Huntsville is a town in Muskoka. It is located north of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and south of North Bay. Of the three big Muskoka towns, it is the largest by population (21,147 per 2021 census) and land area (710.64 km²). Huntsville is located in the hilly terrain of the

Canadian Shield The Canadian Shield (french: Bouclier canadien ), also called the Laurentian Plateau, is a geologic shield, a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. It forms the North American Craton (or Laurentia), the anc ...

and is dotted with many lakes. Due to its natural environment and natural resources, Huntsville is a tourist destination drawing people from around the world. The

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

ranked the town the #1 place to take a summer trip in 2011. Huntsville serves as the western gateway to

Algonquin Provincial Park Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Ontario, Canada, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Cana ...

via

Ontario Highway 60 King's Highway 60, commonly referred to as Highway 60, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The highway serves as the primary corridor through Algonquin Provincial Park, where it is dedicated as the Frank McD ...

, and was host to the

36th G8 summit The 36th G8 summit was held in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada, on June 25–26, 2010. In this year's meeting, the G8 leaders agreed in reaffirming the group's essential and continuing role in international affairs and "assertions of new-found relevan ...

in June 2010, at

Deerhurst Resort Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ontario, is 215 km (133 Miles) north of Toronto in Ontario's Muskoka region, bordering the Algonquin Provincial Park. The resort dates from 1896 when it was opened by English entrepreneur Charles Waterhouse.R ...

History

The first European who settled in the area in 1869 was George Hunt, who built a small agricultural centre there. In 1870, a post office was built and the area was named Huntsville after Hunt, who became the first postmaster. Huntsville's economic development was stimulated by the engineering of a navigable water route north from Port Sydney to Huntsville which opened in 1877. A railway route from Gravenhurst was built by the

Northern and Pacific Junction Railway The Northern and Pacific Junction Railway (N&PJ) is a historic railway located in northern Ontario, Canada. It connected the Northern Railway of Canada's endpoint in Gravenhurst to the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) at Nipissing Junction, near No ...

in 1885, which encouraged development and resulted in Huntsville becoming officially incorporated in 1886. In the following year, the Muskoka Colonization Road reached this area. The

central Ontario Central Ontario is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario that lies between Georgian Bay and the eastern end of Lake Ontario. The population of the region was 1,123,307 in 2016; however, this number does not in ...

community became an important industrial area in the late 19th century and had several saw, planing and shingle mills, as well as a tannery. Today, the many lakes and hills in the area, combined with the town's proximity to both

Algonquin Park Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Ontario, Canada, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Canad ...

and

, make Huntsville and the Muskoka region a major tourist destination. On 8 October 2009, Huntsville lost one of its valued landmarks, the Empire Hotel. The first building erected at the site of the Empire Hotel was Jacob's Hotel, built around 1875 by James W. Jacobs. He later renamed it Dominion Hotel. Jacobs died in 1890 leaving behind his wife & eldest daughter, who both were named Emma. It is unknown which of the women married a McLaughlin man, but the McLaughlin family renovated the building after the horrible Main Street fire of 1894. A 26 July 1906 issue of the Huntsville Forester reported the sale of the hotel to Robert T. McNairney and D. Kehoe, who demolished it so as to expand it three stories. By 1922 the Dominion was owned by Bruce Simmons. Organized in 1933, the town's rotary club began to meet at the hotel, and would for many years. In 1945, the hotel was bought Louis Mascioli of

Timmins Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 (2021). The city's economy is based on natural resource ext ...

