Southwestern Ontario is a subregion of
Southern OntarioSouthern Ontario is the portion of the Canadian province of Ontario lying 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 14-15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of Canada.Southern...
in the province of
OntarioOntario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. Ontario is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and 5 U.S...
, centred on the city of
LondonLondon is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor with a metropolitan area population of 457,720; the city proper had a population of 352,395 in the 2006 Canadian census....
. It extends north to south from the
Bruce PeninsulaThe Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula in Ontario, Canada that lies between Georgian Bay and the main basin of Lake Huron. The peninsula extends roughly northwestwards from the rest of Southern Ontario, pointing towards Manitoulin Island, with which it forms the widest strait, joining Georgian Bay to...
on
Lake HuronLake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the east by Ontario, Canada and on the west by Michigan, USA. The name of the lake is derived from early French explorers who named it based on the Huron people inhabiting the region.-Geography:Lake Huron is the second...
to the
Lake ErieLake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the thirteenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from
KitchenerThe City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
to
WindsorWindsor is the southernmost major city in Canada and lies in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, although administratively separated from the county government. Windsor is located south of Detroit, is separated...
. These three urban centres make up the majority of the population of 2,328,987 in 2001. Other significant towns and cities in the region are Chatham,
IngersollIngersoll is a town in Oxford County on the Thames River in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The nearest city is Woodstock, Ontario to the east, with Tillsonburg, Ontario to the south and London to the west....
, Owen Sound,
SarniaSarnia is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada . It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River....
,
St. ThomasSt. Thomas is a city in Southern , Ontario, Canada. It is the seat for Elgin County and gained its city charter on March 4, 1881.-History:The city, located at the intersection of two historical roads, was first settled in 1810...
,
GoderichGoderich is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County. The town was founded by William "Tiger" Dunlop in 1827. First laid out in 1828, the town is named after Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, who was British prime minister at the time...
,
StratfordStratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in Southern Ontario, Canada with a population of 30,461, according to the 2006 census....
,
TillsonburgTillsonburg is a town in Oxford County, Ontario, Canada.Tillsonburg is a town of 14,822 located about 50 kilometres southeast of London, on Highway 3 at the junction of Highway 19 the closest route to Highway 401 at Ingersoll, Ontario...
and
WoodstockWoodstock is a city and the county seat of Oxford County in Southern Ontario, Canada. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of Toronto, north of Highway 401 along the historic Thames River...
.
The Bruce Peninsula and
Georgian BayGeorgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located in Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and south of Manitoulin Island....
shoreline, including the
Blue MountainsBlue Mountain or The Blue Mountains is a visually prominent section of the Niagara Escarpment located west of Collingwood in Southern Ontario, Canada rising to heights of over 300m above the land and Georgian Bay below. Many activities and natural beauty abound in the area such as biking, skiing,...
are also part of the
Georgian TriangleThe Georgian Triangle is the name of the geographic region of Southern Ontario containing the counties surrounding the Georgian Bay, mostly Nottawasaga Bay, in particular. The main city in the region is Collingwood, but it is a short distance from its larger neighbours, Owen Sound and Barrie...
.
Southwestern Ontario is a subregion of
Southern OntarioSouthern Ontario is the portion of the Canadian province of Ontario lying 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 14-15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of Canada.Southern...
in the province of
OntarioOntario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. Ontario is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and 5 U.S...
, centred on the city of
LondonLondon is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor with a metropolitan area population of 457,720; the city proper had a population of 352,395 in the 2006 Canadian census....
. It extends north to south from the
Bruce PeninsulaThe Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula in Ontario, Canada that lies between Georgian Bay and the main basin of Lake Huron. The peninsula extends roughly northwestwards from the rest of Southern Ontario, pointing towards Manitoulin Island, with which it forms the widest strait, joining Georgian Bay to...
on
Lake HuronLake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the east by Ontario, Canada and on the west by Michigan, USA. The name of the lake is derived from early French explorers who named it based on the Huron people inhabiting the region.-Geography:Lake Huron is the second...
to the
Lake ErieLake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the thirteenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from
KitchenerThe City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
to
WindsorWindsor is the southernmost major city in Canada and lies in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, although administratively separated from the county government. Windsor is located south of Detroit, is separated...
. These three urban centres make up the majority of the population of 2,328,987 in 2001. Other significant towns and cities in the region are Chatham,
IngersollIngersoll is a town in Oxford County on the Thames River in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The nearest city is Woodstock, Ontario to the east, with Tillsonburg, Ontario to the south and London to the west....
