Hastings County

Last updated
Hastings County
County (upper-tier)
County of Hastings
Logo of Hastings County, Ontario.svg
Seal
Hastings County.png
Coat of arms
Motto: 
Communities With Opportunities
Map of Ontario HASTINGS.svg
Hastings County
Coordinates: 44°45′N77°35′W / 44.750°N 77.583°W / 44.750; -77.583
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
ProvinceFlag of Ontario.svg  Ontario
County seat Belleville
Municipalities
List
Area
[1]
 • Land5,291.05 km2 (2,042.89 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total41,580 (excluding Belleville Quinte and Tyendinaga)
 • Density7.5/km2 (19/sq mi)
 • Population (census division)
145,746
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
Website www.hastingscounty.com
The northern portion of Hastings County is characterized by the rugged landscape of the Madawaska Highlands. Hwy 28 Ontario.JPG
The northern portion of Hastings County is characterized by the rugged landscape of the Madawaska Highlands.

Hastings County is located in the province of Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is located on the border of Eastern Ontario and Central Ontario. Hastings County is the second-largest county in Ontario, after Renfrew County, and its county seat is Belleville, which is independent of Hastings County. Hastings County has trademarked the moniker "Cheese Capital of Canada". [2]

Contents

Administrative divisions

The 14 local municipalities within Hastings County are:

The Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory is within the Hastings census division but is independent of the county. The cities of Belleville and Quinte West are separated municipalities and so are within the geographical boundaries of the county and included in the Hastings census division, but they not under the administration of the county government.

History

Hastings County (named for Francis Rawdon-Hastings) was first organized for electoral purposes in 1792, with its boundaries described as being:

bounded on the east by the westernmost boundary of the county of Lenox, on the south by the bay of Quinte, until it meets a boundary on the easternmost line of the river Trent, thence along the river until it intersects the rear of the ninth concession, thence by a line running north sixteen degrees west until it intersects the river Ottawa or Grand river, thence descending the said river until it meets the northwesternmost boundary of the county of Addington; and the said county of Hastings to comprehend all the islands of the bay of Quinte and the river Trent nearest to the said county, in the whole or in greater part fronting the same. [3]

For the initial elections to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, it was united with Northumberland County and most of Lennox County for purposes of returning one member. [4]

It was situated within the Mecklenburg District, which was later renamed the "Midland District" in 1792. [5]

In 1798, the Parliament of Upper Canada passed legislation to provide, that, at the beginning of 1800:

... the townships of Sidney, Thurlow, the tract of land occupied by the Mohawks, Huntingdon, Hungerford, and Rawdon, do constitute and form the county of Hastings. [6]

The territory withdrawn from the County continued to form part of the Midland District. [7]

19th century

In 1821, the newly surveyed townships of Elzevir, Madoc and Marmora were added to the county. [8] While in this time agriculture was the most important industry in Hastings County, by 1822 (when the Marmora Iron Works was approaching its peak production) mining was playing an increasingly more important role in the area's economy.

Prominent citizens of Hastings County and Ameliasburgh Township unsuccessfully petitioned the provincial government for district status during 1817, 1818, 1823 and 1825. After Prince Edward County successfully achieved its own government in 1831, Hastings County continued to send petitions throughout the 30s before finally achieving the status of a separate district in March 1837. [9]

It was constituted as the District of Victoria in 1839 (which continued until its dissolution in 1850). [10] By 1845, the county was declared to consist of the following geographic townships: [11]

  • Elzevir
  • Grimsthorpe
  • Hungerford
  • Huntingdon
  • Lake
  • Marmora
  • Madoc
  • Rawdon
  • Sydney
  • Tudor
  • Thurlow
  • Tyendinaga

Belleville, after an abortive attempt two years previously, was organized as a municipality with its own Board of Police in 1836, [12] [13] and was designated as the district seat in 1837. [14] It was constituted as a town under the Baldwin Act in 1850, [15] and later became a city in 1877. [16]

Edward Fidlar became the first warden of Hastings County with their first meeting on January 28, 1850. By this time the Hastings County Council was also interested in education and the building of the railroad.

