the river Trent, which furnishes communication by steamboats with the Cobourg railway at Harwood at Rice lake, and other points above and below the village. A new steamboat, the Forest City, was built and launched here in 1858, by the Messrs. Fowlds, and has since continued to ply up and down the river and lake in the transport of goods, passengers and lumber.
In Hastings' early history, lumber from the northern part of Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
passed through Hastings locks
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
on its way to Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
. The Messrs.
Fowlds, at Hastings, also manufactured from two to three million feet of sawn lumber annually ... which at Port Hope was worth $12 per 1000 feet. It originally had a foundry, a cotton factory, grist mills
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
, a stone Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and Presbyterian and Methodist Churches.
The locks were completed in 1844 and the waterways became part of the Trent-Severn
Trent-Severn Waterway
The Trent–Severn Waterway is a Canadian canal system formerly used for industrial and transportation purposes and now for recreational and tourism purposes, connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to the Georgian Bay portion of Lake Huron at Port Severn...
passage. There are 60.5 kilometres (37.6 mi) from Lock 18 in Hastings to Lock 19 in Peterborough. Henry Fowlds bought Crooks' Rapids in its entirety in 1851 and renamed the settlement to Hastings in 1852, when the first post office was opened.
The Fowlds family
The Fowlds family had a large influence on the village of Hastings in its early history. Henry Fowlds bought and renamed the settlement of Crooks' Rapids to Hastings. He named the village after Lady Flora Hastings, a boyhood acquaintance. His family played significant roles within the community, such as reeveReeve (England)
Originally in Anglo-Saxon England the reeve was a senior official with local responsibilities under the Crown e.g. as the chief magistrate of a town or district...
(now the term "mayor" is used in most communities), and also started small businesses. There is a park in Hastings named after Henry Fowlds.
Henry Fowlds was born in 1790 in Scotland. In 1813, he married Jane Marshall Steele. Together they had ten children, (Eliza, John, James S., Robert H., Elizabeth, Henry M., Mary C., William J., Mary Anne, and Theresa) of which only five survived (James S., Elizabeth, Henry M., William J., and Theresa). James S. (1818–1884) married Margaret MacGregor and they had nine children between the years of 1845 and 1860. Their seventh child, Frederick W. (1857–1930), married Elizabeth Sutherland and they had three children, Helen, Eric, and Donald. Eric and Donald were soldiers in World War I and Helen was a nurse in the same war. Helen married Gerald Marryat after the war and became a remarkable local historian of the Peterborough region. Helen Fowlds Marryat died on June 16, 1965. Her records and papers were bequeathed to Trent University
Trent University
Trent University is a liberal arts and science-oriented institution located along the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The enabling legislation is the Trent University Act, 1962-63. The University was founded through the efforts of a citizens' committee interested in creating a...
.
The family came to North America in 1821, settling first in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and then in Hartford in 1833. In 1834, they crossed the border and settled in Prince Edward County
Prince Edward County, Ontario
Prince Edward County is a single-tier municipality and a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario.-Geography:Prince Edward County is located in Southern Ontario on a large irregular headland or littoral at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, just west of the head of the St. Lawrence River...
, Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
. The Fowlds family settled in Asphodel Township in 1836, and then moved on to Westwood, where they set up a saw mill in conjunction with Dr. John Gilchrist
John Gilchrist (politician)
John Gilchrist was a physician and political figure in Canada West.He was born in Bedford, New Hampshire in 1792 and studied at the medical school at Yale College and Dartmouth College. He apprenticed as a physician in Goffstown, New Hampshire and came to Hamilton Township in Upper Canada around...
in what was to become the village of Keene.
Henry Martin Fowlds (born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, ca 1826) purchased the water rights, land and buildings of Crooks' Rapids, later known as Hastings, from the Honourable James Crooks
James Crooks
James Crooks was a businessman and political figure in Upper Canada and Canada West.He was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1778 and came to Fort Niagara in 1791 where his half-brother, Francis, was operating as a merchant. In 1795, Francis, James and his brother William moved to Newark...
