Essex, Ontario

Essex is a town with a population of 21,216 in Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, whose municipal borders extend to Lake Erie. Essex is also the name of the largest community within the municipality.

History

The current Town of Essex was created on 1 April 1999 through the amalgamation of the former towns of Essex and Harrow, along with the former townships of Colchester North and Colchester South. Each community has a distinct history prior to amalgamation. Colchester South is notable for lying farther south than the northern border of California.

Essex

The Talbot Trail has enabled Essex to increase in population in the last half of the 19th century, and achieve town status in 1890.Template:Citation needed

On August 10, 1907, Template:Convert of nitro-glycerine on a train cart exploded at the train station in Essex. Shock waves were felt in parts of Michigan, and debris was sent Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Two people were killed,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and there was over 250,000 dollars' worth of property damage.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Geography

The town comprises the communities of Ambassador Beach, Barretville, Belcreft Beach, Colchester, Edgars, Essex Centre, Gesto, Harrow, Klie's Beach, Leslies Corner, Levergood Beach, Lypps Beach, Marshfield, McGregor, New Canaan, Oxley, Paquette Corners, Seymour Beach and Vereker.

Demographics

Census	Population
1901	1,391
1911	1,353
1921	1,588
1931	1,954
1941	1,935
1951	2,741
1961	3,428
1971	4,002
1981	6,295
1991	6,759
2001	20,085
2006	20,032
2011	19,600
2016	20,427
2021	21,216

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Essex had a population of Template:Val living in Template:Val of its Template:Val total private dwellings, a change of Template:Percentage from its 2016 population of Template:Val. With a land area of Template:Convert, it had a population density of Template:Pop density in 2021.<ref name=2021census>Template:Cite web</ref>

Arts and culture

Community fairs include the Essex Fun Fest, and the Harrow Fair, the oldest community fair in Ontario.Template:Citation needed

Essex was once known region-wide for its large crow population,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the nightly infestation was acute in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The consistent use of "boomers" and other techniques that discourage roosting at sundown eventually led the crows to disperse, and the population has declined.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sports

Essex 73's home game

The Essex 73's are a Junior C hockey team that have won 19 Great Lakes Hockey League titles seven provincial titles.

Government

Essex is divided into four wards which correspond to the four major communities involved in the 1999 amalgamation. During municipal elections, residents vote for a mayor, deputy mayor, and councillor(s) in their geographical ward.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• Ward 1 - Essex Centre (2 councillors)
• Ward 2 - Colchester North (1 councillor)
• Ward 3 - Colchester South (2 councillors)
• Ward 4 - Harrow Centre (1 councillor)

Town council as of March 2022:<ref>Town of Essex website, accessed June 23, 2020</ref>

• Mayor - Richard Meloche
• Deputy Mayor - Steve Bjorkman
• Ward 1 Councillor - Morley Bowman
• Ward 1 Councillor - Joe Garon
• Ward 2 Councillor - Kim Verbeek
• Ward 3 Councillor - Chris Vander Doelen
• Ward 3 Councillor - Jason Matyi
• Ward 4 Councillor - Sherry Bondy

Education

English-language public education for kindergarten through secondary school grades in Essex County is administered by the Greater Essex County District School Board, along with the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board which oversees English-language catholic education.

French-language public and catholic education are overseen by the Conseil scolaire Viamonde and the Conseil scolaire de district des écoles catholiques du Sud-Ouest respectively. The scope of all of these organizations includes both the County and the City of Windsor.

Prior to 1998 the Essex County Board of Education operated Anglophone secular public schools.

One public secondary school of the Greater Essex County District School Board is situated in Essex. Essex District High School serves Essex Centre, Colchester North and areas of Tecumseh, Lakeshore, and Kingsville. Kingsville District High School serves Harrow Centre and Colchester South, following the closure of Harrow District High School in 2016. Public school students from certain areas of Essex may attend General Amherst High School in Amherstburg. While there is no separate secondary school within the boundaries of Essex, students in the town may attend the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board's St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic High School in LaSalle or Cardinal Carter Catholic High School in Leamington.

Elementary schools of the Greater Essex County District School Board include Essex Public School, Colchester North Public School, and Harrow Public School. Separate elementary schools of the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board include Holy Name Catholic Elementary School and St. Anthony Catholic Elementary School.

Notable people

• Scott Burnside<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Bruce Crowder
• Frederick Alexander Cuthbert
• Gordon Bennett Ellis
• Colton Fretter
• Gary Gurbin
• Lee Harris
• Rick Heinz
• Juice Boxx
• Zach Lavin
• Dan O'Halloran
• Alexander Parent
• Matt Puempel
• Jeff Watson

See also

• List of municipalities in Ontario
• List of townships in Ontario

External links

• Template:Official website