On October 27, 1856, the first railroad train arrived in Belleville and by 1864 around 100 people were employed by the railroad.

In August 1866, discovery of gold at Eldorado, near Madoc, caused great excitement throughout Hastings County as people flooded to the area from all over North America. According to Barnes, "gold has been found in twenty-seven locations spread over nine townships." [17] The railroads and 170 miles (270 km) of good gravel roads opened these areas to settlement by 1880.

In 1889 the Belleville Waterworks was created as a private company, which was then bought by the city of Belleville in 1889.

20th century

In 1911, Hastings County was the first in the province to appoint a reforestation committee, which was instrumental in passing laws around county forests. Postal service began in the area in 1913. [18]

By 1927 the original townships had each formed separate governance and many of them had been partitioned due to increase in population and development. The 1927 townships were: [19]

  • Bangor
  • Carlow
  • Cashel
  • Dungannon
  • Elzevir
  • Faraday
  • Grimsthorpe
  • Herschel
  • Hungerford
  • Huntingdon
  • Lake
  • Limerick
  • Madoc
  • Marmora
  • Mayo
  • McClure
  • Monteagle
  • Rawdon
  • Sidney
  • Thurlow
  • Tudor
  • Tyendinaga
  • Wicklow
  • Wollaston

Following World War II, more efficient communication and transportation led a trend toward consolidation of township administrations:
The Township of Carlow/Mayo was formed by amalgamation of the contiguous townships of Carlow and Mayo.
The Township of Wicklow and McClure was formed by amalgamation of the contiguous townships of McClure and Wicklow.
Lake Township and Marmora Township were administered as the Township of Marmora & Lake.
Elzevir Township and Grimsthorpe Township were administered as the Township of Elzevir & Grimsthorpe since before 1968.
The Township of Tudor and Cashel was formed by amalgamation of the geographically non-contiguous townships of Cashel and Tudor.

21st century

At the dawn of the 21st century, there has been a trend toward amalgamating rural and urban administrations. On 1 January 1998:

In 1998, the Village of Tweed was amalgamated with its Township of Hungerford and the contiguous Township of Elzevir & Grimsthorpe to form the Municipality of Tweed. In 1999, the Village of Bancroft merged with Dungannon Township to form the Town of Bancroft.

On 1 January 2001, the Municipality of Hastings Highlands was incorporated by amalgamating the contiguous townships of Bangor, Wicklow & McClure, Herschel and Monteagle. Also in 2001, the Village of Marmora amalgamated with the surrounding townships of Marmora and Lake to form the Municipality of Marmora and Lake.

Demographics

As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Hastings County had a population of 145,746 living in 61,141 of its 68,518 total private dwellings, a change of 6.8% from its 2016 population of 136,445. With a land area of 6,013.35 km2 (2,321.77 sq mi), it had a population density of 24.2/km2 (62.8/sq mi) in 2021. [21]

Canada census – Hastings community profile
2021 2016 2011
Population145,746 (+6.8% from 2016)136,445 (1.1% from 2011)134,934 (3.4% from 2006)
Land area6,013.35 km2 (2,321.77 sq mi)6,103.48 km2 (2,356.57 sq mi)
Population density24.2/km2 (63/sq mi)22.1/km2 (57/sq mi)
Median age47.6 (M: 46.0, F: 49.2)
Private dwellings68,518 (total)  61,141 (occupied)63,014 (total) 
Median household income$75,000
Notes: Excludes census data for incompletely enumerated Indian reserves.
References: 2021 [22] 2016 [23] 2011 [1] earlier [24] [25]

Historic populations: [26]

Transportation

The county is served by Highway 401 in the south, Highway 7, a leg of the Trans-Canada Highway, in the central region, Highways 62 and 37 travelling north to south, Highway 28 travelling east to west in the northern region, and Highway 127 travelling north from Maynooth, also in the northern region.

