Acton | |
---|---|
Rural area | |
Coordinates: 43°37′53″N80°2′20″W / 43.63139°N 80.03889°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Ontario |
Regional municipality | Halton |
Town | Halton Hills |
Founded | 1828 |
Incorporated (village) | 1874 |
Erected (town) | 1950 |
Amalgamated | 1974 |
Elevation | 350 m (1,150 ft) |
Population (2021) [1] | |
• Total | 9,377 |
Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
Forward sortation area | |
Area codes | 519, 226, 548 |
Highways | Highway 7 Former Highway 25 |
NTS Map | 40P9 Guelph |
Acton (population 9,376 in 2021) is a community located in the town of Halton Hills, in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. At the northern end of the Region, it is on the outer edge of the Greater Toronto Area and is one of two of the primary population centres of the Town; the other is Georgetown. From 1842 until 1986, the town was a major centre for the tanning and leather goods industry. In the early years, it was often referred to as "Leathertown". [2]
In 1825, the area now known as Acton was settled by the Rev. Ezra, Rev. Zenas, [3] and Rufus Adams. These men were Methodist preachers who took a sabbatical and began farming here on a branch of the Credit River. A fourth brother, Eliphalet, also settled here later. [4] In the 1840s, the community had a grist mill and tannery. [5] The community was initially named Danville when settler Wheeler Green opened a dry-goods store in 1828. It was later called Adamsville, after the three original settlers.
When the Mississaugas still had their reserve at Port Credit in the 19th century, they would come up to Acton every spring to tap the sugar bush just south of the village. [6]
In 1856, the Grand Trunk Railway arrived and helped spur growth in the area, especially along Mill Street. By 1869, Acton had businesses that included woodworking mills, tanneries, glove makers and carriage works. Originally part of Esquesing Township, Acton's principal trade was in grain, lumber, cordwood, leather and hops. [7] Under a bylaw passed by the Halton County Council in September 1873, [8] it was incorporated as a village in 1874, [5] and erected into a town in 1950. [9] A new town hall was opened in 1883 (and designated a Heritage Building in 1996); postmaster Robert Swan named the village Acton after the area of Acton, London, in England. [4] [10]
In 1926, with the help of Sir Harry Brittain, the Village of Acton was given permission by the Municipal Borough of Acton in Middlesex, England, to adopt a variant of the latter's coat of arms, [11] substituting maple leaves for the oak leaves in the original. [12] The municipal council continued to use it until 1974, when Acton amalgamated with the Town of Georgetown and most of the Township of Esquesing to form the Town of Halton Hills. [13]
Tanning has been an important industry in Acton since 1842, when the first tannery was established by Abraham Nelles, as the area was attractive to the leather industry because of the large numbers of hemlock and spruce trees. These provided the tannin required for a firm, high quality leather of a reddish colour. [14]
A number of subsequent owners operated the tannery business, before the Beardmore family purchased it in 1865, running it for over 50 years. [15] At one time, it was the largest tanner in Canada. [16]
The Beardmores also opened tanneries in other parts of southern Ontario. From 1877 to 1922, they operated another large facility in Bracebridge, having been attracted by the area's large supply of hemlock. It closed due to the decline of American markets around 1920. [17]
By 1889, their main tanneries in Acton were very large, with a combined floor space of almost 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m2). [14] They also built a large brick warehouse that year beside the railway tracks. Hides arrived by rail and were taken for processing by horse-drawn wagons and then shipped by rail to customers.
In 1944, the tannery was sold to Canada Packers who ran it until its closure in 1986. [18] [15]
In March 1946, a breach in the tannery's filter dam lead to the release of 25,000,000 imperial gallons (110,000 m3) of waste water and debris, which flooded the village water supply and caused extensive property damage downstream as far as Limehouse and Stewarttown. [19]
In 1980, three investors decided to transform the tannery's warehouse into the Old Hide House, a retail store with leather clothing, goods and furniture. [20] [21] From 1980 to 1993, the Old Hide House also housed a restaurant, Jack Tanner's Table. The business is famous for its commercial slogan that has been in use for decades, "It's worth the drive to Acton!" [22]
The business was closed at times because of bankruptcy and other reasons, but is currently in operation, although the identity of the owners during parts of its history, and even now, has not been publicized. [23] [24]
Other speciality tanners and leather products manufacturers were also established in the town. These included Hewetson Shoe, Coronna Shoe, Superior Glove, Marzo Glove and Frank Heller and Co. [4] [25] In the early 20th century, Acton was the main urban community of Esquesing Township, much larger than nearby Georgetown, Ontario which now has four times the population.
