'Belleville' (
2006 population 48,821, metropolitan population 91,518)
[1] is a city located at the mouth of the
Moira River on the
Bay of Quinte in southeastern
Ontario,
Canada, in the
Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of
Hastings County. The current
mayor of Belleville is Neil Ellis (elected on November 13th 2006).
History
Originally the site of a Native settlement known as Asukhknosk, the future location of the city was settled by
United Empire Loyalists in
1789, after which it became known as Meyer's Creek after prominent settler and industrialist
John Walden Meyers. It was renamed Belleville in honour of Lady Arabella Gore in
1816, after a visit to the settlement by
Sir Francis Gore and his wife. Belleville became an important railway junction with the completion of the
Grand Trunk Railway in 1855. Belleville's strikingly beautiful Gothic city hall was constructed in 1872. The City Hall tower stands some 185 feet above street level.
In 1998, the city was amalgamated with the surrounding Township of Thurlow to form an expanded City of Belleville as part of Ontario-wide municipal restructuring. The city also annexed portions of
Quinte West to the west.
Geography and climate
Belleville is located at the mouth of the
Moira River on the
Bay of Quinte in southeastern
Ontario between the cities of
Quinte West to the west and
Napanee to the east. These cities are connected by both
Ontario's Highway 2 and the
Macdonald-Cartier Freeway (Highway 401); The city is also served by
Highway 37, running north-south from Belleville towards
Tweed to the east of the Moira River; and
Highway 62 (once Highway 14 south of 401), northwards towards
Madoc, and southward to
Prince Edward County over the Bay Bridge.
Belleville is located in a transitional zone which may be considered part of the
Central Ontario or
Eastern Ontario regions by different sources. By the official definition of these regions, however, Belleville is more properly considered part of the Central Ontario region as it is located ''west'' of the
St. Lawrence River's starting point.
Distance Statistics
★ 192km (119 miles) from Toronto, ON.
★ 221km (137 miles) from Ottawa, ON.
★ 356km (221 miles) from Montreal, QC.
Climate
Belleville's climate has four distinctive seasons. The summer season has comfortable temperatures and modest rainfall. The winter season is not exceedingly cold and the average snowfall is lower than in many other parts of Canada and north-east United States. The City's traditional continental climate (hot summers, cold winters) is moderated somewhat by its location near the Bay of Quinte and Lake Ontario. The lakes moderates temperature extremes, cooling hot summer days and warming cold days during the fall and winter.
★ Mean Daily Temperature - Annually =
★ Mean Maximum Highest Temp. - Summer =
★ Mean Minimum Lowest Temp. - Winter =
★ Growing Degree-Days = 2239
★ Growing Season = 190-200 days
★ Mean Annual Precipitation = 85 cm (33.5 in)
★ Mean Annual Snow Fall = 151 cm (59.5 in)
★ Average Number of Days with Precipitation = 141 days
★ Average Number of Days with Snowfall = 42 days
★ Average Number of Days with max. temperature > 0°C (32°F)= 304 days
Economy
Procter & Gamble,
Lipton,
Wilson Sports,
Sears and
Nortel are among the internationally known companies with industrial operations in Belleville. The central
Canadian Forces Post Office (CFPO) is located here. As this post office is the gateway between the
civilian and military postal systems of Canada, Belleville serves as the mailing address for
Canadian Armed Forces Bases and Ships abroad.
Many other companies in the manufacturing sector formerly operated plants in Belleville, including Mead Johnson, Westwood-Squibb and Union Carbide. Prior to the Nortel downturn there was a large workforce of skilled workers at two of its plants, formerly known as Northern Telecom and prior to that, Northern Electric. Subtracting the successes of companies listed above who remain in business, the economy of Belleville is increasingly being left with nothing but hair-styling, fried chicken and call center positions causing many educated youth to leave the city in search of better employment in other areas, mainly nearby Toronto and Ottawa.
Demographics
The City of
Belleville, with the
amalgamation of the Township of Thurlow, and the annexation of a portion of the City of Quinte West, has a population of approximately 46,000 people. Belleville is the largest urban centre in a much larger market area generally known as the Quinte Region. The Quinte Region extends approximately 25 miles in all directions from Belleville's City centre, and has an estimated population of approximately 173,000 people.
Belleville's population is projected to increase by 7,500 people by 2021 to approximately 54,000 inhabitants, a growth rate of roughly .7% per year. However, two trends may result in a growth rate up to twice the above rate. The two trends include:
★ expansion of smaller urban communities within easy traveling distance to large metropolitan urban centres.
★ expansion of Belleville as the regional employment and service centre for the Quinte Region and areas.