County council

Hastings County offices in downtown Belleville. Hastings County offices.JPG
Hastings County offices in downtown Belleville.

Following are members of Hastings County Council as of August, 2019: [27]

Warden: Rick Phillips
Town of Bancroft: Paul Jenkins
Township of Carlow/Mayo: Bonnie Adams
Municipality of Centre Hastings: Tom Deline
Town of Deseronto: Dan Johnston
Township of Faraday: Dennis Purcell
Hastings Highlands: Tracy Hagar
Township of Limerick: Carl Stefanski
Township of Madoc: Loyde Blackburn
Municipality of Marmora & Lake: Jan O'Neill
Township of Stirling/Rawdon: Bob Mullin
Township of Tudor & Cashel: Libby Clarke
Municipality of Tweed: Jo-Anne Albert
Township of Tyendinaga: Rick Phillips
Township of Wollaston: Lynn Kruger

Education

Currently, Hastings & Prince Edward District School Board operates public schools. Previously, Hastings County Board of Education operated public schools.

Emergency Services

There are 5 EMS stations in Hastings County with Hastings-Quinte EMS HQ located in Belleville, Ontario.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tweed, Ontario</span> Municipality in Ontario, Canada

Tweed is a municipality located in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, in Hastings County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Edward—Hastings (federal electoral district)</span> Federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada

Prince Edward—Hastings was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that existed in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 2015. Its population in 2006 was 113,227. It was redistributed between Bay of Quinte electoral district and Hastings—Lennox and Addington electoral district as a result of the Canadian federal electoral redistribution, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moira River</span> River in Ontario, Canada

The Moira River is a river in Hastings County in eastern Ontario, Canada. It travels from its source in the centre of the county to the Bay of Quinte at the county seat Belleville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marmora, Ontario</span>

Marmora is the largest community in the Municipality of Marmora and Lake in Hastings County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Crowe River and along Highway 7 between Havelock to the west and Madoc to the east, about the halfway point between Ottawa and Toronto.

Hastings East was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1925. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the County of Hastings into three ridings: Hastings East, Hastings West, and Hastings North.

Hastings North was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1904. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the County of Hastings into three ridings: Hastings West, Hastings East and Hastings North.

Hastings—Frontenac was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1953 to 1968, and from 1979 to 1980.

Hastings was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 1979. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1966 from parts of Hastings South and Hastings—Frontenac ridings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hastings—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington</span> Federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada

Hastings—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington was a federal and provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1984 to 2003, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stirling-Rawdon</span> Township in Ontario, Canada

Stirling-Rawdon is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Hastings County. It was formed on January 1, 1998, through the amalgamation of Rawdon Township with the Village of Stirling. Stirling was named the 2012 Kraft Hockeyville winner, after gaining more than 3.9 million votes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tudor and Cashel</span> Township in Ontario, Canada

Tudor and Cashel is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Hastings County.

King's Highway 14, commonly referred to as Highway 14, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. At its peak length, the route connected Highway 33 in Bloomfield, near Picton, with Highway 7 in Marmora. Portions of this longer route are now designated as Highway 62. Prior to being decommissioned, the route connected Highway 62 in Foxboro with Highway 7 in Marmora, via Stirling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queensborough, Ontario</span> Unincorporated compact rural community in Ontario, Canada

Queensborough is an unincorporated community in the municipality of Tweed, Hastings County, in Central Ontario, Canada. It is located north of Ontario Highway 7 on the Black River, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north-west of the village of Tweed and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north-east of the town of Madoc.

Partridge Creek is a creek in the Moira River and Lake Ontario drainage basins in Hastings and Lennox and Addington Counties, Ontario, Canada.

Hastings—Peterborough was a provincial electoral district represented in the Ontario Legislature from 1975 to 1999. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1975 from parts of Hastings and Peterborough East ridings. It was an approximate duplication of the federal electoral district of Hastings—Peterborough.