Because of the extensive tanning industry that was located in the area during the 19th century and early 20th century, the area has earned the nickname of Leathertown.
Acton is located at the intersection of Highway 7 and Halton Regional Road 25. GO Transit provides bus and train service on its Kitchener corridor, with a stop at Acton GO Station.
The Grand Trunk brought train service to the area in 1856, and its station [26] was located at Mill Street East and Eastern Avenue next to the Beardmore leather warehouse (now known as the Olde Hide House). Canadian National closed the train station in 1967, but the stop continued to serve both Via Rail and GO Trains until the 1990s. GO Train service resumed on January 7, 2013. [27] [28] [29]
From 1917 to 1931, Acton was also served by the Toronto Suburban Railway, [30] which early on entered into a notable dispute with the Beardmore tannery over a crossing with a Grand Trunk spur line in the town, that went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada for resolution. [31]
In older books and papers of the area, two demonyms have existed for residents of the area at the same time. Actonite [32] was used to identify people who moved to the area, and Actonian [33] referred to people who grew up there. The first designation now predominates, due to the influx of new residents in the 1960s, but older residents still remember it.
The town's location was chosen because of the good source of water power from the Black Creek, and the flour mill established at the beginning is still in operation today, although its source of power has changed. It is also near the watershed between the Credit River and the Grand River which is just west of the urban area, where the Blue Springs Creek begins. Acton also has Fairy Lake at Prospect Park, which is the fairgrounds for the Acton Fall Fair every September. [34]
2021 | 2016 | 2011 | |
---|---|---|---|
Population | 15,654 (+0.4% from 2016) | 9,462 (-0.5% from 2011) | 9,704 (-4.6% from 2006) |
Land area | 579.64 km2 (223.80 sq mi) | 7.80 km2 (3.01 sq mi) | 16.14 km2 (6.23 sq mi) |
Population density | 27/km2 (70/sq mi) | 1,213.20/km2 (3,142.2/sq mi) | 601.24/km2 (1,557.2/sq mi) |
Median age | 46.4 (M: 46.4, F: 46.4) | 45.3 (M: 44.8, F: 45.8) | 38.9 (M: 38.6, F: 39.2) |
Private dwellings | 7,185 (total) 6,844 (occupied) | 3,577 (total) | 3,645 (total) |
Median household income | $62,400 | $88,690 |
Population pyramid 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
Group | 2021 census | 2016 census | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Population | % of total | Population | % of total | |
Did not move | 6,455 | 73.5 | 6,055 | 67.8 |
In the same municipality | 745 | 8.5 | 1,300 | 14.5 |
In the same province | 1,475 | 16.8 | 1,455 | 16.3 |
From another province | 70 | 0.8 | 80 | 0.9 |
From another country | 35 | 0.4 | 45 | 0.5 |
Total aged 5 or over | 8,780 | 100.0 | 8,930 | 100.0 |
No longer officially a town (since 1974), Acton is part of the Town of Halton Hills which is divided into four wards, each with two elected Councillors. Two others are Regional Councillors, each representing two wards on Halton Hills Council, and also serve on the Halton Region Council as does the mayor. [41]
The current (2018–2022) membership of the town council is as follows: [42]
Position | Ward 1 | Ward 2 | Ward 3 | Ward 4 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mayor | Rick Bonnette | |||
Regional Councillor | Clark Somerville | Jane Fogal | ||
Local Councillor | Jon Hurst | Ted Brown | Moya Johnson | Bob Inglis |
Mike Albano | Bryan Lewis | Wendy Farrow-Reed | Ann Lawlor |
The Acton branch of the Halton Hills Public Library is located at 17 River Street. Initially built as the community's centennial project when it opened in 1967, it was replaced in 2012. [43]
Halton Hills has its own fire department but policing is provided by the Halton Regional Police Services. [44] Halton Hills has its own official plan which came into force in March 2008 and was consolidated in 2017 with the Region's plan. [45]
School | Type | Grades |
---|---|---|
McKenzie-Smith Bennett School [46] | Public elementary | JK–08 |
Robert Little Public School [47] | Public elementary | JK–05 |
Acton District High School | Public secondary | 07–12 |
St. Joseph Elementary School [48] | Catholic elementary | JK–08 |
Acton is covered by local newspapers and television through the following services:
Tanning, or hide tanning, is the process of treating skins and hides of animals to produce leather. A tannery is the place where the skins are processed.
