Sundridge, Ontario

Sundridge is a village in central Ontario, Canada, approximately Template:Convert south of North Bay along Highway 11, on the shore of Lake Bernard. The village is located in the Almaguin Highlands region of Parry Sound District.

Sundridge is a tourist destination in both winter and summer, with boating and snowmobiling providing the main attraction. Algonquin Provincial Park is accessible nearby. Cities within a reasonable driving distance include Toronto (approximately Template:Cvt south) and Ottawa (approximately Template:Cvt east). The village has long been known as "The Pearl of the North" to residents of central and northern Ontario.

History

Originally it was supposed to be named Sunny Ridge, but when the name was applied for in the late 1800s, an error at the post office department resulted in the name becoming Sundridge. Another hypothesis is that it is named after a village in Kent, England.<ref name="history">Template:Cite web</ref>

Sundridge developed largely as a result of the extension of the Canadian National Railway (CNR) northward. The first settler in the area – usually considered the village's founder – was James Dunbar in 1876. The CNR route in the area was completed in 1885, and the Village of Sundridge was incorporated on March 23, 1889, when it separated from Strong Township.<ref name="history"/>

Protestant churches (Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian) were established in the mid-1880s, and in 1897 the first municipal library was established. During World War I, Sundridge was the location for basic training for the 162nd Canadian Battalion.

The post office dates from 1879.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Sundridge 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=SCref21/>

Mother tongue (2021):<ref name=SCref21/>

• English as first language: 93.5%
• French as first language: 1.1%
• English and French as first languages: 0.5%
• Other as first language: 3.8%

Government

The municipality is governed by a five-member council consisting of a mayor and four councillors, each elected at large every four years. Many local services (such as the library and arena) are run by committees jointly established by Sundridge and its surrounding townships. The current mayor of Sundridge is Justine Leveque.

Notable people

• NHLers Bill McCreary Sr. and Greg de Vries.
• Canadian author Mary Susanne Edgar, founder of Glen Bernard Camp.
• NHLer Bucko McDonald, there is a street named after him.
• Donald Roy Beatty (c. 1930–2010), was a Canadian football player and won the Grey Cup with Hamilton (1953)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Template:Official website