Bexley Township, Ontario
Encyclopedia
The Township of Bexley was a municipality
located in the northern half of the former Victoria County
, now the city of Kawartha Lakes
, in the Canadian
province of Ontario
.
, on the western shore of Balsam Lake
's West Bay. The villages flourished and faded for at least a century prior to the arrival of Samuel de Champlain
on his tour with the Hurons. Various tribes used the site up until 1760, when English fur traders established a trading post at the site.
Victoria County was opened to settlement in 1821, but Bexley remained unchanged for over a decade due to its northern position within the county, which meant it was surveyed
at some point in the early 1830s. The first settler was Admiral Vansittart, who was given a grant of one thousand acres (4 km²) of land on the west shores of Balsam Lake
in 1834. His cousin, Nicholas Vansittart, Chancellor of the Exchequer - known commonly as Lord or Baron Bexley - was a colleague of John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon
, after whom Eldon Township
is named. Bexley's principal population centre - Coboconk - was founded in 1851 and continues to thrive off summer tourism from recreational cottagers.
, the last prior to the amalgamation of Victoria County, the township has a total area
of 123.05 square kilometre.
Like most of the city of Kawartha Lakes, Bexley is mostly rural. A few established communities dot the landscape, and the shores of Balsam
and Silver Lake
s are surrounded by seasonal cottage
s, while the remainder is mostly swamp, or forest. Farming is sparse in the region as the soil is very thin (About 2 inches on average). While Bexley lies almost entirely within the Paleozoic
limestone
region of southern Ontario, the small portion of the Gull River
valley north of Silver Lake lying within the township is within the Precambrian
Canadian Shield
region.
, and that percentages may have a small statistical error.
As of the census of 1996, there were 1305 people, 540 households and 390 families residing in the township. The population density was 10.61 people per square kilometre (/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 1.9% Chinese, 0.8% Black Canadian, and the remaining 97.3% Caucasian.
There were 540 households and 390 families, out of which 92.31% were married or common-law couples, and 7.69% were single parent families. 27.78% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household value was $143,198.
The population was spread out with 5.0% under the age of 4, 11.1% from 5 to 14, 8.8% from 15 to 24, 36.4% from 25 to 54, 15.7% from 55 to 64, and 22.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.5 years. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males.
The median per capita
income for the township was $21,002. Males had a median income of $23,682 versus $18,009 for females.
In the population over 25, 14.7% had less than a grade nine education. 57.1% had at least a high school diploma or equivalent. 29.8% graduated from a non-university post-secondary institute, and 7.9% completed university.
Township (Canada)
The term township generally means the district or area associated with a town. However in some systems no town needs to be involved. The specific use of the term to describe political subdivisions has varied by country, usually to describe a local rural or semi-rural government within the county...
located in the northern half of the former Victoria County
Victoria County, Ontario
The County of Victoria, or Victoria County, was a county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was formed in 1854 as The United Counties of Peterborough and Victoria, and gained independence in 1863. In 2001, the county was dissolved and reformed as the city of Kawartha Lakes...
, now the city of Kawartha Lakes
Kawartha Lakes
The city of Kawartha Lakes is a unitary municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. Although called a city, Kawartha Lakes is the size of a typical Ontarian county and is mostly rural....
, in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
History
Bexley's history can be traced back to Indian villages established at the end of the Portage Road, a long historic trail that ended at the site of St. Mary'sSt. Mary's, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario
St. Mary's was the site of a planned village within early Victoria County, in the Canadian province of Ontario. The site was laid aside in the surveying of the county in the 1830s, but was later found to be unusable when limestone was discovered two inches below the ground...
, on the western shore of Balsam Lake
Balsam Lake (Ontario)
Balsam Lake is a lake located in the Kawartha lakes region of south central Ontario, Canada. It is 16 km long and averages 3 km wide, though its actual width varies due to the many large bays the carve its shoreline...
's West Bay. The villages flourished and faded for at least a century prior to the arrival of Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
on his tour with the Hurons. Various tribes used the site up until 1760, when English fur traders established a trading post at the site.
