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London, Ontario

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London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of about 337,318; its metropolitan area has a population of about 432,451 (2001). It was settled in 1826 and established as a city in 1855. London and the surrounding area (roughly, the territory between Kitchener, Ontario and Chatham, Ontario) are collectively known as Western Ontario. London is known as the "Forest City" due to its large areas of parkland and extensive tree cover.

History

Prior to European contact in the 17th century, the present site of London was occupied by numerous Algonquin and Iroquois villages; the Algonquin village at the forks of Askunessippi (the Thames River) was called Kotequogong. This site was selected as the site of the future capital of Upper Canada by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe in 1793, who named it after London, England. In 1814 there was a skirmish during the War of 1812 in what is now south London. The city itself was not founded until 1826, and it never became the capital envisioned by Simcoe. It was part of the Talbot Settlement, overseen by Colonel Thomas Talbot, who surveyed the land and built the first government buildings for the administration of the Western Ontario region. With the rest of southwestern Ontario which was part of this settlement it benefited from Talbot's provisions for building and maintaining roads and for assignment of priority for access to main roads to productive land (rather than to Crown and clergy reserves, which received preference in the rest of Ontario). London remained a centre of strong Tory support during the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, with a large British garrison stationed there, although there was a brief rebellion led by Charles Duncombe.

In the 1860s, sulphur hot springs were discovered at the forks of the Thames River while industrialists were drilling for oil. The springs became a popular destination for wealthy Ontarians, until the turn of the century when a textile factory was built over them.

While other Protestant cities in Ontario (notably Toronto) remained under the sway of the Orange Order well into the twentieth century, London abandoned sectarianism in the nineteenth. In 1877, Catholic and Protestant Irish in London formed the Irish Benevolent Society, which was open to both Catholics and Protestants and forbade the discussion of Irish politics. The influence of the Orange Order (and of Catholic organizations) quickly waned. The Society survives to this day.

London continued its role as a military centre during the two world wars, serving as the administrative centre for the Western Ontario district. Today there is still an active Canadian Forces Base in the city.

London continues to grow, having amalgamated many of the surrounding communities in 1961 and again in the 1990s. It is currently the 11th largest city in Canada and the 5th largest city in Ontario.

Major Historical Events

  • 1832 - London suffered from an outbreak of cholera.
  • April 13, 1845 - a large fire destroyed much of London, which was at the time filled with mostly wooden buildings. One of the first victims of the fire was the town's only fire engine.
  • May 24, 1881 - the ferry SS Victoria capsized in the Thames River, drowning approximately 200 passengers.
  • July 12, 1883 - the first of the two most devastating floods in London's history killed seventeen people.
  • April 26, 1937 - London's second-worst flood destroyed over 1000 homes and caused millions of dollars in damages. After repeated floods the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority built Fanshawe Dam to control the level of the Thames; it opened in 1952. Financing came from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments.
  • 1961 - London annexed many of the surrounding townships, adding 60 000 people and more than doubling its size.

Law/Government

The courthouse and jail for Middlesex County are in London. London's mayor is Anne Marie DeCicco. London has fourteen councillors, two representing each of its seven wards. There is also a Board of Control, consisting of 4 Controllers, and the mayor.

In the provincial government, London is represented by:

In the federal government, London is represented by:

See also List of mayors of London, Ontario.

Geography

London is in Middlesex County, at the forks of the non-navigable Thames River, almost exactly halfway between Toronto and Detroit. It is located at 43°2' N by 81°9' W.

Physical geography (area, unique features)

The Thames River dominates London's geography, with the North Thames River and Thames River meeting at the centre of the city known as "The Forks." The North Thames runs through the man-made Lake Fanshawe, located in north-east London. Artificial Lake Fanshawe was created by the building of Fanshawe Dam, in order to protect the areas downriver from catastrophic flooding which has affected the city on two occasions in the past. The area was formed during the retreat of the glaciers during the last ice age, which produced areas of marshland, notably the Sifton Bog, as well as some of the most productive areas of farmland in Ontario. The eastern half of the city is generally flat, with gently rolling hills in the west and north. London has the most thunder and lightning storms of any area in Canada.

