Centre Wellington is a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

in south-central

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada, located in Wellington County. The primary communities are Elora and Fergus. The area is agricultural but also includes industries such as manufacturing. In the

Canada 2016 Census The 2016 Canadian census was an enumeration of Canadian residents, which counted a population of 35,151,728, a change from its 2011 population of 33,476,688. The census, conducted by Statistics Canada, was Canada's seventh quinquennial census ...

, the population was stated as 28,191.

History

The township was established on January 1, 1999, by amalgamating Fergus, Elora, the Townships of Nichol, Pilkington, West Garafraxa and a part of Eramosa. Fergus and Elora, in particular, have interesting histories that started in the 1830s.

Communities

In addition to Fergus and Elora, the township includes several small communities, hamlets and villages including; Aboyne, Belwood, Creek Bank,

Cumnock Cumnock (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cumnag'') is a town and former civil parish located in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The town sits at the confluence of the Glaisnock Water and the Lugar Water. There are three neighbouring housing projects which lie just o ...

, Dracon, Ennotville, Inverhaugh, Living Springs, Oustic, Pentland Corners, Ponsonby, Salem, Shiloh, Simpson Corners, Speedside and Spier.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Centre Wellington had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. According to the 2011 Canadian Census, the median age was 42.7 years old, a bit higher than the national median at 40.6 years old. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, the median value of a dwelling in Centre Wellington was $300,625, a bit higher than the national average at $280,552. The median household income (after-taxes) in Centre Wellington was $66,764, higher than the national average at $54,089. Most of Centre Wellington's population in 2011 was of European descent; the following is the racial breakdown: * 96.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

* 2.1% Aboriginal; ''1.4%

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

, 0.7%

Metis Metis or Métis may refer to: Ethnic groups * Métis, recognized Indigenous communities in Canada and America whose distinct culture and language emerged after early intermarriage between First Nations peoples and early European settlers, prima ...

'' * 0.4%

South Asian South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, ...

* 0.3%

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

n;'' 0.3%

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

, 0.0%

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

, 0.0%

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

'' * 0.2%

Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...

' * 0.2%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

* 0.1%

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

n; ''0.1%

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

'' * 0.0%

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

* 0.0%

West Asian Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes An ...

* 0.0%

Multiracial Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...

; ''0.7% including Metis'' * 0.2% Other

Economy

Centre Wellington is heavily agricultural but is also the home to industries, manufacturers, retailers, health care services and trades people. The local economy also benefits greatly from tourism. At the time of the 2011 census, 6.4% of the workforce of Centre Wellington was involved in agriculture and other resource-based industries/utilities, 24.8% in manufacturing and construction, 19.8% in health and education and 13.2% in wholesale and retail trade. The top three categories for employment (in order of importance) were in Manufacturing, Healthcare and Agriculture. The major employers in the township include Jefferson Elora Corp., Nexans Canada, Polycorp Ltd., Groves Memorial Hospital, Wellington Terrace and PR Donnelly. The average real estate value, for a single detached home in 2014 was $342,817 in Centre Wellington. Many tourists visit Centre Wellington, especially Elora, on daytrips, attracted by the historic nature of the towns or the Grand River Raceway with horse racing and slot machines. Also at the edge of town, the

Elora Gorge The Elora Gorge is a popular tourist attraction located at the western edge of Elora, Ontario, Canada, which is 25 km north from the city of Guelph. Elora Gorge Conservation Area is one of many conservation areas owned by the Grand River Cons ...

Conservation Area often fills to capacity on summer weekends. The park offers paddleboat rentals, hiking, camp-grounds, fishing and picnicking. Also operated by the Grand River Conservation Authority, the nearby Elora Quarry is a popular swimming area. The annual Elora Festival (2 weeks in July) is particularly popular; the headliner in 2017 was

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960 ...

. The Elora mill, built in the 1830s, was a hotel until 2010. It was restored to luxury level and reopened as the Elora Mill Inn and Spa on July 6, 2018. The township encourages the filming of movies and TV shows; quite a few productions have taken advantage of the historic look of Fergus and especially Elora for location work. For example, in 2016, parts of the 10-part mini-series, ''Canada: The Story of Us'', were filmed in Elora which stood in for scenes of WW II skirmishes in Holland and France.

Local government

Township council includes a mayor and six councilors. Three of the latter live in Fergus while one lives in Elora. The Township is also represented on the County of Wellington Council which is made up of seven mayors and nine councilors. The head of this council is the Warden. The township of Centre Wellington has an active historical society and operates the Wellington County Museum and Archives in a historic stone building in Aboyne, halfway between Elora and

Fergus, Ontario Fergus is the largest community in Centre Wellington, a township within Wellington County in Ontario, Canada. It lies on the Grand River about 18 km NNW of Guelph. The population of this community at the time of the 2016 Census was 20,767, ...

. This two-storey

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

stone building was the earliest known state-supported

poorhouse A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run (usually by a county or municipality) facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy. Workhouses In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland), ‘workhouse’ has been the ...

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

in Canada, called the

Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge The Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge, located in Fergus, Ontario, is the oldest surviving state-supported poorhouse in Canada. Constructed in 1877, the site operated as a poorhouse and farm until 1947, and as an old age home until ...

when it opened in 1877. Subsequently, the home switched to caring for the elderly and chronically ill, eventually closing in 1971. The building was designated a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of t ...

in 1995.

Climate

This township has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(''Dfb'') under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

with cold winters and warm summers.

Sports

Centre Wellington recently expanded the community centre in Fergus which now has two ice pads, a pool, a hall and a gym. The complex plays host to the Centre Wellington Fusion & Mustangs minor hockey associations, the Centre Wellington Thistles jr C minor lacrosse team, the Center Wellington Mohawks minor Lacrosse association, and the Fergus Flippers aquatic club. The Elora arena plays host to the

Elora Rocks The Elora Rocks are a senior hockey team based out of Elora, Ontario, Canada. They play in the WOSHL, the Western Ontario Super Hockey League presented by Sleeman Breweries. History In the early 1990s, the Elora Rocks were members of the Nort ...

Sr.A hockey team, the

Elora Mohawks The Elora Mohawks are Junior "B" box lacrosse team from Elora, Ontario, Canada. The Mohawks play in the OLA Junior B Lacrosse League. History Probably founded in the 1960s, the Mohawks started out as the Fergus Thistles. In 1963, the team mo ...

Jr.B lacrosse team, and The Edge Ringette association. The Inverhaugh Cricket Club is the only privately owned turf wicket in Canada used for cricket. Highland Park is the home t
Centre Wellington Minor Softball Association
which has been providing safe and fun softball to families in CW for decades. They now offer Softball to both kids AND Adults to better serve the entire family and keep the people of Centre Wellington active. Fergus is also home to the Highland Rugby Club and the Fergus-Elora District Soccer Club (FEDS). Fergus Curling Club, Ontario's oldest continuously running Curling Club, was founded in 1834 by settlers from Scotland. Adam Fergusson was the first president. Matches were held outdoors until 1879 when an indoor rink was opened.

Media

Centre Wellington is covered by local newspapers, television and local radio through the following services: * ''The Wellington Advertiser'' * '' TVCogeco'' * ''EloraFergusToday'' * ''The Grand @ 101'' (101.1 FM)

References

External links

* {{Wellington County Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Township municipalities in Ontario