Nipissing is an incorporated (political) township in

Parry Sound District Parry Sound District is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its boundaries are District of Muskoka to the south, the Sudbury District to the north-northwest, the French River and Lake Nipissing in the north, Nipissing Distri ...

Central Ontario Central Ontario is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario that lies between Georgian Bay and the eastern end of Lake Ontario. The population of the region was 1,123,307 in 2016; however, this number does not in ...

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 ...

. It is on

Lake Nipissing Lake Nipissing (; , ) is a lake in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. It has a surface area of , a mean elevation of above sea level, and is located between the Ottawa River and Georgian Bay. Lake Nipissing i ...

and is part of the Almaguin Highlands region. Nipissing was surveyed between 1874 and 1881, and was incorporated in 1888. Among the first settlers in the area were the Chapman and Beatty families. Nipissing Township annexed Gurd Township in 1970. The township also contains a community named Nipissing, which is located on the South River near Chapman's Landing, on the South Bay of Lake Nipissing. The township administrative offices are located in Nipissing. The township includes the communities of Alsace, Christian Valley, Commanda, Hotham, Nipissing and Wade's Landing.

History

The founder of Nipissing, John Beattie (John Beatty) arrived by canoe from Eganville in 1862. He was looking for land suitable for settlement. To lay claim to the property, he made brush piles, and was granted free land by the

Government of Ontario The Government of Ontario () is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. The term ''Government of Ontario'' refers specifically to the executive—political Minister ...

. Around 1869 James Chapman and his wife, Phoebe Edwards, built their first house and barn at the top of the chutes that later took their name. The family farmed the area and James carried the mail by canoe, dog team and later horse on a route stretching between the villages of Magnetawan and Mattawa. The Chapman Valley and Chapman Township near Magnetawan are named after the family. James and Phoebe are among the pioneers buried in the Nipissing village cemetery. The Chapman family donated the land to the municipal government, and the landing became a municipal boat launch, public dock and swimming hole for village children. Originally supplies were brought into Nipissing from Pembroke by canoe over the Champlain Trail, as well as the South River. Nipissing village became the main route for shipping supplies. Around 1875 a colonization road was completed which connected tiny Nipissing village to Rosseau near Parry Sound in the south and this created road travel and another route for shipment of supplies. An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected at the Nipissing Township Museum by the province to commemorate the Rosseau-Nipissing Road's role in Ontario's heritage. However, in 1886 the Northern and Pacific Junction Railway connected Gravenhurst to

Callander Callander (; ) is a small town in the council area of Stirling (district), Stirling in Scotland, situated on the River Teith. The town is located in the historic county of Perthshire and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands. De ...

cutting out Nipissing village from its main route and the life of the village as a key port began to fade.

Etymology

The township was named in 1879 after the lake, on whose south shore it is located. The community of Nipissing in the township, 25 km south of North Bay, was called ''Nipissingan'' in 1870, but its name was changed to Nipissing in 1881.

Transportation

The township is served in its northern part by Ontario Highway 534 and Ontario Highway 654, which connect east to

Ontario Highway 11 King's Highway 11, commonly referred to as Highway 11, is a Ontario Provincial Highway Network, provincially-maintained highway in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. At , it is the second-longest highway in th ...

at the communities of Powassan and

respectively; Ontario Highway 534 also connects west to Restoule Provincial Park, and via Ontario Highway 524 to Ontario Highway 522. The township is served across its southern part by Ontario Highway 522, which connects east to Highway 11 at Trout Creek and west to Ontario Highway 69 at the community of

Cranberry Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus ''Vaccinium''. Cranberries are low, creeping shrubs or vines up to long and in height; they have slender stems that are not th ...

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 ...

, Nipissing 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.

References

Other map sources: * * *

External links