Newmarket is a town and regional seat of the Regional Municipality of York in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of Greater Toronto in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The name stems from the fact that the settlement was a "New Market", in contrast to York as the Old Market.
Oakville is a town and lower-tier municipality in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Lake Ontario between Toronto and Hamilton. At its 2021 census population of 213,759, it is Ontario's largest town. Oakville is part of the Greater Toronto Area, one of the most densely populated areas of Canada.
Milton is a town in Southern Ontario, Canada, and part of the Halton Region in the Greater Toronto Area. Between 2001 and 2011, Milton was the fastest growing municipality in Canada, with a 71.4% increase in population from 2001 to 2006 and another 56.5% increase from 2006 to 2011. In 2016, Milton's census population was 110,128 with an estimated growth to 228,000 by 2031. It remained the fastest growing community in Ontario but was deemed to be the sixth fastest growing in Canada at that time.
Georgetown is a large unincorporated community in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Halton. The town includes several small villages or settlements such as Norval, Limehouse, Stewarttown and Glen Williams near Georgetown and another large population centre, Acton. In 2016, the population of Georgetown was 42,123. It sits on the banks of the Credit River, approximately 40 km west of Toronto, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. Georgetown was named after entrepreneur George Kennedy who settled in the area in 1821 and built several mills and other businesses.
Halton Hills is a town in the Regional Municipality of Halton, located in the northwestern end of the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada with a population of 62,951 (2021).
Erin is a town in Wellington County, approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Erin is bordered by the Town of Caledon, Ontario to the east, the Town of Halton Hills to the south, the Township of Guelph/Eramosa to the west and the Township of East Garafraxa to the north.
The Regional Municipality of Halton, or Halton Region, is a regional municipality in Ontario, Canada, located in the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario. It comprises the city of Burlington and the towns of Oakville, Milton, and Halton Hills. Policing in the Region is provided by the Halton Regional Police Service. The regional council's headquarters are located in Oakville. Burlington, Oakville, and Milton are largely urban and suburban, while Halton Hills is more rural.
Halton County is a former county in the Canadian province of Ontario, with an area of 92,342 hectares. It is also one of the oldest counties in Canada.
Glen Williams is a hamlet in Halton Hills, Halton Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada. It has a population of about 2700 people and its closest neighbours are Georgetown and Terra Cotta.
Guelph/Eramosa is a township located in Wellington County, in midwestern Ontario, Canada. It partly encircles the city of Guelph, surrounding it in a continuous arc from approximately northeast to south-southwest of the city. It is part of the Guelph census metropolitan area.
The Halton Regional Police Service provides policing service for the Regional Municipality of Halton, which is located west of Toronto, in Ontario, Canada. Halton Region encompasses the city of Burlington and the Towns of Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills. As of July 2020, the Halton Regional Police Service has over 1,000 members, including 718 sworn police officers and approximately 302 civilian and volunteer members. The service is responsible for policing a population of approximately 610,000 people in an area covering 692 square kilometers.
Roxton Falls is a village municipality in Acton Regional County Municipality, in the Canadian province of Quebec. The population as of the Canada 2011 Census was 1,265.
Halton was a provincial electoral district in Central Ontario, Canada. It elected one member to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Acton GO Station is a railway station in Acton, Ontario, Canada. It is served by GO Transit's Kitchener line. It is located at the intersection of Mill St East and Eastern Avenue, adjacent to the Old Hide House. Previous Acton stations were operated by the Grand Trunk Railway and, later, the Canadian National Railway.
Halton Hills Public Library (HHPL) is the public library system for the Town of Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada. Through its two branches and its website, www.hhpl.on.ca, the Halton Hills Public Library provides a range of services for Halton Hills residents. There are approximately 17,000 active cardholders, most residing in the communities of Georgetown, Acton, Limehouse, Glen Williams, Speyside, Norval, and surrounding areas.
Acton District High School is a high school located in Acton, Ontario, Canada. The school is under the jurisdiction of the Halton District School Board.
Esquesing Township was a municipality within the historic Halton County in Ontario, Canada. It is today a geographic township in the town of Halton Hills in the Regional Municipality of Halton.
The Georgetown Herald was a weekly newspaper published in Georgetown, Ontario, from 1866 to 1992.
TheNew Tanner was weekly newspaper published in Acton, Ontario, Canada, from 1992 to 2020.