, on September 27, 1851. Henry Fowlds and sons built upon this base, expanding their original saw mill to a corporate business of a saw mill, grist mill, general store and post office. The three Fowlds' brothers, James, Henry M. and William, set up a lumber and flour business under the name of Jas. L. Fowlds and Bros. This company was terminated with the death of James Fowlds in 1884. The Fowlds were quite active in Hastings, occupying the seat of reeve, and the office of postmaster. From 1844 to 1852, Henry Fowlds was County Superintendent of Schools. Captain Henry J Fowles commanded the 57-man Hastings Infantry Company in June 1866 in response to the Fenian Invasion James S. Fowlds was postmaster in 1867. Postmaster was a position that the family kept for over 90 years in the village. These public-minded men served on local councils, notably as reeve. Their industry resulted in a rise of population from 200 in 1852 to 1,500 in 1882.
Henry Martin Fowlds died instantly of heart failure on July 3, 1907 in Hastings.
Transportation
The Trent RiverTrent River (Ontario)
The Trent River is a river in southeastern Ontario which flows from Rice Lake to empty into the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario. This river is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway which leads to Georgian Bay. The river is 90 km long...
, part of the Trent-Severn Waterway
Trent-Severn Waterway
The Trent–Severn Waterway is a Canadian canal system formerly used for industrial and transportation purposes and now for recreational and tourism purposes, connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to the Georgian Bay portion of Lake Huron at Port Severn...
, is crucial for local boat transportation as well as recreation. The river connects directly to Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
, which is south of Hastings, making Hastings easy to access by boat. Hastings is a hub for fishermen and boaters because of the marina; many people travel through and around Hastings each year.
Coach Canada
Coach Canada
Coach Canada is the Canadian affiliate of Coach USA, and part of the North American operations of Stagecoach, the international transport group, with its headquarters in Perth, Scotland, UK....
provides a weekly bus service between Peterborough and Havelock offered under Trentway-Wagar, with a scheduled stop in Hastings.
Demographics and Religion
In 2001, Hastings' population totaled 1,208, increasing by 6% from 1996 to 2001, when Hastings had a population of 1,140 people. There are 537 private dwellings located within Hastings, and the population density is 511.9 people per square kilometre (1,326/sq mi). The total area of the village is 2.36 square kilometres (0.91 sq mi).The White population accounts for the vast majority of Hastings' residents, at 99%. The remaining 1% is made up of First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
, Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
and South Asian people. During the summer months, fishing on the Trent River in Hastings is locally popular, causing a short-term population increase due to the influx of tourist anglers. These tourists tend to be more diverse than the permanent residents of Hastings; for example, there are many ethnic Chinese fishermen. Most of Hastings' year-round residents speak English only, at about 90%. The majority of Hastings' full-time residents are Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, although about 25% reported that they have no religious affiliation.
| 1991 | 1996 | 2001 |
|---|---|---|
| 1,148 | 1,140 | 1,208 |
Amalgamation
Trent Hills has a population of 12,569, and was formed in 2001 through an amalgamation of the Village of Hastings, the TownTown
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of Campbellford
Campbellford, Ontario
Campbellford is a small town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, in the municipality of Trent Hills.Located at , Campbellford lies approximately midway between Toronto and Ottawa. It is situated on both the Trent-Severn Waterway and the Trans Canada Trail. It can be reached from Highway...
, Township of Seymour
Seymour Township, Ontario
Seymour, Ontario is a geographic township and former municipality located in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada. It is currently part of the Municipality of Trent Hills....
and the Township of Percy
Percy Township, Ontario
Percy, Ontario is a geographic township and former municipality located in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada. It is currently part of the Municipality of Trent Hills....
. The amalgamation also included the community of Warkworth
Warkworth, Ontario
Warkworth is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario in the county of Northumberland. The village of Warkworth, formerly named Benfield , is part of the municipality of Trent Hills, formed in 2001.- Facilities/services :...