. In 1947–1948, the Mascioli brothers renovated and expanded the facility, removing the porches, adding street level retail units and erecting the adjoining four-story red brick building. They also renamed it the Empire hotel. The first shops were a barbershop, a jewelry store and also a shoe store. Beilhartz shoes remained in business in the Empire Block until 1985. In the mid-80's, Jim Tumber, who acquired the building along with Gary Macklaim, obtained a grant from the

Government of Ontario The government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor� ...

to help convert the now derelict building from a hotel into an apartment building. Dave Keay, the building's last owner, bought the Empire in 1999. Over the next 10 years he refurbished the basement bar and the 52 apartments, doing most of the work personally. The day the fire happened was the day that Keay had just finished the outside painting. The fire was believed to be caused by an electrical problem but the exact determination is still unclear. As of July 2021, the lot is empty. In June 2010,

in Huntsville was host to the

Huntsville Town Hall

Built in 1926, the

Classical Revival Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

administration building was designed by Toronto-based Ellis and Belfry (James Ellis and Franklin Belfry) and was last renovated in 2006 with an added annex (Algonquin Theatre). Council is exploring options to deal with the aging structure. The clock faces are salvaged on 17 August 1927 from the demolition of the 1873 Union Station in Toronto. The building's land was once used as early burial ground and Methodist manse for the then Huntsville Methodist Church next door (c. 1897 and became Huntsville Trinity United Church in 1926). During construction of the town hall in the 1920s, skeletal remains turned up, which showed that not everything had been moved to the, then new, Locks Cemetery site. The building involved two decades of planning.

Council and administration

The town's council is made up of nine members. The members include the mayor, three town and district councillors who represent the town at the municipality of Muskoka council, and ward councillors who represent the wards of Huntsville (Ward 1), Chaffey (Ward 2), Stephenson-Stisted-Port Sydney (Wards 3,4,5), and Brunel (Ward 6). A regular council meeting is held once a month in the Council Chambers in the Huntsville Civic Centre. From December 2019 until November 2022 the mayor of Huntsville was Karin Terziano. She previously has served as the acting mayor between 12 November 2019 and 17 December 2019. On 17 December 2019, she was appointed to fill the vacancy of the mayor's office resulting from Scott Aitchison's resignation to become a federal MP for

Parry Sound—Muskoka Parry Sound—Muskoka is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1949. The riding consists of the Territorial District of Parry Sound (excluding the Town of Powassan, ...

. On 11 February 2019, Bob Stone was appointed to fill the vacant Ward One seat vacated when Mayor Terziano was appointed mayor. On 24 February 2019, the council appointed Councillor Nancy Alcock to serve as Deputy Mayor. Alcock had previously served as the alternate deputy mayor. Councillor Jason FitzGerald was appointed alternate deputy mayor. Members of the 2018-2022 council term were: * Deputy Mayor Nancy Alcock (Town and District Councillor) * Brian Thompson (Town and District Councillor) * Tim Withey (Town and District Councillor) * Bob Stone (Huntsville Ward Councillor, Ward 1) * Jonathan Wiebe (Chaffey Ward Councillor, Ward 2) * Dione Schumacher (Stephenson-Stisted-Port Sydney, Ward 3, 4, 5) * Jason FitzGerald (Stephenson-Stisted-Port Sydney, Ward 3, 4, 5) * Dan Armour (Brunel Ward Councillor, Ward 6) * Mayor Terziano In early 2022, Mayor Terziano announced her intention to retire at the end of the term. Four individuals announced their bids to become Mayor. Former Fire Chief Steve Hernen, incumbent Town and District Councillor Tim Withy, taxi stand owner Ruben Bullion and incumbent Deputy Mayor Nancy Alcock ran for the office with Deputy Mayor Alcock winning the election. Hernen, Withey, and Bullion placing 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively. Nancy Alcock was sworn in as the second female mayor of Huntsville and the first elected female on 21 November 2022. *Mayor Nancy Alcock *Deputy Mayor and Town and District Councillor Dan Armour *Town and District Councillor Scott Morrison *Town and District Councillor Bob Stone *Helena Renwick (Huntsville Ward Councillor, Ward 1) *Cory Clarke (Chaffey Ward Councillor, Ward 2) *Dione Schumacher (Stephenson-Stisted-Port Sydney, Ward 3, 4, 5) *Jason FitzGerald (Stephenson-Stisted-Port Sydney, Ward 3, 4, 5) *Monty Cluthiur (Brunel Ward Councillor, Ward 6)

Geography

There are three large lakes within the township boundary, Mary Lake, Lake Vernon, and Fairy Lake, as well as countless smaller lakes.