, Owen Sound,
SarniaSarnia is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada . It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River....
,
St. ThomasSt. Thomas is a city in Southern , Ontario, Canada. It is the seat for Elgin County and gained its city charter on March 4, 1881.-History:The city, located at the intersection of two historical roads, was first settled in 1810...
,
GoderichGoderich is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County. The town was founded by William "Tiger" Dunlop in 1827. First laid out in 1828, the town is named after Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, who was British prime minister at the time...
,
StratfordStratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in Southern Ontario, Canada with a population of 30,461, according to the 2006 census....
,
TillsonburgTillsonburg is a town in Oxford County, Ontario, Canada.Tillsonburg is a town of 14,822 located about 50 kilometres southeast of London, on Highway 3 at the junction of Highway 19 the closest route to Highway 401 at Ingersoll, Ontario...
and
WoodstockWoodstock is a city and the county seat of Oxford County in Southern Ontario, Canada. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of Toronto, north of Highway 401 along the historic Thames River...
.
The Bruce Peninsula and
Georgian BayGeorgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located in Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and south of Manitoulin Island....
shoreline, including the
Blue MountainsBlue Mountain or The Blue Mountains is a visually prominent section of the Niagara Escarpment located west of Collingwood in Southern Ontario, Canada rising to heights of over 300m above the land and Georgian Bay below. Many activities and natural beauty abound in the area such as biking, skiing,...
are also part of the
Georgian TriangleThe Georgian Triangle is the name of the geographic region of Southern Ontario containing the counties surrounding the Georgian Bay, mostly Nottawasaga Bay, in particular. The main city in the region is Collingwood, but it is a short distance from its larger neighbours, Owen Sound and Barrie...
. Southwestern Ontario is bordered by Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers, and Lakes Erie and Ontario.
Another popularly mentioned sub-region within Southwestern Ontario is "Midwestern Ontario", stretching from roughly
Lake HuronLake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the east by Ontario, Canada and on the west by Michigan, USA. The name of the lake is derived from early French explorers who named it based on the Huron people inhabiting the region.-Geography:Lake Huron is the second...
to
Lake ErieLake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the thirteenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
, containing
BruceBruce County is a county in western Ontario, Canada, and includes the Bruce Peninsula. As of 2006, the population was 65,349. The area was . The county seat is Walkerton, Ontario. It is located at ....
,
GreyGrey County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is in Owen Sound. The population was 83,378 in 2006. It is located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Southwestern Ontario...
,
DufferinDufferin County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is Orangeville, and the current Warden is Mayor Gord Montgomery of Mulmur Township, Ontario. The Current Chief Administrative Officer is Linda J. Dean. Dufferin covers an area of , and its...
,
WellingtonWellington County is a county located in Southern Ontario, Canada. Its administration centre is located in Guelph and its ratepayers live in seven municipalities that the county comprises...
,
PerthPerth County, Ontario is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is Stratford. It is located in Southwestern Ontario, west of Toronto. It encompasses , 90% of which is classified as prime agricultural land...
,
HuronHuron County, Ontario is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located on the southeast shore of its namesake, Lake Huron, in southwestern Ontario. The county seat is Goderich...
, and
Oxford CountiesOxford County is a regional municipality and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The regional seat is in Woodstock. Oxford County has functioned as a regional municipality since 2001, despite still containing the word county in its official title.It includes the following...
, with some definitions extending into
Brant CountyThe County of Brant is a single-tier municipality and a census division in the Canadian province of Ontario. Despite its name, it is not a county by the standard definition, as all municipal services are handled by a single level of government. The county has service offices in Burford, Paris...
, and even
Halton RegionThe Regional Municipality of Halton, or Halton Region, is a regional municipality of Ontario, Canada located in Southern Ontario in the southwest part of the Greater Toronto Area and until 1973 was known as Halton County...
and
Norfolk CountyNorfolk County is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the north shore of Lake Erie in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Simcoe. The population in 2006 was 62,563.-History:...
. The major centres in this region are
WinghamWingham is a community located in the municipality of North Huron Ontario, which is located in Huron County. Wingham became part of North Huron in 2001 when the Ontario government imposed amalgamation on the former township of East Wawanosh, the village of Blyth, and the town of Wingham.Wingham...
,
GoderichGoderich is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County. The town was founded by William "Tiger" Dunlop in 1827. First laid out in 1828, the town is named after Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, who was British prime minister at the time...
