Bethany is an unincorporated village in the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

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 ...

, within the

single-tier municipality A unitary authority is a type of local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed ...

Kawartha Lakes Kawartha Lakes (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 79,247) is a List of municipalities in Ontario , single-tier municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. Though structured as a single-tier municipality, Kawartha Lakes is the size of a typica ...

. Bethany is centred on Highway 7A. It is located a few kilometers west of

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

, the largest city in the area. It is a gateway community, where since 2000 there has been significant real-estate development, mostly in the form of individual dwellings. To the north are downhill and cross-country ski areas, mostly accessible by paved county roads.

History

By 1869, Bethany was a village with a population of 300 in the Township of Manvers, then part of Durham County. It was a station of the

Port Hope, Lindsay and Beaverton Railway The Midland Railway of Canada was a historical Canadian railway which ran from Port Hope, Ontario to Midland on Georgian Bay. The line was originally intended to run to Peterborough, but the competing Cobourg and Peterborough Railway was comple ...

. Since a stream passing through the village afforded power for machinery, it was a good position for a foundry, agricultural implement works and a tannery. The average cost of improved lands was $35 per acre while wild lands were valued at $23.The province of Ontario gazetteer and directory. H. McEvoy Editor and Compiler, Toronto : Robertson & Cook, Publishers, 1869

Services

Library

Bethany Public Library is part of the City of Kawartha Lakes Public Library System, which offers computer access as well as ongoing free programs. The library is in the same building as the municipal offices.

Sub post office

Bethany sub post office, part of

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 ...

, offers post office boxes in the IDA Drug Mart

Schools

Most Bethany students attend schools which are part of 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 municipali ...

. Most students in grades Junior Kindergarten to 3 attend Grandview Public School. Students in Grades 4 - 8 attend Rolling Hills Public School. Highschool students are bussed to I.E.Weldon Secondary School.

Celebrations

The town has annual celebrations throughout the summer, particularly on the May 24

Victoria Day Victoria Day () is a federal Canadian public holiday observed on the last Monday preceding May 25 to honour Queen Victoria, who is known as the "Mother of Confederation". The holiday has existed in Canada since at least 1845, originally on Vic ...

long-weekend. Put on by the Bethany Athletic Society, responsible for maintaining the community park, and youth sports. Highlights of the Victoria Day weekend include the Classic Car show ^{(started in 1990)}, Tractor pulls ^{(started in 2005)}, Fireworks, Beef BBQ and the all ages Dances.

References

External links

Communities in Kawartha Lakes {{Ontario-geo-stub