Peninsula Lake Peninsula Lake in the District Municipality of Muskoka, is one of the (North) Muskoka Lakes. Peninsula Lake is a mid-sized cold-water lake located just east of Huntsville, Ontario. Municipal jurisdiction is split between the Town of Huntsville a ...

, Skeleton Lake, and

Lake of Bays Lake of Bays is a township municipality within the District Municipality of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. The township, situated north of Toronto, is named after the Lake of Bays. During the 2016 census, the township had a population of 3,167 and ...

lie directly outside the town. The

Muskoka River The Muskoka River is a river in the Muskoka District of Ontario, Canada. It rises in the highlands of Algonquin Park and flows southwest through a number of lakes including *Lake Muskoka *Lake Joseph *Lake Rosseau *Lake of Bays which empty into ...

winds its way through the city's downtown, while the Big East River empties into Lake Vernon. The

Arrowhead Provincial Park Arrowhead Provincial Park is located north of Huntsville, Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Ontario Parks system. A portion of the shoreline of Glacial Lake Algonquin Lake Algonquin was a prehistoric proglacial lake that existed in east- ...

is also located within city limits. The Canadian Shield causes many scenic hills and sweeping landscapes throughout the region. The city centre is full of hills and steep roadways and while there are flat low-lying areas much of the city lies on uneven terrain.

Climate

Huntsville experiences 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 ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

Dfb), with warm, humid summers and cold winters. The city experiences four distinct seasons, with considerable variance in day to day temperature, particularly during the colder weather season. Huntsville is located in the

snowbelt The Snowbelt is the region near the Great Lakes in North America where heavy snowfall in the form of lake-effect snow is particularly common. Snowbelts are typically found downwind of the lakes, principally off the eastern and southern shores. Ca ...

region of

Central Ontario Central Ontario is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario that lies between Georgian Bay and the eastern end of Lake Ontario. The population of the region was 1,123,307 in 2016; however, this number does not in ...

, near the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

, so experiences snowy winters and lake-effect snow. The city has comfortable summer temperatures and occasional heatwaves accompanied by high humidity and active thunderstorm weather. Huntsville and the Muskoka region have the highest annual precipitation of any region in Ontario.

Communities

In addition to the city centre, the communities of Allensville, Ashworth, Aspdin, Britannia Road, Canal, Centurion, Etwell, Grassmere, Hidden Valley, Hoodstown, Ilfracombe, Lancelot, Martins, Melissa, Muskoka Lodge, Newholm, Norvern Shores, Parkersville, Port Sydney, Ravenscliffe, Stanleydale, Utterson, Vernon Shores, Williamsport and Yearley are located within the municipal boundaries. The ghost town of Emberson was a rural postal village from 1874 to 1924 serving near by bush farms and logging camps. Today the area is covered over and reached by foot from the northern terminus of Brunel Sideroad 1.

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 ...

, Huntsville 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

Huntsville is a magnet for and home to many acclaimed visual artists. Famed Canadian artists

Tom Thomson Thomas John Thomson (August 5, 1877July 8, 1917) was a Canadian artist active in the early 20th century. During his short career, he produced roughly 400 oil sketches on small wood panels and approximately 50 larger works on canvas. His w ...

and his successors, the

Group of Seven The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental political forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; additionally, the European Union (EU) is a "non-enumerated member". It is official ...

painted here frequently. Huntsville boasts a Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery with over 40 outdoor murals celebrating the work of these Canadian heroes. Local community visual arts group The Huntsville Art Society hosts many annual shows, exhibits & skills-sharing workshops throughout the year. Many summer camps for children such as Ontario Pioneer Camp , Camp Wabanaki, Camp Mini-Yo-We, Muskoka Woods, Camp Nagiwa, Camp Tawingo and