Major Parks

  • Victoria Park, in central London
  • Fork of the Thames, in north London
  • Harris Park, in central London
  • Gibbons Park, in north London
  • Fanshawe Conservation Area, in east London
  • Springbank Park, in west London

Economy

Its economy is dominated by locomotive and military vehicle production, insurance, life sciences/biotechnology, and information technology.

Major industries/products

For many decades London has also been a "test market" for companies and products such as McDonald's, Krispy Kreme, Canadian Tire, and Viagra.

Demographics

In 2001, London had a population of 326,539 (2001). Its population is fairly diverse, although there is no significant minority population, with Polish-speakers being the next-largest group after English-speakers at only 1.9%. Seventy-nine per cent of the population was born in Canada, and 81% spoke an official language as a first language.

First-language

From StatsCan 2001 Census data:

  • 79.9% English
  • 2.0% chinese
  • 1.9% Polish
  • 1.7% Arabic
  • 1.7% French
  • 1.5% Portuguese
  • 1.4% Spanish
  • 1.1% Italian
  • 7.7% Other languages

Education in the city

London elementary and secondary schools are part of two school boards, the Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board. See List of schools in London, Ontario.

London is the home of the University of Western Ontario (UWO). UWO was founded in 1878 and is Canada's 4th oldest university with approximate enrolment of 26,000 full-time students.

The Richard Ivey School of Business is part of UWO, was formed in 1922 and it often ranks among the best business schools in the world, and the best in Canada.

UWO has three affiliated colleges: Brescia University College, founded in 1919, Canada's only university-level women's college; Huron University College, founed in 1863, pre-dating UWO itself; and King's College, founded in 1957.

London is also the home of Fanshawe College, a community college with an enrolment of over 10,000 students.

Sporting teams in the city

The University of Western Ontario teams play under the name Mustangs. The university's football team plays at TD Waterhouse Stadium.

Labatt Park, which opened in 1877, is also North America's oldest operating baseball park, in its original location.

Notable personalities in London's history

Media

  • London Free Press, daily newspaper, established in 1849; formerly owned by the Blackburn Family, it is now owned by Sun Media
  • Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has a local studio used primarily for hourly newscasts at the bottom of the hour during the regional morning show.
  • CHRW - student radio station at UWO
  • CFPL, radio (CFPL-AM and CFPL-FM) and television station ("The New PL"); the radio network owns some other stations in London, and is itself owned by Corus Entertainment, while the TV station is part of the CHUM network
  • Scene Magazine, a free biweekly newspaper, established in 1989; focusing on local and entertainment news
  • The Londoner, a free weekly newspaper founded in 2003, "London's community newspaper"

Arts and Culture

  • Museum London is located at the Forks of the Thames; it includes art by Paul Peel and Greg Curnoe
  • Orchestra London, a professional symphony orchestra
  • Fanshawe Pioneer Village, a reconstructed 19th century village
  • Museum of Archaeology, owned by the University of Western Ontario, with a reconstructed Iroquois village
  • McIntosh Gallery, an art gallery on the UWO campus
  • Storybook Gardens, an amusement park/zoo for children
  • Home County Folk Festival - Folk music festival
  • London International Children's Festival, held every summer
  • London Fringe Festival
  • Guy Lombardo Museum
  • Grand Theatre - Professional Theatre with an secondary stage named the McManus Studio.
  • Sunfest - World music and culture festival, second biggest in Canada after Caribana in Toronto.
  • London Balloon Festival - displays of hot air balloons
  • The Western Fair - Agricultural fair
  • Western Fair Raceway, a half-mile harness racing track and simulcast centre; despite its name, it operates year-round
  • John Labatt Centre, arena
  • Labatt Park, baseball park
  • TD Waterhouse Stadium, an all-purpose stadium at the University of Western Ontario
  • Spriet Children's Theatre - Used primarily by The Original Kids theatrical company
  • The Arts Project - art gallery, workshop and theatre.
  • The Boneyard Man - comedic theatre [1]
  • London Ribfest - Second largest rib festival in North America [2]

Transportation

See also: Roman Catholic Bishops of London, Ontario

North: Middlesex Centre
West: Middlesex Centre London East: Thames Centre
South: Southwold, Central Elgin

Sites of Interest

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