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'Sarnia' is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada (city population 71,419, census area population 88,793, in 2006). It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the three upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River.
The city's natural harbour first attracted the French explorer La Salle, who named the site "The Rapids". The name "Sarnia" was the Latin name for Guernsey in the Channel Islands just off the coast of Normandy, France. The Sarnia port is still an important centre for lake freighters and "salties" carrying cargos of grain and petroleum products. It is the largest community in Lambton County.
The aforementioned natural port and the salt caverns that exist in the surrounding areas, coupled with the oil discovered in nearby Oil Springs lead to the massive growth of the petroleum industry in this area. Since Oil Springs was the first place in North America to commercially drill for oil, the knowledge that was acquired there and strengthened in Sarnia led to Sarnians traveling the world teaching other nations how to drill for oil. What is now known as the 'Chemical Valley', located down river of Sarnia proper, once adorned the back of the Canadian ten dollar bill.
Sarnia was once the kissing capital of the world, but the Chilean capital, Santiago ousted Sarnia in 2003. On February 14, 2004, the Filipino capital of Manila claimed the title and is now the official kissing capital of the world.

Contents

The Name

History

Climate

Development

Film industry

Government

Education

People connected with Sarnia

Media

Radio

Television

Newspapers

Events and attractions

Demographics

Census Data

Communities

References

External links

The Name

From "The Rapids" to "Port Sarnia" to "Sarnia", the city has undergone many changes - from an Indian hunting ground to an up-and-coming settlement and an industrial centre. In 1812, Sir John Colborne was appointed Governor of the Isle of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands. In 1829, the area and Townships of Sarnia and Moore were surveyed by Boswell Mount, and named by Sir John Colborne.
Previously thought to be the Roman name for the Isle of Guernsey, it has now been found that the name Sarnia has a Celtic origin.
In 1835, Colborne paid his first visit to what is now the city of Sarnia, then known as "The Rapids". Previous to his visit, the villagers had decided that a change of name was necessary, but found it impossible to agree on a new name. The English settlers favoured the name "Buenos Aires" and the Scottish, "New Glasgow". To break the deadlock, Sir John Colborne suggested "Port Sarnia" and on January 4 1836, the name was formally adopted by a vote of 26 to 16.
A year previous to the adoption of the name Port Sarnia, the village was composed of 44 taxpayers, 9 frame houses, 4 log houses, 2 brick dwellings, 2 taverns and 3 stores. An Act to incorporate the Town of Sarnia was assented to on June 19 1856. The name Port Sarnia was officially changed to "The Town of Sarnia" effective January 1 1857. The population of the Town was mentioned in the Act at upwards of 1,000 inhabitants and there were three wards.
An Act to Incorporate the City of Sarnia was assented to on April 20 1914. The name Town of Sarnia would be officially changed to "The Corporation of the City of Sarnia" effective May 7 1914. This day was marked by the visit of Canada’s Governor General, H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught, and his daughter Princess Patricia. It was also on this day that Sarnia adopted the title of "The Imperial City". The population of the City was mentioned at 10,985 in the Act, and there were six wards.
On January 1 1991, The Corporation of the City of Sarnia and the Corporation of the Town of Clearwater (formerly the Township of Sarnia) officially became "The Corporation of the City of Sarnia-Clearwater". The new city would consist of four wards.
On January 1 1992, the name of The Corporation of the City of Sarnia-Clearwater was changed to "The Corporation of the City of Sarnia".

History

Early in the 1830s, the first settlers arrived in the Sarnia area and established a community known as "The Rapids". In 1836, the name "Port Sarnia" was adopted, and the community grew steadily over the years being incorporated as a town in 1856 and, finally, as the "City of Sarnia" on May 7, 1914.
The City of Sarnia and the neighbouring Town of Clearwater amalgamated on January 1, 1991, to become the "City of Sarnia-Clearwater". The new community has a population of 70,000 and a total land area of 44,000 acres (180 km²).
On January 1, 1992, the name became "City of Sarnia."
The early growth of Sarnia was stimulated by the wealth of adjoining stands of timber, by the discovery of oil nearby and by the arrival of The Great Western Railway in 1858 and the Grand Trunk Railway in 1859. These rail lines were later linked directly to the United States by the opening of a rail tunnel under the St. Clair River at Sarnia in 1889. A convenient link for vehicular traffic was provided when the Bluewater Bridge was opened in 1938.
Sarnia became a prominent deep water port during the 1920s when many of the shipping facilities that exist today were constructed, including the winter harbour, the elevator slip and the large grain elevators.
While there had been a petroleum industry in the Sarnia area since the mid-1800s, the establishment of the Polymer Corporation in 1942 to manufacture synthetic rubber during World War II was the first step in establishing Sarnia as a major petrochemical centre.