Olympia Sports Camp The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

are within a few kilometers of Huntsville. Resorts such as

, where

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...

was discovered in 1988–1989, Hidden Valley Resort and Cedar Grove Lodge are located within the town's boundaries. Huntsville supports a number of arts festivals, including Huntsville Festival of the Arts. The Huntsville Festival of the Arts provided a seed grant which enabled a book of poetry entitled ''Fringe Festival Poetry, Poems from the Poetry Cafe'', edited by June Salmon and Marta Mirecki-de Roode. Other arts activities include the annual Muskoka Novel Marathon, started by Canadian authors Martin Avery and Mel Malton in 2001; the

Film North – Huntsville International Film Festival The Film North – Huntsville International Film Festival (HIFF) is a film festival that takes place annually in Huntsville, Ontario, Canada. Held in September, the festival's mandate is to create a user-friendly environment for emerging Canadian ...

which had its inaugural year in 2010, and most recently Nuit Blanche North, produced by the Huntsville Festival of the Arts and Edge of the Woods Theatre. There are also many new arts organizations and associations. The Huntsville Art Society is a not-for-profit membership of local visual artists. They opened a new art gallery called The Art Space. Edge of the Woods Theatre presents artistic works for, with and by the community in Huntsville. They produce an annual traveling outdoor theatre event, as well as facilitating many different community and arts education projects with local seniors and youth. The town has a new municipal centre and performing arts theatre, the Algonquin Theatre. The theatre provides space for local dance, music, and school activities. For profit venues are also scheduled, and most of the labour is provided by local volunteers. Keith Bellows, editor in chief of ''

National Geographic Traveler ''National Geographic Traveler'' is a magazine published by NG Media in Armenia, Belgium, the Netherlands, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Latin America, Israel, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and the UK. The US ...

'' and vice-president of the National Geographic Society, has included Huntsville and the Muskoka region in his book ''100 Places That Can Change Your Child's Life''.

Education

Public education for students from kindergarten through high school is administered by the

Trillium Lakelands District School Board The Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB, known as English-language Public District School Board No. 15 prior to 1999) administers public school education for students in a large area of central Ontario, Canada including the municipalit ...

, which oversees the town's single high school, Huntsville High School, and six elementary schools. A Primary Catholic school (Saint Mary Catholic Elementary School) is administered by the

Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB, known as English-language Separate District School Board No. 44 prior to 1999) administers and governs separate school Catholic education from kindergarten through grade 12 in Simcoe County ...

. There are several private schools that serve students through elementary and high school ages. Post-secondary education consists of the Waterloo Summit Centre for the Environment, established with funding provided by the 2010 G8 Summit Legacy Fund as a partnership between the Town of Huntsville and the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality ...

. This facility is utilized by researchers and students of the University of Waterloo and the

Northern Ontario School of Medicine Northern Ontario School of Medicine University (NOSM University; french: Université de l'École de médecine du Nord de l'Ontario) is a public medical university in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is mandated both to educate doctors and t ...

. The

Huntsville District Memorial Hospital Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...

is a community teaching hospital affiliated with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (

Lakehead University Lakehead University is a public research university with campuses in Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ontario, Canada. Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate programs, grad ...

and

Laurentian University Laurentian University (french: Université Laurentienne), officially the Laurentian University of Sudbury, is a mid-sized Bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, incorporated on March 28, 1960. Lau ...

Economy

Due to the influx of tourists during the summer months and the abundance of seasonal residents, Huntsville's economy is primarily service based. There are also many people employed in construction trades. Although there is progress being made, Huntsville's unemployment rate has long been above the provincial average. This is largely due to the seasonal nature of its tourism industry. Major employers in Huntsville include

, and

Kimberly Clark Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. The company manufactures sanitary paper products and surgical & medical instruments. Kimberly-Clark brand na ...