,
Mount ForestMount Forest is a community located on the junction of the 6 and the 89 in the township of Wellington North, Ontario. The town's motto is "High, Happy, Healthy", which can be seen on the water tower when approaching the town from the south.-History:...
,
WalkertonWalkerton is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within and governed by the municipality of Brockton. It is the site of Brockton's municipal offices and the county seat of Bruce County...
,
HanoverHanover is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in southern Grey County, west of Durham and east of Walkerton on Grey/Bruce Road 4. Hanover marks the border between Grey County and Bruce County.-Early History:...
,
CollingwoodCollingwood is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario. Geographically, it is situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay.-History:...
, Owen Sound,
WoodstockWoodstock is a city and the county seat of Oxford County in Southern Ontario, Canada. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of Toronto, north of Highway 401 along the historic Thames River...
,
LondonLondon is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor with a metropolitan area population of 457,720; the city proper had a population of 352,395 in the 2006 Canadian census....
,
IngersollIngersoll is a town in Oxford County on the Thames River in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The nearest city is Woodstock, Ontario to the east, with Tillsonburg, Ontario to the south and London to the west....
,
TillsonburgTillsonburg is a town in Oxford County, Ontario, Canada.Tillsonburg is a town of 14,822 located about 50 kilometres southeast of London, on Highway 3 at the junction of Highway 19 the closest route to Highway 401 at Ingersoll, Ontario...
, and Delhi, with
BrantfordBrantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. This single-tier municipality is geographically within Brant County and they are part of the same census division, but Brantford is municipally distinct from it...
and
OrangevilleOrangeville is a town in south-central Ontario, Canada, and the seat of Dufferin County.-Demographics:According to the Canada 2006 Census:*Population: 28,000 *% Change : 6.5...
occasionally being considered part of the area. In short, Midwestern Ontario is considered as the eastern quarter of the region along the edge of the Greater Toronto Area, and stretching back through the hilly regions near
ShelburneShelburne, Ontario is a town in the Dufferin County, Ontario, Canada, located at the intersection of Highway 10 and Highway 89...
, back toward
GoderichGoderich is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County. The town was founded by William "Tiger" Dunlop in 1827. First laid out in 1828, the town is named after Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, who was British prime minister at the time...
and
KincardineThe Municipality of Kincardine is located on the shores of Lake Huron in the County of Bruce in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has a population of 12,000, and covers an area of 580 square kilometres...
.
Most definitions reach eastward to include
GuelphGuelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
and
OrangevilleOrangeville is a town in south-central Ontario, Canada, and the seat of Dufferin County.-Demographics:According to the Canada 2006 Census:*Population: 28,000 *% Change : 6.5...
, though recently these municipalities are also included in on the western side of the growing Greater Golden Horseshoe region and many of their residents commute into the
Greater Toronto AreaThe Greater Toronto Area is the most populous metropolitan area in Canada. The GTA is a provincial planning area in Southern Ontario with a population of 5,555,912 at the 2006 Canadian Census...
.
Southwestern Ontario constitutes the western portion of the original province, present-day southern Ontario, which was first settled as
Upper CanadaThe Province of Upper Canada was a British colony located in what is now the southern portion of the Province of Ontario in Canada. Upper Canada officially existed from 26 December 1791 to 10 February 1841 and generally comprised present-day Southern Ontario...
prior to 1840.
During the 19th century and early 20th century, the largest city in Southwestern Ontario was Windsor, however as both cities grew, Windsor was outpaced by the faster growth of London, and passed the mantle of regional anchor to that city in the 1960s.
The region may also be referred to as
Western Ontario, particularly in the names of institutions such as the
University of Western OntarioThe University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario. It was founded in 1878 by Bishop Isaac Hellmuth of Bishop's University and the Anglican Diocese of Huron as The Western University of London Ontario.Huron College, established in 1863 as an Anglican...
. This term is falling into disuse, however, as the region is no longer the westernmost portion of the province.
Western Ontario may also designate all the counties of southwestern Ontario except Essex, Kent, and Lambton—that is, the region of which
London, OntarioLondon is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor with a metropolitan area population of 457,720; the city proper had a population of 352,395 in the 2006 Canadian census....
is the central city.
Southwestern Ontario is a prosperous agricultural region whose chief crops are
tobaccoTobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as an organic pesticide, and in the form of nicotine tartrate it is used in some medicines. In consumption it most commonly appears in the forms of smoking, chewing, snuffing, or...
