Delaware, Ontario is a community located about west of and outside of

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

, within Middlesex County. Delaware straddles the

Thames River The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

. Delaware is accessed by Highway 2 linking London and Chatham, while the Highway 402 links to

Sarnia Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes, ...

along with

Port Huron Port Huron is a city in and seat of government of St. Clair County, Michigan, United States. The population was 28,983 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the west by Port Huron Township, but the two are administered autonomously. Por ...

and Toronto.

Education

Delaware has two elementary schools, Delaware Central Public School ( Thames Valley District School Board), and Our Lady of Lourdes (

London District Catholic School Board The London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB), known as English-language Separate District School Board No. 38 prior to 1999) is a separate school board offering Catholic education in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It serves students from the ...

). Delaware Central (DCPS) has about 175 students, while Our Lady of Lourdes has approximately 350. In the fall of 2011, Our Lady of Lourdes (OLOL) moved to a new facility on Wellington Street, in part this was due to the school being flooded constantly from the nearby creek. After the departure of OLOL the private school Riverbend Academy acquired the property. Riverbend Academy is a co-ed elementary and secondary school offering enrollment from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12.

Geography

Delaware is situated in the Thames River Valley, although it has now expanded over the top of the valley ridge. Most of the area surrounding Delaware is made up of forests and

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...

areas. Corn,

soybeans The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source of f ...

and tobacco are farmed extensively in the area around Delaware, as well as inside the town limits in some areas. Delaware has undergone modest growth in housing over the last 30 years, with the developed area nearly doubling in that time. Many of the buildings in the heart of Delaware are known to be well into their second century. For example, the fine brick house on the north brow of Wellington St. was built in 1842 by the Tiffanys. Buildings in the village still stand that are seen in Civil War era photographs. These include the building that is now Delaware Variety as well as the antique shop across the street (now the Delaware Pharmacy). Belvoir Manor is a private home that was at one point a seminary and a private school for boys, and at one point was damaged by fire. Belvoir was originally built by Dean Tiffany in 1859 and named Maple Grove, passing in turn to the Gibson family who renamed it Belvoir and pronounced it Beever, then to the Little family, who after the death of Senator Little sold it to the Roman Catholic Church. Belvoir is now a privately owned farm.

Tourism and entertainment

Delaware boasts a number of tourist destinations despite its small size. Delaware Speedway is a half-mile paved race track that is one of the oldest in Canada. The track hosts stock car racing every Friday night during the summer, as well as several Saturday and Sunday race features. The track has also hosted major concert events in the past including

I Mother Earth I Mother Earth, or IME, is a Canadian rock band. The band formed in 1990, reaching its peak popularity in the latter half of the 1990s. After an eight-year hiatus, it reunited in 2012. Between 1996 and 2016, it was among the top 150 best-selling ...

and

Matthew Good Matthew Frederick Robert Good (born June 29, 1971) is a Canadian musician. He was the lead singer and songwriter for the Matthew Good Band, one of the most successful alternative rock bands in Canada during the 1990s and early 2000s. Since the ...

. The Longwoods Road Conservation Area features Skah-Nah-Doht, a recreated

Iroquoian The Iroquoian languages () are a language family of indigenous peoples of North America. They are known for their general lack of labial consonants. The Iroquoian languages are polysynthetic and head-marking. As of 2020, almost all surviving I ...

village complete with longhouses and tours, as well as a museum featuring exhibits of Iroquoian culture and archaeological artifacts. The park hosts a yearly native festival as well as a re-enactment of the Battle of Longwoods.

References

External links

Middlesex Centre website

Delaware Speedway

{{authority control Communities in Middlesex County, Ontario