. Main Street is home to various business and services for Huntsville. Reflections of Muskoka at 49E Main Street East was originally a Simpson-Sears retail location. Huntsville Place Mall, on Main Street East, features retailers including The Source, Coles Bookstore,

Winners Winners Merchants International L.P is a chain of off-price Canada, Canadian department stores owned by TJX Companies. It offers brand name clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, fine jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. Products are at a ...

, Hallmark, Metro, Northern Reflections, Anthony's Hair Design, Becker Shoes, Maurices,

Scotiabank The Bank of Nova Scotia (french: link=no, Banque de Nouvelle-Écosse), operating as Scotiabank (french: link=no, Banque Scotia), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada ...

, Ron Henry Jewellers,

Pearle Vision Pearle Vision is an American chain of eye care stores. It is one of the largest franchised optical retailers in North America. The company was acquired by Luxottica, an Italian eyewear company, in 2004. As of December 31, 2018, Pearle Vision opera ...

, Huntsville Place Mall Pharmacy,

Sport Chek Sport Chek is the largest Canadian retailer of sporting clothing and sports equipment, with 191 stores throughout Canada as of 2020. It is the only national big box sporting goods retailer in Canada, although it is absent in the Northwest Territ ...

Dollarama Dollarama is a Canadian dollar store retail chain headquartered in Montreal. Since 2009 it is Canada's largest retailer of items for five dollars or less. Dollarama has over 1400 stores and has a presence in every province of Canada; Ontario has ...

and the Habitat for Humanity Restore. The mall also has 10 Tesla superchargers. Next door to the mall is a

Canadian Tire Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited is a Canadian retail company which operates in the automotive, hardware, sports, leisure and housewares sectors. Its Canadian operations include: Canadian Tire (including Canadian Tire Petroleum gas stations a ...

Gas Plus and a

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...

Coffee.

Transportation

Huntsville is accessible through a variety of roadways, including

Highway 60 The following highways are numbered 60: International * AH60, Asian Highway 60 * European route E60 Australia * Bruxner Highway * Dawson Highway (Rolleston to Gladstone) - Queensland State Route 60 Brazil * BR-060 Canada * Alberta Highway 60 ...

, Highway 11 and Muskoka (Regional) Road 3. Buses to and from

come into the city daily. Main Street is the key in town road that connects with Highway 11 to the west and Highway 60 to the north. Passenger train service to the city from Toronto was provided daily by the ''

Northlander The ''Northlander'' was a passenger train operated by the Ontario Northland Railway in Ontario, Canada. The ''Northlander'' operated six days per week year-round in both directions and connected Cochrane with Toronto. The train typically con ...

'' at the

Huntsville railway station Huntsville station is located in the town of Huntsville, Ontario. It was a station stop for ''Northlander'' trains of Ontario Northland. However the station is no longer in use since the cessation of the Northlander passenger service in 2012. ...

, until

discontinued train services in September 2012. Today the tracks are used by

CN Rail The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I railroad, Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern United States, M ...

and

Ontario Northland The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), or simply Ontario Northland, is a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario responsible for providing transportation services for passengers and goods in northern Ontario. It reports to ...

for freight service. The station is now home to a music school. Huntsville Transit provides local bus service in the town on a single east–west route. Service is provided Monday to Saturday.

Sports

Hockey and lacrosse are popular sports in Huntsville. The town is the hometown of sports icons such as

Jack Bionda John Arthur James "Jack" Bionda (September 18, 1933 – November 3, 1999) was a Canadian lacrosse and hockey player. He was a lacrosse superstar, dominating the sport throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. In hockey he played for the Toronto Maple ...

