Renfrew County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British Nor ...

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 ...

. It stands on the west bank of the Ottawa River. There are 17

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

in the county.

History

Bathurst District

When Carleton County was withdrawn from Bathurst District in 1838, Renfrew County was severed from part of the remaining

Lanark County Lanark County is a county located in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its county seat is Perth, which was first settled in 1816.Brown, Howard Morton, 1984. Lanark Legacy, Nineteenth Century Glimpses of on Ontario County. Corporation of the C ...

, but the two remained united for electoral purposes. By 1845, all lands in the District had been surveyed into the following townships:

United Counties of Lanark and Renfrew

Effective January 1, 1850, Bathurst District was abolished, and the "United Counties of Lanark and Renfrew" replaced it for municipal and judicial purposes. The counties remained united for electoral purposes in the Parliament of the Province of Canada, referred to as the County of Lanark, until Renfrew gained its own seat in 1853. The separation of Renfrew from Lanark began in 1861, with the creation of a Provisional Municipal Council that held its first meeting in June 1861. The United Counties were dissolved in August 1866.

Geographical evolution

The territory was originally described in 1838 as consisting of: In 1851, Pakenham was transferred to Lanark, while Renfrew was expanded through the addition of: In 1860, the newly surveyed townships of Miller and Canonto were transferred to Frontenac County, while the townships of Raglan, Lyndoch, Radcliffe and Brudenell were added to Renfrew. The final expansion of the County occurred in 1877-1878, with the transfer of the United Townships of Hagarty, Sherwood, Jones, Richards and Burns, and the United Townships of Head, Clara and Maria, from Nipissing District. Once all lands had been surveyed, the County consisted of the following townships:

Municipal reorganization (2001)

The county seat, Pembroke, is a

separated municipality Ontario is the most populous province in Canada with 14,223,942 residents as of 2021 and is third-largest in land area at . Ontario's 444 municipalities cover only of the province's land mass yet are home to of its population. These muni ...

Geography

Renfrew County Ontario Sign entering from Quebec on 148

Renfrew County is known for its lakeside cottages and white-water rafting along the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (french: Rivière des Outaouais, Algonquin: ''Kichi-Sìbì/Kitchissippi'') is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word 'to trade', as it was the major trade route of Eastern ...

, and has more than 900 lakes.Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada located in the Ottawa Valley, County of Renfrew
/ref> It is located in the primary region of Southern Ontario and the secondary region Eastern or Southeastern Ontario. Renfrew County is also the largest county in terms of area in Ontario, ahead of Hastings County.

Demographics

As a

census division Census divisions, in Canada and the United States, are areas delineated for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government in and of themselves. The census divisions of Canada are second-level census geographic uni ...

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 cultu ...

, Renfrew County 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.

Arts and culture

At Wilno, Ontario Canada's Kashubian community celebrates their heritage.

Military

The county is home to CFB Petawawa and gives its name to

The Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment german: Ich Dien, lit=I serve la, Nemo Me Impune Lacessit, lit=No one provokes me with impunity , march = Quick: " The Highland Laddie" , battles = Fenian RaidsFirst World WarSecond World War , battl ...

Notable people

Silver Quilty Sylvester Patrick "Silver" Quilty (February 8, 1891 – December 2, 1976) was a Canadian football player, referee, coach and sport administrator. As a player, he won the Yates Cup in 1907 with the Ottawa Gee-Gees football team, and was credit ...

, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame inductee

References

External links

* {{Authority control Counties in Ontario