East Zorra-Tavistock, Ontario
Encyclopedia
East Zorra-Tavistock is a township
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...

 in south-western 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....

, Canada
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...

. It is part of Oxford County
Oxford County, Ontario
Oxford County is a regional municipality and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Southern portion of the province. The regional seat is in Woodstock...

. The township had a population of 7,350 in the Canada 2006 Census
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...

.

Government

The township is governed by a Mayor (Don McKay acclaimed at November 2006 electionhttp://www.twp.ezt.on.ca/election/2006/candidates.asp), a Deputy Mayor (Maureen Ralph), and Councillors over three geographic wards:
  • Ward 1 (Tavistock village): 2 councillors elected
  • Ward 2 (northern areas of township except Tavistock village): 1 councillor elected
  • Ward 3 (southern areas of township): 2 councillors elected

Communities

The township includes the population centres of Braemar, Cassel, East Zorra, Hickson, Huntingford, Innerkip, Perry Mine, Perrys Lane, Strathallan, Tavistock, Tollgate, Willow Lake, and Woodstock Airport.

Hickson

Hickson is located at the intersection of Highway 59 and County Road 8, approximately 13 kilometres north of Woodstock
Woodstock, Ontario
Woodstock is a city and the county seat of Oxford County in Southern Ontario, Canada. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of Toronto, north of Highway 401 along the historic Thames River...

 and 10 kilometres south of Tavistock.

Hickson was founded in 1876 when the town of Strathallen was bypassed by the new Port Dover and Lake Huron Railway, which went in east of the anticipated location. A new village was created at the whistle-stop, and Strathallan slowly faded away as community members relocated, along with a few houses moved by the milk factory. The new village was named after Sir Joseph Hickson, the general manager of the Grand Trunk Railway, who never saw the village in his lifetime. Curiously, the Hickson Centennial was celebrated erroneously in 1978 on unreliable information.

Hickson has only 3 streets in addition to Highway 59, which is also known as Harwood Street: Lovey's Street, John Street, and King Cresecent. Hickson is home to Hickson Central Public School (elementary), a public park, the East-Zorra Tavistock township hall and volunteer fire department, a post office, and several small businesses.

Innerkip

Innerkip Quarry, a recreational-nature facility is located near the community. From 1928 until its flooding in 1937, Innerkip Quarry produced gravel for railway beds. It was purchased in 1957 and since then has been used as a camp ground and trailer park. It is also used for SCUBA diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....

 and swimming.

The quarry is known for diving although it has only a maximum depth of 30 feet, and the only access is by shore. There are submerged cars, boats and planes for divers to use. Ice diving is popular at the quarry in the winter time. Many companies in Southern Ontario use the quarry for training. There is no diveshop on site, but there is a tank fill station.

Tavistock

Tavistock is located 15 kilometers southeast of Stratford
Stratford, Ontario
Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of 32,000.When the area was first settled by Europeans in 1832, the townsite and the river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is the seat of Perth County. Stratford was...

 and five kilometers south of Shakespeare
Shakespeare, Ontario
Shakespeare is a village and designated place within the municipality of Perth East in Perth County, Ontario, Canada with a population of 750 in 2006. Shakespeare is located on the Highway 7/8, just east of Stratford and west of Kitchener.-History:Shakespeare was founded in 1832 by David Bell, and...

 on County Road 59. The world championship crokinole
Crokinole
Crokinole is an action board game similar in various ways to pitchnut, carrom, marbles, and shove ha'penny, with elements of shuffleboard and curling reduced to table-top size...

 tournament has been held annually since 1999 in Tavistock.

Tavistock is home to the Tavistock Braves
Tavistock Braves
The Tavistock Braves are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Tavistock, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.-History:...

, a junior hockey team that plays in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League
Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League
The Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Junior level ice hockey league sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association based out of Southwestern Ontario....

, and the Tavistock Royals
Tavistock Royals
The Tavistock Royals are a senior hockey team based out of Tavistock, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-Championships:...

, a senior hockey team that plays in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League
Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League
The WOAA Senior AA Hockey League is an amateur senior ice hockey league governed by the Western Ontario Athletic Association.-Format:The league uses Hockey Canada playing rules but is not operated under the jurisdictions of the Ontario Hockey Association or Hockey Canada. The league is based in...

.

Tavistock has hosted the World Crokinole
Crokinole
Crokinole is an action board game similar in various ways to pitchnut, carrom, marbles, and shove ha'penny, with elements of shuffleboard and curling reduced to table-top size...

 Championship (WCC) tournament has been held annually on the first Saturday of June since 1999. Tavistock was chosen as the host city because it was home of Eckhardt Wettlaufer, the creator of the earliest known board.

Demographics

Population trend:
  • Population in 2006: 7350 (2001 to 2006 population change: -3.7 %)
  • Population in 2001: 7238
  • Population in 1996: 7348 (or 7278 when adjusted to 2001 boundaries)
  • Population in 1991: 7251


Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 2568 (total dwellings: 2657)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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