Perry, Ontario

Last updated

Perry
Township (single-tier)
Township of Perry
Elmsdale ON.JPG
Emsdale
Canada Southern Ontario location map 2.png
Red pog.svg
Perry
Coordinates: 45°30′N79°17′W / 45.500°N 79.283°W / 45.500; -79.283
CountryCanada
Province Ontario
District Parry Sound
Settled1873
Incorporated1888
Government
 • TypeTownship
 • MayorNorm Hofstetter
 • Fed. riding Parry Sound-Muskoka
 • Prov. riding Parry Sound—Muskoka
Area
[1]
 • Land186.34 km2 (71.95 sq mi)
Population
 (2021) [1]
 • Total
2,650
 • Density14.2/km2 (37/sq mi)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal Code
P0A 1J0
Area codes 705, 249
Website www.townshipofperry.ca OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Perry is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Almaguin Highlands region of Parry Sound District.

Contents

Communities

History

Scotia Junction GTR station in 1910 Scotia Junction GTR station (24495568506).jpg
Scotia Junction GTR station in 1910

The township opened up for settlement in the 1870s. By 1878, there were about 150 families, coming mostly from southern Ontario. But the rocky land of the Canadian Shield is not well suited for agriculture, causing about 20 families to leave by 1881. The remaining settlers focused on logging and subsistence farming. [2]

In 1885, the Northern and Pacific Junction Railway was built through the township, leading to the development of communities such as Novar, Scotia, and Emsdale, as well as accelerating the logging industry. In the 1890s, another railway, the Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway, brought more economic growth. [3]

In 1888, the Township of Perry was incorporated. in the subsequent decades, there was a big population decline due to many families migrating to Western Canada. By 1920, the logging industry also began to decline, but beginning a gradual transition to the tourism and cottage economy. [3]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Perry had a population of 2,650 living in 1,144 of its 1,710 total private dwellings, a change of

Historical census populations – Perry Township
YearPop.±%
1891 1,704—    
1901 1,365−19.9%
1911 486−64.4%
1921 1,075+121.2%
1931 933−13.2%
1941 961+3.0%
1951 982+2.2%
YearPop.±%
1956 973−0.9%
1961 980+0.7%
1966 910−7.1%
1971 994+9.2%
1976 1,234+24.1%
1981 1,449+17.4%
1986 1,549+6.9%
YearPop.±%
1991 2,049+32.3%
1996 2,215+8.1%
2001 2,252+1.7%
2006 2,010−10.7%
2011 2,317+15.3%
2016 2,454+5.9%
2021 2,650+8.0%
Source: Statistics Canada [1] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Mother tongue (2021): [1]

Transportation

The communities of Emsdale and Novar are flag stops on Ontario Northland's intercity motor coach service along its Toronto–Barrie–Bracebridge–Huntsville–North Bay route.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Perry, Ontario (Code 3549014) Census Profile". 2021 census . Government of Canada - Statistics Canada . Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  2. ↑ "About Us". townshipofperry.ca. The Township of Perry. 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  3. 1 2 History Overview (PDF). townshipofperry.ca (Report). Township of Perry. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  4. ↑ 1996, 2001, 2006 census
  5. ↑ 2011 Census Profile
  6. ↑ Eighth Census of Canada 1941 - Volume II - Population by Local Subdivisions (Report). Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1944. CS98-1941-2.
  7. ↑ "1971 Census of Canada - Population Census Subdivisions (Historical)". Catalogue 92-702 Vol I, part 1 (Bulletin 1.1-2). Statistics Canada. July 1973.
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