Victoria County was opened to settlement in 1821, but Bexley remained unchanged for over a decade due to its northern position within the county, which meant it was surveyed
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
at some point in the early 1830s. The first settler was Admiral Vansittart, who was given a grant of one thousand acres (4 km²) of land on the west shores of Balsam Lake
Balsam Lake (Ontario)
Balsam Lake is a lake located in the Kawartha lakes region of south central Ontario, Canada. It is 16 km long and averages 3 km wide, though its actual width varies due to the many large bays the carve its shoreline...
in 1834. His cousin, Nicholas Vansittart, Chancellor of the Exchequer - known commonly as Lord or Baron Bexley - was a colleague of John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon
John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon
John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon PC KC FRS FSA was a British barrister and politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain between 1801 and 1806 and again between 1807 and 1827.- Background and education :...
, after whom Eldon Township
Eldon Township, Ontario
The Township of Eldon was a municipality located in the west of the former Victoria County, now the city of Kawartha Lakes, in Ontario, Canada.- Communities :*Kirkfield*Bolsover*Glenarm*Eldon*Woodville...
is named. Bexley's principal population centre - Coboconk - was founded in 1851 and continues to thrive off summer tourism from recreational cottagers.
Geography
According to the 1996 Canadian censusCanada 1996 Census
The Canada 1996 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 14, 1996. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 28,846,761...
, the last prior to the amalgamation of Victoria County, the township has a total area
Surface area
Surface area is the measure of how much exposed area a solid object has, expressed in square units. Mathematical description of the surface area is considerably more involved than the definition of arc length of a curve. For polyhedra the surface area is the sum of the areas of its faces...
of 123.05 square kilometre.
Like most of the city of Kawartha Lakes, Bexley is mostly rural. A few established communities dot the landscape, and the shores of Balsam
Balsam Lake (Ontario)
Balsam Lake is a lake located in the Kawartha lakes region of south central Ontario, Canada. It is 16 km long and averages 3 km wide, though its actual width varies due to the many large bays the carve its shoreline...
and Silver Lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s are surrounded by seasonal cottage
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
s, while the remainder is mostly swamp, or forest. Farming is sparse in the region as the soil is very thin (About 2 inches on average). While Bexley lies almost entirely within the Paleozoic
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
region of southern Ontario, the small portion of the Gull River
Gull River (Balsam Lake)
The Gull River is a river in Algonquin Highlands and Dysart et al, Haliburton County and the single-tier municipality of Kawartha Lakes in south-central Ontario, Canada...
valley north of Silver Lake lying within the township is within the Precambrian
Precambrian
The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...
Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
region.
Demographics
*Note that the following precise figures were rounded to the nearest 5 by Statistics CanadaStatistics Canada
Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....
, and that percentages may have a small statistical error.
As of the census of 1996, there were 1305 people, 540 households and 390 families residing in the township. The population density was 10.61 people per square kilometre (/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 1.9% Chinese, 0.8% Black Canadian, and the remaining 97.3% Caucasian.
There were 540 households and 390 families, out of which 92.31% were married or common-law couples, and 7.69% were single parent families. 27.78% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household value was $143,198.
The population was spread out with 5.0% under the age of 4, 11.1% from 5 to 14, 8.8% from 15 to 24, 36.4% from 25 to 54, 15.7% from 55 to 64, and 22.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.5 years. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males.
The median per capita
Per capita
Per capita is a Latin prepositional phrase: per and capita . The phrase thus means "by heads" or "for each head", i.e. per individual or per person...
income for the township was $21,002. Males had a median income of $23,682 versus $18,009 for females.
In the population over 25, 14.7% had less than a grade nine education. 57.1% had at least a high school diploma or equivalent. 29.8% graduated from a non-university post-secondary institute, and 7.9% completed university.
Communities
- CoboconkCoboconk, OntarioCoboconk is a community in the city of Kawartha Lakes, in the south-central portion of the Canadian province of Ontario. The village lies at the junction of Highway 35 and former Highway 48, on the northern tip of Balsam Lake, the highest point on the Trent–Severn Waterway...
- St. Mary'sSt. Mary's, Kawartha Lakes, OntarioSt. Mary's was the site of a planned village within early Victoria County, in the Canadian province of Ontario. The site was laid aside in the surveying of the county in the 1830s, but was later found to be unusable when limestone was discovered two inches below the ground...
- Victoria RoadVictoria Road, OntarioVictoria Road is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within the single-tier municipality of Kawartha Lakes. The village was built around a station on the Toronto and Nipissing Railway, which was constructed in 1872...