Misplaced Pages

#798201

20-419: The population of the region was 1,123,307 in 2016; however, this number does not include large numbers of seasonal cottage country residents, which at peak times of the year swell its population to well in excess of 1.5 million. Although it contains many small and medium-sized urban centres, much of Central Ontario is covered by farms, lakes (with freshwater beaches), rivers or sparsely populated forested land on

40-566: A distinct secondary provincial region, nearly all of them have affiliations or orientations towards other primary or secondary provincial regions to the north, south, and east. The Parry Sound territorial or judicial district and Muskoka district municipality are geographically within Central Ontario but are administered as part of the primary region of Northern Ontario by federal economic development programs because of these districts' special economic circumstances. Parry Sound, but not Muskoka,

60-459: A high tornado prevalence and was the site of the infamous Barrie Tornado in 1985. 44°N 79°W  /  44°N 79°W  / 44; -79 Cottage country Cottage country is a common name in Ontario , New Brunswick , and other regions of Canada for areas that are popular locations for recreational properties such as cottages and summer homes . Cottage country

80-456: A number of factors, abundance of outdoor recreation, baby-boom retiree population, increased local services and improved wireless communication. The Trent-Severn Waterway , 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 on

100-540: Is a humid continental climate with large seasonal variation moderated somewhat by the Great Lakes . Summers are warm and humid (sometimes hot) but are shorter than further south with generally cooler nights. Winters are cold with significant snowfalls; some snowbelt areas receive an average of over 300 cm (120 in.) per year. Severe summer storms are also commonplace, particularly in Simcoe County which for Ontario has

120-711: Is also classed administratively with an extended primary Northern Ontario region by the provincial government for reasons similar to those at the federal level. The southern part of the territorial or judicial district of Nipissing lies in Central Ontario which extends geographically as far north as the Mattawa River. However like Muskoka and Parry Sound, all of Nipissing is treated administratively as part of Northern Ontario. Grey and Bruce counties may on occasion be included with Central Ontario as they are near or north of 44 degrees latitude, but are far more often treated as part of Southwestern Ontario . They are also part of

140-720: Is locally understood to be referring to Muskoka , the Kawartha Lakes , or the Haliburton area. On the other hand, a speaker from Ottawa would typically use the same phrase to denote the Rideau Lakes area or parts of the Outaouais . Areas referred to as cottage country include: According to the Realtors' Association of Edmonton official map (2010), the following are resort communities within 100 km of Edmonton (clockwise starting from

160-497: Is often socially, culturally, economically, and politically distinct from other rural areas in that it is populated by a notably higher concentration of urban vacationers and residents who have an affinity for the outdoors, in contrast to more traditional rural populations, which are largely absent of "city folk", but that is less true in Western Canada . Any major population centre may have its own popular "cottage country" area. In

180-661: The Bay of Quinte at Trenton (access to Lake Ontario also can be had by using the Murray Canal ). Bypassing many rapids, this waterway is used by pleasure boaters and anglers during the summer months. Along the northern edge of Central Ontario, are some of the highest elevations in Southern Ontario . These highlands are known as the Opeongo Hills , and they stretch into portions of Eastern Ontario as well. The climate of this area

200-687: The Georgian Triangle area, which includes parts of both Central and Southwestern Ontario. Further east at about the same latitude, Simcoe , Peterborough , and Northumberland counties and the City of Kawartha Lakes also have a southward orientation as part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe region centered around the west end of Lake Ontario . Even further east, Hastings County and Prince Edward County may be considered part of Central Ontario by different sources but are more often included with

220-713: The Greater Toronto Area, cottage country traffic refers to traffic bound to cottage country on Friday afternoons and returning from it on Sunday afternoons. Cottage country traffic is usually extremely heavy on long weekends, such as Victoria Day in May, Canada Day on the July 1st weekend, Simcoe Day in August, and Labour Day in September, particularly on Highway 400 and Highway 11 . The Ontario media has often referred to these times of

SECTION 10

#1732837445799

240-477: The canal. The canal is crossed by two swing bridges ( Ontario Highway 33 and County Rd 64). An unused railway bridge is kept permanently open but the former CN Rail tracks have since been removed with the creation of the Millennium Trail. A swing bridge at Hutchison Road has been removed with only the bridge footings remaining. The canal saw many years of use with coal and other commercial boats, but after

260-543: The central and western Bay of Quinte by avoiding having to go around the whole peninsula of Prince Edward County . The canal was proposed as early as 1796 and land was set aside by the government of Upper Canada . However, the Welland Canal and the Rideau Canal were seen as more important and construction was delayed. Construction was begun in 1882 and because of problems with unstable banks it took until 1889 to complete

280-427: The east): Further afield: Murray Canal The Murray Canal is a canal in the municipalities of Quinte West and Brighton , Ontario , Canada , and runs from the western end of the Bay of Quinte to Presqu'ile Bay on Lake Ontario . It is approximately 8 kilometres (5 mi) in length and has a maximum depth of 9 feet (2.7 m). The canal shortens the trip for boats wishing to access Lake Ontario from

300-469: 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

320-414: The secondary region of Eastern Ontario , mostly because they share the same telephone area codes ( 613 and 343 ), have better transportation links to this region, and are part of the coverage area of Kingston-area media. This leaves Haliburton County as the only census division in Central Ontario that has no affiliations with any other secondary provincial regions of Ontario. The Canadian Shield runs over

340-529: The southern edge of the Canadian Shield . Central Ontario is located within the primary region of Southern Ontario , which places it geographically in the south-central part of the province. Although most of the census divisions (which in Ontario take the form of counties, regional and district municipalities, territorial districts, and some cities) in the south-central tier of the province are commonly grouped as

360-417: The summer months. Canadian English has a regional distinction for the name of a summer recreation house. In some areas, "cottage" is used, but in other areas, terms like " cabin ", "camp", "country house", and "bungalow" are preferred. The term cottage country is applied locally in vernacular use. For example, Greater Toronto residents might say, "I am heading up to cottage country this weekend", which

380-566: The summer, cottage rentals become one of the most popular trips for families and groups alike in Ontario and while Muskoka remains the most popular destination, there are many other locations to rent a cottage in Ontario, including the Kawartha Lakes and the surrounding Kawarthas area, Haliburton , Parry Sound and Lake Simcoe . The District of Muskoka, which encompasses six different municipalities within Cottage Country, sees over 3.2 million visitors annually with many of those visiting during

400-442: The year as a "highway blitz", which also refers to the related Ontario Provincial Police efforts to step up highway enforcement on those congested roads, which often yield record numbers of fines for motor vehicle violations. One of the most well-known areas in Ontario cottage country is Muskoka , with its most famous lakes being the "Big Three" lakes which include Lake Joseph ("Lake Joe"), Lake Muskoka and Lake Rosseau . In

#798201