Essex is a town with a population of 21,216 in Essex County in southwestern

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, whose municipal borders extend to

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

. Essex is also the name of the largest community within the municipality.

History

The current Town of Essex was created on 1 April 1999 through the amalgamation of the former towns of Essex and Harrow, along with the former townships of Colchester North and Colchester South. Each community has a distinct history prior to amalgamation. Colchester South is notable for lying farther south than the northern border of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Essex

The Talbot Trail was enabled Essex to increase in population in the last half of the 19th century, and achieve town status in 1890. On August 10, 1907, of nitro-glycerine on a train cart exploded at the train station in Essex. Shock waves were felt in parts of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, and debris was sent . Two people were killed, and there was over 250,000 dollars worth of property damage.

Harrow

Geography

The town comprises the communities of Ambassador Beach, Barretville, Belcreft Beach,

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

, Edgars, Essex Centre, Gesto, Harrow, Klie's Beach, Leslies Corner, Levergood Beach, Lypps Beach, Marshfield, McGregor, New Canaan, Oxley, Paquette Corners, Seymour Beach and Vereker.

Climate

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 ...

, Essex 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.

Arts and culture

Community fairs include the Essex Fun Fest, and the Harrow Fair, the oldest community fair in Ontario. Essex was once known region-wide for its large

crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

population, and the nightly infestation was acute in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The consistent use of "boomers" and other techniques that discourage roosting at sundown eventually led the crows to disperse, and the population has declined.

Sports

The Essex 73's are a Junior C hockey team that have won 19 Great Lakes Hockey League titles seven provincial titles.

Government

Essex is divided into four wards which correspond to the four major communities involved in the 1999 amalgamation. During municipal elections, residents vote for a mayor, deputy mayor, and councillor(s) in their geographical ward. * Ward 1 - Essex Centre (2 councillors) * Ward 2 - Colchester North (1 councillor) * Ward 3 - Colchester South (2 councillors) * Ward 4 - Harrow Centre (1 councillor) Town council as of March 2022: * Mayor - Richard Meloche * Deputy Mayor - Steve Bjorkman * Ward 1 Councillor - Morley Bowman * Ward 1 Councillor - Joe Garon * Ward 2 Councillor - Kim Verbeek * Ward 3 Councillor - Chris Vander Doelen * Ward 3 Councillor - Jason Matyi * Ward 4 Councillor - Sherry Bondy

Education

English-language public education for kindergarten through secondary school grades in Essex County is administered by the Greater Essex County District School Board, along with the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board which oversees English-language catholic education. French-language public and catholic education are overseen by the Conseil scolaire Viamonde and the

Conseil scolaire de district des écoles catholiques du Sud-Ouest The ''Conseil scolaire catholique Providence'' (Csc Providence) is the French-language Catholic school board for Southwestern Ontario, southwestern Ontario, Canada. The Providence Catholic School Board includes 10,000 students in its 31 schools: ...

respectively. The scope of all of these organizations includes both the County and the City of Windsor. Prior to 1998 the Essex County Board of Education operated Anglophone secular public schools. One public secondary school of the Greater Essex County District School Board is situated in Essex. Essex District High School serves Essex Centre, Colchester North and areas of

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, Lakeshore, and Kingsville. Kingsville District High School serves Harrow Centre and Colchester South, following the closure of Harrow District High School in 2016. Public school students from certain areas of Essex may attend General Amherst High School in

Amherstburg Amherstburg is a town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In 1796, Fort Malden was established here, stimulating growth in the settlement. The fort has been designated as a National Historic Site. The town ...

. While there is no separate secondary school within the boundaries of Essex, students in the town may attend the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board's St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic High School in LaSalle or Cardinal Carter Catholic High School in Leamington. Elementary schools of the Greater Essex County District School Board include Essex Public School, Colchester North Public School, and Harrow Public School. Separate elementary schools of the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board include Holy Name Catholic Elementary School and St. Anthony Catholic Elementary School.

Notable people

* Scott Burnside * Bruce Crowder * Frederick Alexander Cuthbert * Gordon Bennett Ellis * Colton Fretter * Gary Gurbin * Lee Harris * Rick Heinz * Juice Boxx * Zach Lavin * Dan O'Halloran * Alexander Parent *

Matt Puempel Matthew Puempel (born January 24, 1993) is a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Schwenninger Wild Wings of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Puempel wa ...

* Jeff Watson

References

External links

* {{Authority control Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Towns in Ontario