, which was part of the Township of Percy. Hastings was officially incorporated as a village in 1874 and retained that status until the formation of Trent Hills in 2001. Hastings is legally an unincorporated community, however it is most often incorrectly referred to as a village.
Education
Hastings Public School provides elementary education to Hastings' children. For secondary education, Hastings residents attend the Campbellford District High SchoolCampbellford District High School
Campbellford District High School is a high school in the community of Campbellford in the municipality of Trent Hills, Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. it had 709 students...
. The nearby Norwood District High School
Norwood District High School
Norwood District High School is located at 44 Elm Street in Norwood, Ontario, Canada. As of 2005 it has 500 secondary students taught by 36 teachers. It is a member of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board....
serves the minority of residents who live in Peterborough County. These schools are all part of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board
Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board
Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board has its headquarters in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board is the public, English language school board that takes in the regions of the previous Peterborough County Board of Education and the...
. Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
, the most populous city in the area, has two institutions of post-secondary education: Fleming College
Fleming College
Fleming College, also known as Sir Sandford Fleming College, is a College of Applied Arts and Technology in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. The College has more than 6,000 full-time and 10,000 part-time students and 58,000 alumni.-Campus:...
and Trent University
Trent University
Trent University is a liberal arts and science-oriented institution located along the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The enabling legislation is the Trent University Act, 1962-63. The University was founded through the efforts of a citizens' committee interested in creating a...
. Trent University's academic focus is on environmental, cultural, and science studies. Vocational education is provided by Fleming College, which is a multidisciplinary institution with four campuses. The college is also a well-respected business skills training centre.
Belleville
Belleville, Ontario
Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County, but is politically independent of it. and the centre of the Bay of Quinte Region...
, another nearby city, also provides post-secondary education with Loyalist College
Loyalist College
Loyalist College is an English-language community college in Belleville, Ontario, Canada.- History :...
, well known in the region for its journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, photojournalism
Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
, radio and television broadcasting programs as well as its health services programs.
The municipality of Trent Hills is currently working to improve the local educational system, and to make it more convenient for residents to attend university or college without having to leave Trent Hills. After elementary and secondary education, residents tend to leave the area for university and college education, not to return, which inevitably depletes the local economy.
Economy
The municipality of Trent Hills is currently attempting to revitalize the economy. The Hastings downtown core has two- and three-storey buildings surrounding the intersection of Bridge and Front Streets. Main downtown runs along central Bridge Street and central Front Street, where the community's only set of street lights is located. In the 1990s, one of the downtown buildings, which consisted of a restaurant, burned down, but Hastings still has many restaurants and shops. There are plans under consideration for a new shopping plaza to be built downtown, along with other finalized plans, in accordance with the Trent Hills Economic Strategic Plan. The plan is important for the well-being of the local economy because of the aging population; residents are retiring and leaving the workforce, leaving vacancies in local businesses.Elmhirst's Resort in nearby Keene is a local tourist attraction. Aside from the resort, there are trailer parks, beaches and camping grounds in the Hastings area. Most of the local beaches and camping grounds are located outside of Hastings on Rice Lake
Rice Lake (Ontario)
Rice Lake is a lake located in south-eastern Ontario, in Northumberland County, south of Peterborough and the Kawartha lakes and north of Cobourg. The lake is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, which flows into the lake by the Otonabee and out via the Trent. The lake is 32 km long and...
.
The local post office at 9 Front Street West services locals with lock boxes and three rural routes.
Climate
Because of the influence of the Great LakesGreat Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
, Ontario experiences smaller variations in temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
and higher precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
than would otherwise be expected for a region in the heart of a continent.
The last snowfall of the winter season is often experienced in spring. In the early portion of spring, climate can remain much like winter in Hastings, with possible snowstorms, lake effect snow
Lake effect snow
Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when cold winds move across long expanses of warmer lake water, providing energy and picking up water vapor which freezes and is deposited on the leeward shores...
