North Glengarry 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 eastern

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, in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. It is a predominantly elderly invaded

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

area located between

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's N ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

Communities

The township of North Glengarry comprises a number of villages and hamlets, including the following communities: * Kenyon Township: Apple Hill, Dominionville, Dunvegan, Greenfield, Maxville (population 853); ''Athol'', ''Baltic Corners'', ''Dornie'', ''Fiskes Corners'', ''Fassifern'', ''Guaytown'', ''Laggan'', ''McCrimmon'', ''St. Elmo'', ''Stewarts Glen''; ''Fairview'', ''Skye'' * Lochiel Township: Alexandria (population 3,287), Dalkeith, Glen Robertson, Glen Sandfield, Lochiel; ''Breadalbane'', ''Brodie'', ''Kirkhill'', ''Lochinvar'', ''Lorne'', ''McCormick'', ''Pine Grove'' The township administrative offices are located in Alexandria. Alexandria is served five or six times a day by the Montreal-Ottawa Via Rail trains which almost all stop at Alexandria station in each direction. Commuter buses provide daily services from Maxville and area to

Ottawa-Gatineau The National Capital Region (french: Région de la capitale nationale), also referred to as Canada's Capital Region and Ottawa–Gatineau (formerly ''Ottawa–Hull''), is an official federal designation for the Canadian capital of Ottawa, On ...

. Maxville was served by Via Rail until October 2011. File:Alexandria ON.JPG, Alexandria File:Apple Hill ON.JPG, Apple Hill File:Maxville ON 2.JPG, Maxville File:Ottawa House - hotel in Alexandria, Glengarry County, Ontario (I0002510).tiff, Ottawa House - hotel in Alexandria, Glengarry County, Ontario, corner of Main and St. Paul Streets, etween 1895 and 1910

History

The area was originally settled in 1792 as part of the historic

Glengarry County Glengarry County, an area covering , is a former county in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is historically known for its settlement of Scottish Highlanders. Glengarry County now consists of the modern-day townships of North Glengarry and South ...

in which many

Scottish emigrants The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded t ...

settled from all over the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

due to the

Highland Clearances The Highland Clearances ( gd, Fuadaichean nan Gàidheal , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860. The first phase resulte ...

. This first wave of heavy migration lasted till 1816, emigration still continued afterwards into the early 20th century but in a slower pace. Many of these migrants came from the

Inverness-shire Inverness-shire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in populatio ...

area of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

specifically.

Canadian Gaelic Canadian Gaelic or Cape Breton Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig Chanada, or ), often known in Canadian English simply as Gaelic, is a collective term for the dialects of Scottish Gaelic spoken in Atlantic Canada. Scottish Gaels were settled in Nova Scot ...

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

has been a spoken language in the area for over four centuries 792? Kenyon, which was part of Charlottenburgh Township until 1798, was named for British judge and politician

Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon (5 October 1732 – 4 April 1802), was a British politician and barrister, who served as Attorney General, Master of the Rolls and Lord Chief Justice. Born to a country gentleman, he was initially educated in Ha ...

, and Lochiel, which was part of Lancaster Township until 1818, was named for the Lochiels of

Clan Cameron Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber and within their lands lies Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The Chief ...

. Alexandria and its nucleus ''Priest's Mill'', built in 1819, were named for the Catholic priest Alexander Macdonell, who resided at St. Raphael's and later became the first bishop of Kingston.''Main Street Glengarry County''
p. 6, p. 13 Development in the region was significantly spurred by the development of a railway link between

and

in the early 1880s. Maxville, Alexandria and Glen Robertson, in particular, became key railway hubs for farmers in the area. Maxville was first incorporated as a village separate from Kenyon Township in 1892, and Alexandria was separated from Lochiel Township in the early 1900s. The township of North Glengarry was established on January 1, 1998, with the amalgamation of the former townships of Kenyon and Lochiel, along with the village of Maxville and the town of Alexandria.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

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 ...

, North Glengarry 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.

Culture

Maxville (population 853) hosts the annual

Glengarry Highland Games The Glengarry Highland Games consist of a series of traditional Scottish competitions held annually in Maxville, Ontario, Canada, usually held the first weekend in August. The games span three days and with an attendance of over 20,000, are th ...

, one of North America's largest festivals of Scottish culture, on the first long weekend in August. The Glengarry Highland Games include traditional Scottish events such as the caber toss, tug of war, and the sheaf toss. Maxville hosts a country fair at the end of June that include a classic and new automobile show, homecraft prizes, Western performances, a holstein show including 4-H showmanship, a hunter horse and hunter pony show, a talent show, a midway, laser tag and a demolition derby.

Sport

The

Alexandria Glens The Alexandria Glens are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Alexandria, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Martin Division of the Central Canada Hockey League Tier 2 (CCHL2). They play at the Billy Gebbie Arena, also known as the Gl ...

of the

Central Canada Hockey League Tier 2 The Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Junior ice hockey league operating in Eastern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by Hockey Eastern Ontario and Hockey Canada and acts as a second tier to the Central Canada Hockey League. The 1 ...

play at the Glengarry Sports Palace ( Billy Gebbie Arena) in Alexandria. The Glens Join the CCHL2 new league in 2015. The Glens played in the

Eastern Ontario Junior B Hockey League The Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Junior ice hockey league operating in Eastern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by Hockey Eastern Ontario and Hockey Canada and acts as a second tier to the Central Canada Hockey League. The 1 ...

until 2014-15 Season. The Glens won the 2007 EOJBHL Championship, defeating the Gatineau Mustangs in 7 games in the final. This marks the first time a team outside of the Metro Division of EOJBHL has won the Carson Trophy as league champions in over half a decade. This marks the Glens first Junior "B" Championship. The Glens won the 2008 EOJBHL Championship, defeating the Ottawa West Golden Knights in 6 games in the final. This marks the first time a team the St-Lawrence Division has won the Carson Trophy back to back as league champions. This marks the Glens Second Junior "B" Championship. The Maxville Mustangs of the

Eastern Ontario Junior C Hockey League The National Capital Junior Hockey League (NCJHL) is a Junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Hockey Eastern Ontario and Hockey Canada. The league is meant to be an interprovincial league between Ontario and Quebec. Histor ...

used to play in Maxville.

References

External links

* {{StormontDundasGlengarry Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Municipalities in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Township municipalities in Ontario