Northumberland County is a
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
situated on the north shore of
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...
, east of
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
in
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. The Northumberland County headquarters are located in
Cobourg.
Municipalities
Northumberland County consists of seven municipalities:
The
Alderville First Nation is geographically located within the County and is a part of the Northumberland census division, but, as an
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." ...
, it is independent of county administration.
History
The County was first established in 1792, and was organized alongside neighbouring
Durham County into the
Newcastle District of
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...
in 1802.
The County was initially settled by a mix of Irish, Scottish, and English immigrants, as well as by Americans immigrating north from
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
.
In 1850, the Newcastle District was reorganized into the
United Counties of Northumberland and Durham, an arrangement which lasted until 1973. Effective January 1, 1974, the majority of Durham County was amalgamated with Ontario County to create the
Regional Municipality of Durham. The Township of Hope and the Town of Port Hope were transferred to Northumberland, which reverted to a standalone county.
Demographics
As a
census division
Census divisions, in Canada and the United States, are areas delineated for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government in and of themselves. The census divisions of Canada are second-level census geographic uni ...
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 ...
, Northumberland County 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.
Recreation
There are two provincial parks in Northumberland County:
Presqu'ile Provincial Park in
Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
, and
Ferris Provincial Park in
Campbellford
Campbellford is an unincorporated place and former town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, in the List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, township municipality of Trent Hills. It lies ...
. There are also several other protected natural areas and forests, including Ganaraska Forest
Northumberland County Forest Goodrich-Loomis Conservation Area, and Peter's Woods. Waterfront campsites and cottages are located along
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...
and
Rice Lake.
Northumberland County has various cycling, hiking and other outdoor trails. The
Waterfront Trail along Lake Ontario passes through Northumberland County, as does the
Trans-Canada Trail. The Northumberland portion of the Trans-Canada Trail spans from
Hastings
Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...
to Hoard's Station in
Campbellford
Campbellford is an unincorporated place and former town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, in the List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, township municipality of Trent Hills. It lies ...
, following an abandoned rail line. Halfway through Campbellford, the trail joins the 6 km long Rotary Trail situated alongside the Trent River. There are five signed bike routes
Glorious GanaraskaRice Lake RambleShelter ValleyPresqu’ile Promisean
Trent River Truckin' The Northumberland County Forest offers various trails available for hiking, cycling, horseback riding, ATVing, off-road motorcycling, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing as well as a 3.2 km, accessible
Universal Trail The Ganaraska Hiking Trail starts in
Port Hope and goes north towards the
Bruce Trail.
There are three theatres in Northumberland County:
Westben in Campbellford, the
Capitol Theatre in Port Hope, and the Park Theatre & Performing Arts Centre in Cobourg. Festivals in Northumberland include the Warkworth Maple Syrup and Float Your Fanny Down the Ganny festivals in early spring, the Cobourg Sandcastle Festival and Incredible Edibles Festival in the summer, and the Cultivate Food and Vintage Film Festivals in the fall.
See also
*
List of municipalities in Ontario
Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Canada with 14,223,942 residents as of Canada 2021 Census, 2021 and is List of Canadian provinces and territories by area#Land area, third-largest in lan ...
*
List of townships in Ontario
This is a list of township (Canada), townships in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. Townships are listed by List of census divisions of Ontario, census division.
Northern Ontario Northeastern Ontario Algoma D ...
*
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Subdivisions of Ontario
Counties in Ontario