Population Stats
★ Population: 48,821
★ Population Within Of City Centre: 172,625
★ Population Density Within 25 Mile Radius Of City Centre:
★ Average Population Per Dwelling Within 25 Mile Radius Of City Centre: 2.61
Education
Belleville is part of two School Boards:
Public
★
Hastings & Prince Edward District School Board,
High Schools
★
Bayside Secondary School
★
Centennial Secondary School (Belleville)
★
Moira Secondary School
★
Quinte Secondary School
Elementary Schools
★
Susanna Moodie Elementary School
★
Parkdale Public Elementary School
★
Queen Elizabeth Elementary School
★
Prince of Wales Elementary School
★
Harry J. Clarke Elementary School
★
Queen Victoria Elementary School
★
Chase Maracle Elementary School
★
Sir John A Macdonald School
★
Sir Mackenzie Bowell School
★
Hillcrest Elementary School
★
Prince Charles Elementary School
★
Foxboro Public Elementary School
Special Schools
★
Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf.
★
William R Kirk School for developmentally disabled, multiple disabilities, and special education.
Separate
★
Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board, the
Roman Catholic, provincially funded "separate" board,
High Schools
★
Nicholson Catholic College
★
St. Theresa Catholic Secondary School
Elementary
★
Our Lady of Fatima Elementary School
★
St Michael's Elementary School
★
St Joseph's Elementary School
★
Georges Vanier Elementary School
★
Holy Rosary Elementary School
Private Schools
★
Albert College, A private boarding school
★
Quinte Ballet School of Canada, One of the larger
ballet schools in Canada.
★
Quinte Christian High School which opened in 1977 and moved into new facilities in September 2006.
★
Belleville Christian School, Grades J-K, S-K, 1-8.
★
Kidzstep Vocational Prepatory School, Grades 7-12
Post-secondary
Loyalist College is the local
community college.
Sports Teams
Belleville is home to the
Belleville Bulls of the
Ontario Hockey League. They play at the
Yardmen Arena, located on Cannifton Road.
A major summer event which attracts thousands of people to Belleville each year is the
Waterfront & Ethnic Festival.
Belleville was the birthplace of
NHL stars:
★
Matt Cooke,
Vancouver Canucks veteran
★
Bob Crawford, (Hartford Whalers)
★
Lou Crawford former OHL and AHL head coach
★
Marc Crawford,
Los Angeles Kings head coach
★
Bobby Hull,
Hockey Hall of Fame member
★
Brett Hull, son of Bobby, 2006 Inductee into
Hockey Hall of Fame.
★
Dennis Hull, Bobby's younger brother, member of
1972 Team Canada.
★
Andrew Raycroft,
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender.
★
Brad Richardson,
Colorado Avalanche
Other Notable People from Belleville
Belleville was also home to:
★
Sir MacKenzie Bowell, Canada's fifth
Prime Minister
★ Singer
Avril Lavigne, born in Belleville, raised in nearby
Napanee
★
Susanna Moodie moved to Belleville with her husband in 1840, after several years spent "roughing it in the bush"
★
John Weldon,
animated movies director,
Oscar Award winner (
1979)
★ Author
Farley Mowat; born in Belleville; resides in
Port Hope.
★
Pete Quaife, bassist for
The Kinks in the 1960s, lived in Qunite Region from 1980 to 2005.
★
Miss Universe 2007 Riyo Mori spent her teenage years in Belleville, studying at
Centennial Secondary School and at
Quinte Ballet School of Canada[2]
Print
★
Belleville Intelligencer -
daily newspaper
Radio
★ AM 800 -
CJBQ ("800 AM")
country music
★ FM 91.3 -
CJLX ("91X")
Loyalist College campus radio
★ FM 95.5 -
CJOJ ("Classic Hits 95.5"),
classic hits
★ FM 97.1 -
CIGL ("Mix 97"),
hot adult contemporary,
top 40
★ FM 100.1 -
CHCQ ("Cool 100"),
country music
★ FM 102.3 -
CKJJ, ("UCB")
Christian music
★ FM 107.1 -
CJTN (Rock 107.1)
classic rock
★ See also
List of radio stations in Ontario.
Television
★ Channel 15:
CBLFT-TV-13 -
SRC
★ Channel 53:
CICO-TV-53 -
TVOntario
★ See also
List of television stations in Ontario.
Sister cities
★
Lahr, Germany - Established in 1971
★
Kunpo, South Korea - Established in 1996
★
Zhucheng, People's Republic of China - Established in 1996
References
1. City of Belleville 2006 Census Profile
2. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2007/05/29/4217363.html
External links
★
City of Belleville website
★
bellevilleontario.ca
★
Belleville Waterfront Festival
★
Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board
★
Belleville Public Library and John M. Parrott Art Gallery
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