'Brantford' is a city located on the
Grand River in southwestern
Ontario,
Canada. This single-tier municipality was once part of
Brant County. The city had a population of 90,192 in the
Canada 2006 Census.
Brantford, geographically surrounded by Brant, is connected to
Woodstock in the west and
Hamilton in the east by
Highway 403 and to
Cambridge to the north by Highway 24.
Highway 424, connecting
Highway 401 from Cambridge to Highway 403 in Brantford, is in the planning stages.
Brantford is sometimes known by the nickname ''Telephone City'', after the city's most famous former resident,
Alexander Graham Bell.
History
The city was first settled in 1784 when Captain
Joseph Brant and the Six Nations Indians left
New York to settle in Canada. As a reward for their loyalty to the Crown, they were given a large land grant on the Grand River. The original Mohawk settlement was on the south edge of the present-day city at a location favourable for landing canoes. Brant's crossing of the river gave the original name to the area: Brant's ford. By 1847, European settlers began to settle further up the river at a ford in the
Grand River and named the village Brantford. The native settlement was abandoned except for the
Mohawk Chapel which remains Ontario's oldest Protestant church.
Brantford was incorporated as a city in 1877.
Economy
Colborne Street
Brantford was an important Canadian industrial centre for the first half of the 20th Century, and was once the third largest city in Ontario. The city is at the deepest navigable point of the
Grand River and was once the railroad hub of Southern Ontario. Though it was formerly a railroad hub, few would describe the train terminal located just off West Street, as a major tourist attraction. The combination of water and rails helped Brantford develop from a farming community into a blue collar industrial city based on the agriculture implement industry centred around companies such as Massey Harris, Verity Plow and the
Cockshutt Plow Company. This industry, more than any other, provided the well paying and steady employment that allowed Brantford to sustain economic growth through most of the 20th century.
By the 1980s and 1990s, the economy of Brantford was in steady decline as a result of the bankruptcies of
White Farm Equipment,
Massey Ferguson,
Koering Waterous,
Harding Carpets, and other manufacturers. The closure of the businesses left thousands of people unemployed and created one of the most economically depressed areas in the country. However, the unemployment rate has steadily improved, from almost 14% in 1993 down to 6.3% in 2006. This improved employment picture led to the rate of
personal bankruptcy in Brantford falling by 6.2% in 2006.
The completion of the Brantford to
Ancaster section of
Highway 403 in 1997, was intended to provide an increased incentive for business to locate in Brantford because of easy access to
Hamilton and
Toronto, as well as being along the quickest route through southern Ontario between
Detroit and
Buffalo. In 2004
Procter & Gamble and
Ferrero SpA chose to locate in the city. However,
Wescast recently closed their local foundry, although their corporate headquarters will remain in Brantford.
On
February 16 2005, Brant, including Brantford, was added to the
Greater Golden Horseshoe along with
Haldimand and
Northumberland counties.
Education
Statistics from the 2001 Census indicate that 40% of Brantford residents had not earned a high-school diploma, compared to the provincial average of 33%.
The average annual income is 9% less than the national average.
The
W. Ross Macdonald School for blind and
deafblind students is located in Brantford.
Universities/Colleges
★
Mohawk College, has a satellite campus in Brantford, and offers programs in the downtown.
★
Laurier Brantford, a campus of
Wilfrid Laurier University, offers undergraduate degrees in their downtown facilities. They include degrees in Contemporary Studies, Criminology, Leadership, Journalism, and a joint program in education offered in partnership with Nipissing University.
★
Nipissing University, joint program with Wilfrid Laurier.
Secondary Schools
★
Assumption College School
★ Brantford Collegiate Institute & V.S.
★
North Park Collegiate & V.S.
★
Pauline Johnson Collegiate & V.S.
★
St. John's College
★ Tollgate Technological Institute (formerly known as Herman E. Fawcett).
Politics
Brantford city hall
The
city council was elected to a four-year term in November, 2006, and is headed by Mayor
Mike Hancock. Two councillors were elected to represent each of five wards. The current councillors are: Jennifer Kinneman and Mark Littell(Ward 1), Vince Bucci and John Sless (Ward 2), Greg Martin and Dan McCreary (Ward 3), Richard Carpenter and James Calnan (Ward 4), and John Bradford and Marguerite Ceschi-Smith (Ward 5).
At the federal and provincial levels of government, Brantford is part of the
Brant riding.
Media
Print
The ''
Brantford Expositor'', printed six times a week excluding Sunday, is owned by
Osprey Media.
Radio
★ AM 1380 -
CKPC (AM),
oldies
★ FM 92,1 -
CKPC-FM,
adult contemporary
★ FM 93.9 -
CFWC-FM, religious
Television
Brantford's only local television service comes from
Rogers Television(cable 20), a local
community channel on
Rogers Cable. Otherwise, Brantford is served by stations from
Toronto,
Hamilton and
Kitchener.
