Zorra is a township in Oxford County, situated in south-western Ontario, Canada. A predominantly rural municipality, Zorra was formed in 1975 through the amalgamation of East Nissouri, West Zorra and North Oxford townships. It is best known for the Highland Games weekend held each summer in Embro, celebrating the heritage of the Scottish pioneer families which grew from the 1830s to form nearly a quarter of the county's population.

Government

The municipal government is led by a mayor and a councillor from each of the township's four geographic wards: * Ward 1: Southern portion of township, the former North Oxford township (including Banner, Golspie), excluding Thamesford * Ward 2: Thamesford * Ward 3: Northwest portion of township, the former East Nissouri township (including Kintore, Uniondale) * Ward 4: Northeast portion of township, the former West Zorra township (including Embro, Maplewood) Marcus Ryan is the current mayor, following the

2018 Ontario municipal elections The 2018 municipal elections in Ontario were held on October 22, 2018. Voters in the province of Ontario elected mayors, councillors, school board trustees and all other elected officials in all of the province's municipalities. Electoral perio ...

Communities

The township comprises the communities of Banner, Bennington, Brooksdale, Brown's Corners, Cody's Corners, Dicksons Corners, Dunn's Corner, Embro, Golspie, Granthurst, Harrington, Harrington West, Holiday, Kintore, Lakeside, Maplewood, McConkey, Medina, Rayside, Thamesford, Uniondale, Youngsville, and Zorra Station.

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 ...

, Zorra 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.

Cultural resources

*Thamesford Public Library: 165 Dundas Street, Thamesford. A branch of the Oxford County Library. *Embro Public Library : 135 Huron St., Embro. A branch of the Oxford County Library, it is located in the former Embro Town Hall. * Harrington Community Library : 539 Victoria St, Harrington. A branch of the Oxford County Library. Located in the former Broadview United Church that was built in 1924. * Harrington Schoolhouse (Community Centre) : 963624 County Road 96. The Old Stone School; initially referred to as S.S. number 17, and subsequently renumbered S.S. number 4, was originally constructed of logs in the mid-1800s. An entrance was located at the north side of the school, and a box stove was used for heating. In 1869, a contract was granted to enlarge the school with a stone addition, to address seating, lighting and other requirements. Purchased by several local residents to be used as a community centre, after the formal closure of one room schools. *Thamesford District Recreation Centre: 85 Middleton street the Haverford arena the skatepark located beside it is a popular location for teens to make out passionately Schools include the

Zorra Highland Park Public School The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB; known as English-language Public District School Board No. 11 prior to 1999) is a public school board in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It was created on January 1, 1998, by the amalgamation of the E ...

, Thamesford Public School, A. J. Baker Public School and St. Joseph's Catholic School.

Attractions

*Embro Highland Games, hosted annually by the Zorra Caledonian Society *Embro Truck & Tractor Pull *Wienerfest Dog Festival, celebrating the world of

Dachshund The dachshund ( or ; German: "badger dog"), also known as the wiener dog, badger dog, and sausage dog, is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-type dog breed. The dog may be smooth-haired, wire-haired, or long-haired, and comes in a variety of c ...

s to provide funding for pet rescue *Garagefest, an annual local music festival to raise funds for various charities *Embro Fall Fair *Calathumpian a celebration of Thamesfords heritage and history

Famous people

* Henry John Cody (1868–1951), MPP and

President of the University of Toronto The University of Toronto has had 16 presidents since it was founded in 1827 as King's College. List of presidents References External links University of Toronto – Office of the President {{DEFAULTSORT:University Of Toronto People Unive ...

Ralph Connor Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

(1860–1937), novelist *

Jonathan Goforth Jonathan Goforth (, February 10, 1859 – October 8, 1936) was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary to China with the Canadian Presbyterian Mission, along with his wife, Rosalind (Bell-Smith) Goforth. Jonathan Goforth became the foremost missionar ...

(1859–1936), missionary to China * Mark Hominick *

Bob Hayward Robert D. Hayward (October 28, 1927 - September 10, 1961) was a Canadians, Canadian powerboat racer who was a three-time winner of the Harmsworth Cup as the pilot of ''Miss Supertest III''. From Embro, Ontario, Hayward was raised on his family's c ...

James K.A. Smith James K. A. Smith (born 1970) is a Canadian-American philosopher who is currently Professor of Philosophy at Calvin University, holding the Gary & Henrietta Byker Chair in Applied Reformed Theology & Worldview. He is the current editor-in-c ...

George Leslie Mackay George Leslie Mackay 偕瑞理 or 馬偕 ''Má-kai'' (21 March 1844 – 2 June 1901) was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary. He was the first Presbyterian missionary to northern Taiwan (then Formosa), serving with the Canadian Presbyterian Mis ...

* Thomas Oliver * Elizabeth Wettlaufer, convicted serial killer

References

External links

* {{Geographic location , Centre = Zorra , North =

Perth South Perth South was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1935. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867, which divided the County of Perth int ...

, Northeast = Perth East , East = East Zorra-Tavistock , Southeast = , South = South-West Oxford,

Ingersoll Ingersoll may refer to: People *Ingersoll (surname) *Ingersoll Lockwood (1841–1918), American lawyer and writer Places Canada * Ingersoll, Ontario United States * Ingersoll, Oklahoma * Ingersoll, Wisconsin * Ingersoll Township, Michigan * ...

, Southwest = , West =

Thames Centre Thames Centre is a municipality in Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada, directly east of the City of London. It was formed on January 1, 2001, when the townships of West Nissouri and North Dorchester were amalgamated. It is part of the London censu ...

, Northwest = Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Municipalities in Oxford County, Ontario Township municipalities in Ontario