Armstrong is a compact rural community, unincorporated place, and divisional point on the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...

transcontinental railway main line in the unorganized portion of

Thunder Bay District Thunder Bay District is a district#Ontario, district and Census divisions of Canada, census division in Northwestern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The County seat, district seat is Thunder Bay. Most of the district (93.5%) is uni ...

in Northwestern

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The Whitesand First Nation's Armstrong Settlement is coterminous to this community. The Armstrong area is a popular tourist destination in the summer for fishing and hunting. The community is not part of an incorporated municipality, but is administered by a local services board. Canadian Forces Station Armstrong, located east of Armstrong, was closed in 1974. Later that year the base was sold to private owners and turned into a popular gathering area for the town that included a restaurant and bar, hotel, multiple apartments, garages, and a curling rink. The area, known as D&L, was closed and abandoned in 1993 and remains that way today. The town of Armstrong currently has a public school, two restaurants, a

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (, trading as Canada Post (), is a Canadian Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the operating name of the Post Office Department of the Can ...

post office, a clinic, a Mini Mart gas station and motel, and the Armstrong General store (formally J&J General store 1961–2015).

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Armstrong had a population of 146 living in 60 of its 208 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 193. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. According to 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 censu ...

, the community had a population of 193, down from 220 in 2011, a decrease of 12.3%. There are 186 dwellings of which 84 are occupied by usual residents.

Transportation

Armstrong is accessible via Highway 527, which extends north from Highway 11/17 near

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...

. It takes about three hours to get to Armstrong by car from Thunder Bay. Armstrong Airport is located east southeast of Armstrong. The

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...

''Canadian'' train travels through and stops on request in Armstrong.

References

Communities in Thunder Bay District Designated places in Ontario Anishinaabe communities in Canada Local services boards in Ontario {{NorthernOntario-geo-stub