Film
Several movies have had scenes shot in Brantford, including ''
Silent Hill'', which was filmed downtown. Others include ''
Welcome to Mooseport'' and ''
Where the Truth Lies'', which were filmed at the Brantford Airport. ''
Weirdsville'' was also shot in Brantford. An episode of ''
Due South'', "
Dr. Long Ball", was filmed at Arnold Anderson Stadium
Cockshutt Park
Transportation
Air
The
Brantford Airport located on the outskirts of the city serves as a small municipal airport. It hosts the an annual
air show, featuring the
Snowbirds. The
John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Hamilton is located 20 minutes from Brantford, as well as the
Toronto Pearson International Airport located about an hour from Brantford.
Rail
The Brantford Train Station is located just north of downtown Brantford. The station is part of the
Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. The only passenger rail that passes through the station is
VIA Rail, which features daily trains to and from
Union Station in
Toronto, Ontario.
Bus
Brantford Transit
[2] provides local transportation around Brantford.
Greyhound and
Coach Canada also provide transit to
Hamilton and
Toronto.
Highways
★
Highway 403, East Hamilton, West Woodstock.
★
Highway 424, Proposed highway connecting
Highway 401 from Cambridge to Highway 403. Proposed start date sometime in 2008
★
Highway 24, North Cambridge, South Simcoe
Brantford
★
Highway # 2 & 53, which goes east from Brantford to Ancaster and connects to the 403.
Entertainment and Attractions
Brantford has many forms of entertainment available within the city. It houses cinemas, bowling alleys, and other traditional entertainment centres but also is home to the
Brantford OLG Casino and weekly pro-wrestling down the road from the casino at J's Place in the form of the
Pure Wrestling Association.
The
Sanderson Centre offers live performances.
The Ford Plant, Jack Hammers, and
J's Place offer live music.
Angel's Diner offers
1950s style
fast food while chain restaurants like ''
Boston Pizza'', ''
McDonald's'', ''
New York Fries'', and Brantfords own ''
Fast Eddies offer up more specialized forms of fast food.
The
Kinsmen Club of Brantford offer many entertaining
events throughout the year, including a weekly
Kingo (Bingo) game which runs every Thursday evening.
Sports Teams/Tournaments
Local Rep Teams & Tournments
★ Brantford 99er's Hockey Team
★ Brantford Ice Cats Girls Hockey Team
★ Brantford Bison's Football Team
★ Brantford Red Sox Baseball Team
★ The Wayne Gretzky International Hockey Tournament
[3] is held in Brantford annually
★ The Walter Gretzky House League Tournament is a tournament that is held yearly
★ Brantford Intercity Soccer Team
Current Intercounty/Major Teams
★
Brantford Red Sox of the
Intercounty Baseball League who play at Arnold Anderson Stadium
★ Brantford Braves of the Junior Intercounty Baseball League who also play at Arnold Anderson Stadium
★
Brantford Blast of the
Major League Hockey who play at the
Brantford Civic Centre
★
Brantford Golden Eagles of the
Ontario Hockey Association who play at the Brantford Civic Centre
★
Brantford Harlequins of the
Ontario Rugby Union
Defunct Teams
★
Brantford Alexanders(1978 to 1984), a former team of the
Ontario Hockey League who played at the Brantford Civic Centre. They are now the Erie Otters.
★
Brantford Smoke(1991-1998) of the CHL,
Colonial Hockey League who played at the Brantford Civic Centre. The team moved to Asheville until 2002
Other
★ Brantford will host the 2008
Allan Cup, which will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the event.
★ The Brantford Golf & Country Club was founded in 1879. It is the fourth oldest golf club in North America. It is ranked 29th on Score Golf's "Top 100 Golf Courses in Canada" 2006 list.
People
Service Clubs
★
Kinsmen Club of Brantford
Kinsmen Club of Brantford (
Kin Canada Bursaries)
Kiwanis Club of Brantford
Kiwanis Club of Grand River
Rotary Club of Brantford
Rotary Club of Brantford Sunrise
Brantford Lions Club
North Brantford Lions Club
Religion
There are also many churches situated in Brantford, including Baptist, Anglican, Penecostal, Presbyterian, Latter Day Saint, United,
Christadelphian, and Sikh.
References
1. ([1])
See also
★
List of mayors of Brantford, Ontario
★
Brant (electoral district)
★
Brantford City Council
★
Service Clubs
External links
★
City of Brantford
★
Brantford Heritage Inventory
★
BrantNow! Community Portal
★
Laurier Brantford
★
St. John's College
★
Pauline Johnson Collegiate & Vocational School
★
North Park Collegiate & Vocational School
★
Brantford Collegiate Institute & Vocational School
★
Assumption College School
★
Historical Brantford & Hamilton, a Photographic Tour
★
Brantford Public Library
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