, for whom an ice surface in Huntsville's municipal arena (The Canada Summit Centre) is named. Don Lough Arena is the name of the Olympic ice surface in the new Canada Summit Centre. Huntsville is home to one of the largest running Girls Hockey Associations. This association has been in existence since 1971/72, and is home to Huntsville Honeys Senior C Team, and the Huntsville Sting Bantam BB team. The town has a lacrosse team, the

Huntsville Hawks The Huntsville Hawks are Junior "C" box lacrosse team from Huntsville, Ontario, Canada. The Hawks play in the Ontario Junior C Lacrosse League. They were known as the Huntsville Legionaires in 1965, Huntsville Tornadoes in 1966, and as the Hunt ...

of the OLA Junior C Lacrosse League as well as a full complement of Minor Lacrosse, from Paperweight to Midget age players. The town also had an

Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The league was listed as the 7th best d ...

team called the

Huntsville Otters The Huntsville Otters are a Canada, Canadian Junior ice hockey, Junior ice hockey team from Huntsville, Ontario, Huntsville, Ontario. Starting from the 2016-17 season the Otters are members of the Provincial Junior Hockey League. Prior to this cha ...

, which has had players move on to major junior A in the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...

. There has been a new Junior C Hockey team reintroduced to the town as of 2012 season. Huntsville is one of three Canadian towns hosting

Ironman 70.3 An Ironman 70.3, also known as a Half Ironman, is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). The "70.3" refers to the total distance in miles (113.0 km) covered in the race, consisting o ...

triathlons. Huntsville also has a large soccer community, run by the Huntsville Soccer Club with over 1,000 participants in total. Over 800 kids aged 2–19 play with the rest being made up of adult players. Golf courses in or close to Huntsville include Deerhurst Highlands, The

Mark O'Meara Mark Francis O'Meara (born January 13, 1957) is an American professional golfer. He was a tournament winner on the PGA Tour and around the world from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. He spent nearly 200 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World ...

Course at Grandview Golf Club, and

Bigwin Island Bigwin Island is an island in the municipality of Lake of Bays, District Municipality of Muskoka in Central Ontario, Canada. It the largest island on Lake of Bays. There are multiple Indigenous burial grounds on the island and immediately offsho ...

Golf Club. Fallairphoto

In film

* Most of the

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

'' It Takes Two'', starring

Kirstie Alley Kirstie Louise Alley (January 12, 1951 – December 5, 2022) was an American actress. Her breakout role was as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1987–1993), for which she received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. From 1997 ...

Steve Guttenberg Steven Robert Guttenberg (born August 24, 1958) is an American actor, author, businessman, producer, and director. He is known for his lead roles in Hollywood films of the 1980s and 1990s, including '' Cocoon'', ''Police Academy'', ''Three Men a ...

and

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen (born June 13, 1986), also known as the Olsen twins as a duo, are American fashion designers and former actresses. The twins made their acting debut as infants playing Michelle Tanner on the television s ...

, was filmed at Camp Mini-Yo-We, which is located within the city's boundaries. * The opening sequence of the

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

film ''

The Incredible Journey ''The Incredible Journey'' (1961), by Scottish author Sheila Burnford, is a children's book first published by Hodder & Stoughton, which tells the story of three pets as they travel through the Canadian wilderness searching for their beloved m ...

'' showcases the village of Aspdin from the air. In this scene Muskoka's oldest stone church, St. Mary's Anglican, can clearly be seen. Lake Vernon also appears. * A part of the 1989 film ''Welcome Home'', starring

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Nig ...

, was shot at Lion's Lookout. * Much of the 2018 Hallmark Film, ''A Veteran's Christmas'', starring

Eloise Mumford Eloise Mumford (born September 24, 1986) is an American actress known for her roles on the television series '' Lone Star'', '' The River'', ''The Right Stuff'' and the ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' film series. Early life and education Mumford, ...

and

Sean Faris Sean Faris (born March 25, 1982) is an American actor and model. He is known for his roles as Jake Tyler in ''Never Back Down'', Kyo Kusanagi in ''The King of Fighters'', and Rick Penning in ''Forever Strong''. He also played Tom in '' Ghost Ma ...

was filmed in downtown Huntsville in the fall of 2018.

