Dufferin County

Dufferin County is a county and census division located in Central Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Orangeville, and the current Warden is Janet Horner. The current chief administrative officer is Sonya Pritchard. Dufferin covers an area of , and its population was 66,257 at the time of the 2021 Census.

History It was originally organized as the "Provisional County of Dufferin", with preparatory work authorized by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1875 and the actual formation taking effect in 1881, being created from parts of the counties of Grey and Simcoe, on the north and east, and from the County of Wellington on the south and west.

+ Initial municipalities of Dufferin County From Formation (1881)Extension (1883)Grey County Township of Melancthon Village of ShelburneErected as a town in 1977.Simcoe County Township of Mono Township of MulmurWellington County Township of Amaranth Township of East Garafraxa Town of Orangeville Township of East Luther

The Village of Grand Valley was erected from East Luther in 1897, and the two municipalities amalgamated in 1995 to form the Township of East Luther Grand Valley, which was erected into the Town of Grand Valley in 2012.

The county gets its name from Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, who was Governor General of Canada between 1872-1878. Originally an agriculturally based economy, Dufferin's economy has diversified to include commercial and retail businesses, industries related to residential and commercial construction (building, supplies, aggregates, real estate) and manufacturing. A portion of Dufferin’s economy still depends on agriculture but tourism is becoming more important as the county takes a more positive role in attracting visitors.

+ Historical townshipsTownship AreaOriginAmaranthOpened in 1821 and named from a common weed-plant (Amaranth) with green or purplish flowers, or it might be named after the "un-fading flower" of the classic poets. Settled mainly between 1840 and 1873. Communities were Orangeville, Laurel, Shelburne, Waldemar, Bowling GreenEast GarafraxaOpened in 1821. Settled mostly between 1833 and 1850. (community centre, Marsville)East LutherSettled mainly between 1860 and 1875. Community centres: Grand Valley, Monticello and Colbeck.MelancthonOpened in 1821 and named after one of the leaders of the German Reformation (Philipp Melanchthon). A swampy township like East Luther so it was slow to be settled. Not generally settled until after 1850. Community centres: Melancthon, Corbetton, Riverview, Hornings Mills.Mono MulmurOpened in 1822. Origin of the name is forgotten, possibly a corruption of an Indigenous word or name. Settled mainly after 1867. Community centres: Mansfield, Honeywood, Terra Nova, Primrose.

Geography

Dufferin County is the highest plateau immediately south of Georgian Bay, and as such forms the watershed divide between the four lakes: Huron, Erie, Ontario and Simcoe. Four rivers — Saugeen, Grand, Credit and Nottawasaga — take their rise in Dufferin or in adjacent areas nearby and drain through the county.

The county is a lofty table-land that is about above sea-level and about above the level of downtown Toronto, as a result of being mostly situated in the Niagara Escarpment, although the highest peaks are still lower than the Blue Mountains north of Dufferin. The County of Dufferin, sits on the fringe of the Greater Toronto Area, about northwest of Toronto. It is largely a rural county that contains three urban-centre towns; Grand Valley, Shelburne, and Orangeville. Orangeville, the county seat, is situated on the southern border of the county and is the largest urban centre, with just over half the population.

Climate

Demographics As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Dufferin 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.

+ Panethnic groups in Dufferin County (2001−2021)Panethnicgroup20212016201120062001 European 53,700 54,750 52,590 51,330 48,305 African 3,590 1,595 750 660 645 South Asian 3,125 1,245 465 580 290 Indigenous 1,395 1,170 695 525 445 Southeast Asian 890 625 385 165 120 Latin American 815 405 285 160 110 East Asian 575 375 390 310 305 Middle Eastern 470 160 45 85 50 Other 925 520 465 105 90 Total responses 65,485 60,845 56,085 53,925 50,360 Total population 66,257 61,735 56,881 54,436 51,013

Education

Upper Grand District School Board operates secular Anglophone public schools. The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board operates Anglophone Catholic public schools. The Conseil scolaire Viamonde operates secular Francophone schools serving the area. The Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud (CSDCCS) operates Catholic Francophone schools serving the area.

Travel region

Dufferin County is part of two Ontario travel regions. Headwaters Tourism Association represents the county and the adjacent municipalities of Caledon and Erin. Central Counties of Ontario combines the Headwaters area and a larger adjacent region.

Dufferin County

Bron en licentie