The Blue Mountains is a town in

Grey County Grey County is a county in the province of Ontario. The county is located in the Southwestern Ontario region, and is a part of the Georgian Triangle. At the time of the 2021 Canadian census the population of the county was 100,905. Owen Sound is ...

, 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 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 ...

, located where the Beaver River flows into

Nottawasaga Bay Nottawasaga Bay is a sub- bay within Georgian Bay in Southern Ontario, Canada located at the southernmost end of the main bay. The communities located on Nottawasaga Bay are Meaford, The Blue Mountains, Collingwood, Wasaga Beach and Tiny. Th ...

. It is named for the Blue Mountain, and hence the economy of the town is centred on tourism, particularly on the Blue Mountain ski resort and the private Georgian Peaks, Osler, Craigleith and Alpine Ski Clubs. The town was formed on January 1, 1998, when the Town of Thornbury was amalgamated with the Township of Collingwood. Thornbury is home to the architecturally unique L.E. Shore Memorial Library, named after the founding partner of the architectural practice of

Shore Tilbe Irwin + Partners Shore Tilbe Perkins+Will, formerly Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners (STIP), is a Canadian architecture firm based in Toronto, Ontario. Since its founding as Shore and Moffat in 1945, and later as Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners, the firm has completed n ...

, and designed by the firm. During the Southern Ontario Tornado Outbreak of 2009, a tornado passed through the Blue Mountains area on August 20. The tornado passed by Thornbury and hit Craigleith before moving out onto

Georgian Bay The Georgian Bay () is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To its northwest is t ...

Recreation

The Blue Mountains has a host of recreational activities for all the seasons. Most notably is the winter skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. In the summer there is hiking, downhill/cross-country biking, an extravagant mini putt, the Ridge Runner and events such as Met Con Blue. If physical activities are not what you are looking for, The Village at Blue Mountain has a plethora of boutiques, coffee shops, restaurants, hotels and chalets, as well as golf courses within walking distance. Less than a 5-minute drive away there is the Scandinave Spa which situated on 25 acres of natural Ontario birch, as well as the Scenic Caves. Craigleith Provincial Park is located along Highway 26 near Blue Mountain resort. The

Bruce Trail The Bruce Trail is a hiking trail in southern Ontario, Canada, from the Niagara River to the tip of Tobermory, Ontario. The main trail is more than long and there are over of associated side trails. The trail mostly follows the edge of the Nia ...

passes through sections of the town. The Kolapore area for mountain biking and cross-country skiing, Metcalfe Rock which is popular with rock climbers as well as the Duncan Crevice Caves Nature Reserve are in the area as well.

Communities

The primary population centres are Thornbury and the modern resort-style communities clustered around the foot of the escarpment near the ski resorts. Additionally the town's territory also includes the rural communities of Banks, Camperdown, Castle Glen Estates, Christie Beach, Clarksburg, Craigleith, Duncan, Gibraltar, Swiss Meadows, Heathcote, Kolapore, Little Germany, Lora Bay, Loree, Ravenna, Red Wing, Slabtown, and Victoria Corners.

Thornbury

Thornbury was first incorporated in 1831 and divided from Collingwood Township in 1887 as a separate administration. It existed as a separate municipality until 1998 when it remerged with Collingwood Township to form Town of The Blue Mountains municipality. The town was a shipping and processing centre for local agricultural produce especially apples through its harbour on Georgian Bay, Lake Huron. There was also a small fishing fleet that operated from the harbour and the post office dates from 1854. Rail service reached Thornbury on September 2, 1872, when the

Northern Railway of Canada The Northern Railway of Canada was a railway in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, Canada. It was the first Steam locomotive, steam railway to enter service in what was then known as Upper Canada. It was eventually ac ...

North Grey Railway North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

was built westward through Grey County from Collingwood to Meaford; the line reached Meaford later that year, in December. The line was originally planned to extend all the way to Owen Sound, but this vision went unrealized due to factors such as terrain, financial limitations, and competition from the

Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway The Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway (TG&B) was a railway company which operated in Ontario, Canada in the years immediately following the Canadian Confederation of 1867. It connected two rural counties, Grey County, Ontario, Grey County and Bruce ...

, which reached Owen Sound in 1873. The railway was later part of the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; ) was a Rail transport, railway system that operated in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the List of states and territories of the United States, American sta ...

and

Canadian National Railways The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue an ...

(CNR) systems. Thereafter, it became known as the CN Meaford Subdivision. Regular passenger service ceased in 1960; the line itself was abandoned in 1985. Many large late nineteenth century houses on tree lined streets characterize the town suburbs. Thornbury is home to the architecturally unique L.E. Shore Memorial Library, built in 1995 and named after the founding partner of the architectural practice of

who designed it. In more recent years, Thornbury has become a winter and summer destination for individuals from across Ontario to vacation. The town also holds an annual Canada Day celebration that takes place on the main street.

Climate

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

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 ...

, The Blue Mountains 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. Population trend:Statistics Canada:

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

census * Population total in 1996: 5667 ** Collingwood (township): 3904 ** Thornbury (town): 1763 * Population in 1991: ** Collingwood (township): 3390 ** Thornbury (town): 1646

Notable residents

* Cecil Dillon – NHL hockey player of the 1930s * Captain Charles Stuart – Anglo-American

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

who helped freed slaves make their way to Ontario via the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

Walter Trier Walter Trier (25 June 1890 in Prague – 8 July 1951 in Craigleith, near Collingwood) was an illustrator, best known for his work for the children's books of Erich Kästner and the covers of the magazine '' Lilliput''. He was born in Bohem ...

- Czech-German illustrator

Images

Image:Blue Mountain Resort.JPG, The eponymous Blue Mountains File:ON Craigleith tango7174.jpg, The Craigleith Provincial Park on the shore of the Georgian Bay

References

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blue Mountains Towns in Ontario Populated places on Lake Huron in Canada Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Municipalities in Grey County