,
sweetcornSweet corn is a variety of maize with a high sugar content and is in fact a vegetable not a fruit. Sweet corn is the result of a naturally-occurring recessive mutation in the genes which control conversion of sugar to starch inside the endosperm of the corn kernel...
,
soybeanThe soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia. The plant is classed as an oilseed rather than a pulse. It is an annual plant that has been used in China for 5,000 years to primarily add nitrogen into the soil as part of crop rotation...
,
winter wheatWinter wheat is a type of cereal that is planted from September to December in the Northern Hemisphere. Winter wheat sprouts before freezing occurs, then becomes dormant until the soil warms in the spring. Winter wheat needs a few weeks of cold before being able to flower, however persistent snow...
,
canolaCanola is one of two cultivars of rapeseed or Brassica campestris . Their seeds are used to produce edible oil that is fit for human consumption because it has lower levels of erucic acid than traditional rapeseed oils and to produce livestock feed because it has reduced levels of the toxin...
, and tomatoes. Dairy and beef farming, breeding and training of
standardbred horseStandardbreds are a breed of horse best known for their ability to race in harness at a trot or pace instead of under saddle at a gallop. Developed in North America, the breed is now recognized worldwide for its harness racing ability...
s and wine growing and production are also important industries. Its climate is among the mildest in Canada, although brief periods of winter can be severe, summers are hot and humid with a longer growing season than most of the country.
A large section of Southwestern Ontario was part of the
Talbot SettlementColonel Thomas Talbot was born at Malahide Castle in Ireland. He was the fourth son of Richard Talbot and his wife Margaret Talbot, 1st Baroness Talbot of Malahide . He emigrated to Canada in 1791, where he became personal secretary to John Graves Simcoe, Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada...
, and the region has benefited from the settlement’s facilitation of agriculture and of trade in general. Its economy is heavily tied in with that of the midwestern
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in particular the border state of
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Auto manufacturing and parts, agriculture and hi-tech industries are key components of the region’s economy. The region also provides important transportation routes for commercial trucking, railway and
tanker shippingA cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
from
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
-Windsor and
Port Huron, MichiganPort Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 32,338 at the 2000 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administratively autonomous. It is joined by the Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River to Sarnia,...
-Sarnia linking Canada with major markets in the eastern and midwestern United States.
Southwestern Ontario is the setting for many of the short stories of prize-winning author
Alice MunroAlice Ann Munro is a Canadian short-story writer, winner of the 2009 Man Booker International Prize for her lifetime body of work, and three-time winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for fiction...
.
List of counties or divisions
- Brant County
- Bruce County
Bruce County is a county in western Ontario, Canada, and includes the Bruce Peninsula. As of 2006, the population was 65,349. The area was . The county seat is Walkerton, Ontario. It is located at ....
- Chatham-Kent
- Elgin County
Elgin County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario with a current population of approximately 46,000. The county seat is St. Thomas.It consists of:*Town of Aylmer*Municipality of Bayham*Municipality of Central Elgin...
- Essex County
Essex County is a county and census division located in Southwestern Ontario and covers an area at the southernmost tip of Canada. The county seat is Windsor and the administrative seat is Essex...
- Grey County
Grey County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is in Owen Sound. The population was 83,378 in 2006. It is located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Southwestern Ontario...
- Haldimand County
Haldimand is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the Niagara Peninsula in Southern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie, and on the Grand River. Municipal offices are located in Cayuga....
- Huron County
Huron County, Ontario is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located on the southeast shore of its namesake, Lake Huron, in southwestern Ontario. The county seat is Goderich...
- Lambton County
Lambton County, Ontario is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county is located in Southwestern Ontario. It is bordered on the north by Lake Huron, which flows into the St. Clair River, the county's western border and part of the Canada-United States border. To the south is...
- Middlesex County
Middlesex County is a census division located in Western Ontario. The administrative centre of the county is the city of London, though the city is now separated from the jurisdiction of the county...
- Norfolk County
Norfolk County is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the north shore of Lake Erie in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Simcoe. The population in 2006 was 62,563.-History:...
- Oxford County
Oxford County is a regional municipality and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The regional seat is in Woodstock. Oxford County has functioned as a regional municipality since 2001, despite still containing the word county in its official title.It includes the following...
- Perth County
Perth County, Ontario is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is Stratford. It is located in Southwestern Ontario, west of Toronto. It encompasses , 90% of which is classified as prime agricultural land...
- Waterloo Region
- Wellington County
Wellington County is a county located in Southern Ontario, Canada. Its administration centre is located in Guelph and its ratepayers live in seven municipalities that the county comprises...