Climate

The climate of Sarnia is considered a mild climate for Canadian standards. Winters are mild to cold and summers are warm to hot/humid. Lake Huron can create large temperature differences within the city in spring and early summer. Humidex readings can be quite high at times from late May to late September. Thunderstorms can become quite severe from April to September. The area enjoys a longer growing season than cities at similar latitudes, such as London, Ontario, Madison, Wisconsin or Lansing Michigan due to the lake influence. The mild climate of Sarnia is one of the reasons that Sarnia has attracted retirees.

Development

The growth of the city received a major boost when North America's first oil discovery was made at nearby Oil Springs, Ontario in the 1850s. In 1938, the Blue Water Bridge was built to join Sarnia with Port Huron, Michigan; in 1997, the bridge was twinned. Today linking Ontario Highway 402 with the US I-94 and I-69, the bridge is one of the most important gateways on the north/south truck routes. This bridge to the United States had been preceded by the construction of the St. Clair tunnel in 1891 — the first rail tunnel ever to pass under a river. The tunnel was an engineering marvel in its day, achieved through the development of original techniques for excavating in a compressed air environment.

When World War II threatened tropical sources of natural latex for rubber, Sarnia was selected as the site to spearhead development of synthetic petroleum-based rubbers for war materials. Large pipelines bring Alberta oil to Sarnia, where oil refining and petrochemical production have become mainstays of the city's economy. Large salt beds found under the city became a source of chlorine and another significant ingredient in the success of the "Chemical Valley". In recent years "Chemical Valley" has been in decline, with Dow Chemical Company making plans to leave the area permantly by the end of 2008#REDIRECT [1].
While industry expanded south along the St. Clair, Sarnia's population tended to move out eastward along the Lake Huron shoreline. The sandy fresh water beaches are a popular tourist attraction, while the sheltered harbour houses marinas for recreational sailing. Since 1925, the 250-mile (400 km) Mackinac race from Sarnia/Port Huron to Mackinac Island, at the north end of the lake, has been the highlight of the sailing season, drawing more than 3000 sailors each year.

Film industry

Sarnia has had several films shoot portions in the city. Scenes from the 1994 film ''Renaissance Man'' and the 2000 film ''Bless the Child'' were both filmed at the Blue Water Bridge.
In 2002, Michael Moore filmed segments of his documentary ''Bowling for Columbine'' in Sarnia. He interviewed residents outside the local Taco Bell, the plaza beside it, the Famous Players' Lambton 9 movie theater and at a gun show in nearby Point Edward. Additionally, in the summer of 2004, Sarnia mayor Mike Bradley (who was also interviewed in the film), offered to name Moore an honorary citizen of Sarnia. In his 2007 film ''Sicko'', Michael Moore returned to Sarnia to shoot to interview his relatives at Sears and in the Marina restaurant at the former St. Clair Parkway site.

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External links

★ Fishing Reports for the Area Fishing Reports for the Area.

★ Sarnia Christian School The web site of the Christian school board servicing Sarnia.

★ Corporation of the City of Sarnia The official web site of Sarnia's municipal government.

★ Lambton Kent District School Board The web site of the public school board servicing Sarnia.

★ St. Clair Catholic District School Board The web site of the Catholic school board servicing Sarnia.

★ The Observer The official web site of The Observer, a local newspaper.

★ Tourism Sarnia-Lambton Travel information from a local tourism promotion organization.

★ Celebration of Lights An annual event in which Christmas lights are strung on trees and lighted displays erected in the Centennial Park.

★ Sarnia Bayfest Summer music festival held at Centennial Park.