Media

Radio

Television

Huntsville is served by a TVCogeco community channel for

Cogeco Cogeco Inc. is a Canadian telecommunications and media company. Its corporate offices are located at 1 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec. The company is structured into three strategic business units (SBU); Cogeco Connexion, Breezeline ( ...

cable subscribers. The town was previously served by repeaters for

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

and

TVO TVO (stylized as tvo), formerly known as TVOntario, is a publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It operates flagship station CICA-DT (channel 19) in Toron ...

: CBLT-TV-2 and CICO-TV-13, respectively. Both repeaters were shut down following the 2012 closing of all CBC analogue transmitters, several of which were also used by TVO.

Newspaper

* ''

Huntsville Forester Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...

'' (published by

Metroland Media Group Metroland Media Group (also known as Community Brands) is a Canadian mass media publisher and distributor which primarily operates in Southern Ontario. A division of the publishing conglomerate Torstar Corporation, Metroland publishes more than 7 ...

)

Notable residents

, professional hockey and lacrosse athlete, best known as a lacrosse player. Born in Huntsville and later as local restaurant owner. * James Carroll, actor (''

Wind at My Back ''Wind at My Back'' is a television series which aired in Canada on CBC Television between 1996 and 2001. It was created and produced by Kevin Sullivan, best known for his adaptation of ''Anne of Green Gables'' and ''Road to Avonlea''. The ser ...

'') and community radio personality ( Hunters Bay Radio), resided here in his later years. *

Dara Howell Dara Howell (born August 23, 1994) is a Canadian freestyle skier. She was the first freestyle skier to win a gold medal in ski slopestyle at the inaugural event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Howell has also won a bronze medal in women's s ...

, freestyle skier,

2014 Winter Olympics , ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'') , nations = 88 , events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , athletes = 2,873 , opening = 7 February 2014 , closing = 23 February 2014 , opened_by = President Vladimir Putin , cauldron = , stadium = Fisht Olympic ...

gold medalist in ski slopestyle * Sidney D. Kirkpatrick, award-winning American documentary filmmaker and a bestselling historical author *

Ethan Moreau Ethan Byron Moreau (born September 22, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Moreau was selected in the first round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, 14th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He ...

, a former

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

hockey player and current scout for the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

* Kyle Nelson, mixed martial artist who competes in the UFC Featherweight division *

Jason Reso William Jason Reso (born November 30, 1973) is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Christian Cage. He is best known for his tenure in WWE under the ring name Christ ...

, retired WWE Wrestler. Former World Heavyweight and WWE Tag Team Champion. Resided in Huntsville during his early years. *

George Selkirk George Alexander Selkirk (January 4, 1908 – January 19, 1987) was a Canadian outfielder and front office executive in Major League Baseball. In 1935, Selkirk succeeded Babe Ruth as the right fielder of the New York Yankees—and also inher ...

(1908 - 1987), major league baseball player born in Huntsville. Selkirk succeeded the legendary

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

as the right fielder for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

Normand Shay Normand Morse "Norm, Norman" Shay (February 3, 1899 in Huntsville, Ontario — November 28, 1968) was a Canadian ice hockey player who played two seasons in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins and the Toronto St. Pats between 1924 and ...

, a former

hockey player *

Les Stroud Les Stroud (born October 20, 1961) is a Canadian survival skills, survival expert, filmmaker and musician best known as the creator, writer, producer, director, cameraman and host of the television series ''Survivorman''. Stroud was named Chief ...

, survival expert and host of the television program ''

Survivorman ''Survivorman'' is a Canadian-produced television program, broadcast in Canada on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), and internationally on Discovery Channel and Science Channel. The title refers to the host of the show, Canadian filmmaker and su ...

''. Toronto born and now based in Huntsville. *

Hawksley Workman Hawksley Workman (Born Ryan Corrigan, March 4, 1975) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who has garnered critical acclaim for his blend of cabaret pop and glam rock. Workman has released eleven full-length albums throughout his career. A mul ...

, musician and songwriter. Former student at Huntsville High School.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 45, 20, N, 79, 13, W, region:CA_type:city, display=title Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Towns in Ontario 1869 establishments in Ontario