Hastings County Board of Education (HCBE) was a school district in Ontario, Canada, serving Hastings County. Its headquarters were in the Education Centre in Belleville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black River (Hastings County)</span> River in Ontario, Canada

The Black River is a river in Hastings County in Central Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Great Lakes Basin, and is a left tributary of the Moira River.

Elections were held in Hastings County, Ontario, Canada, on October 27, 2014, in conjunction with municipal elections across the province.

Hastings was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of the Province of Canada, in Canada West. Based on Hastings County, it fronted on the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario and extended north. It was created in 1841, upon the establishment of the Province of Canada by the union of Upper Canada and Lower Canada.

Elections were held in Hastings County, Ontario on October 24, 2022, in conjunction with municipal elections across the province.

References

  1. 1 2 "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
  2. ↑ "Artisanal Cheese". hastingscounty.com. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
  3. ↑ Proclamation of July 16, 1792
  4. ↑ Proclamation of July 16, 1792
  5. ↑ An act for building a gaol and court house in every district within this province, and for altering the names of the said districts , S.U.C. 1792, c. 8, s. 3
  6. ↑ An act for the better division of this province , S.U.C. 1798, c. 5, s. 16
  7. ↑ 1798 Act, s. 18
  8. ↑ An Act to repeal part of an Act passed in thirty-eighth year of His late Majesty's Reign, intituled, "An act for the better division of this province," and to make further provision for the division of the same into Counties and Districts , S.U.C. 1821, c. 3, s. 5
  9. ↑ An Act to authorise the Erection of the County of Hastings into a Separate District , S.U.C. 1837, c. 31, s. 5
  10. ↑ An Act for abolishing the Territorial Division of Upper-Canada into Districts, and for providing for temporary Unions of Counties for Judicial and other purposes, and for the future dissolutions of such Unions, as the increase of wealth and population may require , S.Prov.C. 1849, c. 78, Sch. B
  11. ↑ An Act for better defining the limits of the Counties and Districts in Upper Canada, for erecting certain new Townships, for detaching Townships from some Counties and attaching them to others, and for other purposes relative to the division of Upper Canada into Townships, Counties and Districts , S.Prov.C. 1845, c. 7, Sch. B
  12. ↑ Directory 1889, p. 17.
  13. ↑ An Act to repeal an Act passed in the fourth year of His present Majesty's reign, entitled 'An Act to establish a Board of Police in the Town of Belleville, and to make further provisions for the establishment of a Police in said Town , S.U.C. 1836, c. 14
  14. ↑ 1837 Act, s. 1
  15. ↑ An Act to provide, by one general law, for the erection of Municipal Corporations, and the establishment of Regulations of Police, in and for the Counties, Cities, Towns, Townships and Villages in Upper-Canada , S.Prov.C 1849, c. 81, s. 201, Sch. B
  16. ↑ An Act for the Incorporation of the Town of Belleville as a City, and for the Consolidation of the debt thereof , S.O. 1877, c. 33
  17. ↑ Barnes, Michael (1995). Gold in Ontario. Erin: The Boston Mills Press. pp. 13–18. ISBN   155046146X.
  18. ↑ Historic Hastings by Gerald E. Boyce
  19. ↑ An excerpt from The Province of Ontario: A History, 1615–1927, by Middleton, J.E. & Langdon, F., 1927, Dominion Publishing Co., Toronto, made into a geo-code map copyright 2015 by Lisa Rance. Accessed 2 June 2020.
  20. ↑ 2 Old Guys Walking: The Mills on Cold Creek, Frankford. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  21. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and census divisions". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  22. ↑ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  23. ↑ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021.
  24. ↑ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  25. ↑ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  26. ↑ "2001 Community Profiles". www12.statcan.ca.
  27. ↑ "Warden and Council". County of Hastings. Retrieved August 6, 2019.

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