, and cold temperatures. The temperature can plummet to less than -10 °C, feeling much colder with the wind chill
Wind chill
Wind chill is the felt air temperature on exposed skin due to wind. The wind chill temperature is always lower than the air temperature, and the windchill is undefined at the higher temps...
. To counter the winter temperatures, daytime highs can reach about 20 °C (68 °F). By mid-to-late spring, life returns to the area. April is the month in which the last snowfall usually occurs. By May, temperatures rise and rain often falls.
In the summer months, the Great Lakes have a cooling effect. However, heat waves lasting up to a week, with temperatures higher than 30 °C (86 °F), are not uncommon. The temperature can feel closer to 40 °C (104 °F) or even 50 °C (122 °F) when temperature and humidity (humidex
Humidex
The humidex is an index number used by Canadian meteorologists to describe how hot the weather feels to the average person, by combining the effect of heat and humidity. The humidex is a unit-less number based on the dew point, but it is equivalent to dry temperature in degrees Celsius...
) is taken into account. Thunderstorms are also very frequent during the summer months, especially on very hot days. Smog
Smog
Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...
is an issue for Hastings and the rest of southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
, primarily during hot and sunny weather.
In the fall
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
, the release of heat stored in the lakes has a moderating effect. This provides relief from the overly-hot summer temperatures. The first snowfall of the season is often in October or November, and prior to that, Hastings and the region experience frost
Frost
Frost is the solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled to below the dew point of the adjacent air as well as below the freezing point of water. Frost crystals' size differ depending on time and water vapour available. Frost is also usually...
. Lake effect snow and snow squalls often occur during the fall months. Even in early fall, late September, temperatures can dip down to near zero. Under the right conditions, frost may be produced. Daytime highs can vary from above 20 °C (68 °F) in early fall to well below freezing in late fall.
Winter in Hastings is characterized by alternating currents of cold arctic air and relatively warm air masses from the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. The normal winter temperature range is -5 C, and it can get quite a bit warmer. Temperatures, however, can dip below -20 °C before taking wind chill into account.
Below is some additional information on climate, including average temperatures and precipitation. This information was retrieved from The Weather Network
The Weather Network
The Weather Network is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel that broadcasts weather-related news and information 24 hours a day....
's website. The data was collected from observations at Peterborough Airport
Peterborough Airport
Peterborough Airport, , is located south-southwest of the city of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. The airport includes a main asphalt runway oriented east-west, and a smaller turf runway oriented northwest-southeast. A new terminal building is to be completed in 2011...
over a 30-year period, 1961–1990.
Media
The three newspapers that serve the Hastings area are The Community Press, The Shield EMC and The Independent. All three serve other local villages and towns as well as Hastings; Hastings does not have a newspaper serving the village alone.
CKOL-FM
CKOL-FM
CKOL-FM is a community radio station broadcasting at 93.7 FM in Campbellford, Ontario, Canada.The station originally began broadcasting in 1992 at FM 98.7 MHz until 1999, when the station moved from 98.7 to 93.5 MHz....
is a community radio station which broadcasts from Campbellford
Campbellford, Ontario
Campbellford is a small town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, in the municipality of Trent Hills.Located at , Campbellford lies approximately midway between Toronto and Ottawa. It is situated on both the Trent-Severn Waterway and the Trans Canada Trail. It can be reached from Highway...
to serve Trent Hills and the surrounding area. It broadcasts at 93.7 on the FM dial, and typically plays oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
music. CHEX-TV (CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
affiliate) is the nearest television station to Hastings, and provides regular programming, local news and current events. It broadcasts from Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
at Television Hill.
Notable residents
Professional hockey player Dit ClapperDit Clapper
Aubrey Victor "Dit" Clapper was a Canadian Hall of Fame ice hockey player....
(1907–1978) was raised in Hastings and is buried in Trent Valley Cemetery in Hastings.