Elora, Ontario - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Elora is a community in the 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...

of Centre Wellington

Centre Wellington, Ontario

Centre Wellington is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada, located in Wellington County.-Communities:The primary communities in the township are Elora and Fergus....

, Wellington County

Wellington County, Ontario

Wellington County is a county located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Guelph, a city which is politically independent, but Guelph's status as the seat means it houses the county's administrative offices...

, 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 well known for its 19th-century 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....

architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

, its artistic community and the geographically significant Elora Gorge

Elora Gorge

-External links:* * ** * *...

History

Elora was founded in 1832 by Captain William Gilkison, a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

officer recently returned from India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Originally called Irvine Settlement, the village was renamed Elora when the post office was established in 1839. Gilikson named the community after his brother's ship, which was itself inspired by the Ellora Caves

Ellora Caves

Ellora is an archaeological site, from the city of Aurangabad in the Indian state of Maharashtra built by the Rashtrakuta dynasty . Well-known for its monumental caves, Ellora is a World Heritage Site. Ellora represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture. The 34 "caves" – actually...

near Aurangabad, Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

, India

India

.

Originally part of Nichol Township, Elora was incorporated as a village in 1858 and remained as such until it was amalgamated with Fergus

Fergus, Ontario

Fergus is the largest community in Centre Wellington, a township within Wellington County in Ontario, Canada. It lies on the Grand River about 25 km north of Guelph.-History:...

and portions of Eramosa, Nichol, Pilkington and West Garafraxa Townships to form Centre Wellington in 1999. Elora had a population of 4,546 according to the 2001 Census, the last to record the village's population as a separate entity.

In 2000 a proposal was made to bring a racetrack with slot machines to Elora. The race track

Race track

A race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or athletes. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses. Some motorsport tracks are called speedways.A racetrack is a permanent facility or building...

became the subject of much debate. The Centre Wellington Citizens Coalition

Centre Wellington Citizens Coalition

The Centre Wellington Citizens Coalition is a grassroots group of citizenry seeking to protect the environment and liveability of the Centre Wellington region from the Greater Toronto Area's encroaching urban sprawl...

was formed in opposition to the race track, primarily because of the inclusion of gambling

Gambling

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...

facilities. A 4-3 decision to approve the opening was made by township council. It came down to a 3-3 decision and the mayor at the time George Pinkney, voted in favour of it. In 2002, the Grand River Raceway opened in Elora, with 200 slot machine

Slot machine

A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...

In 2002 the Township of Centre Wellington announced that for safety reasons it would be necessary to demolish the historically important David Street Bridge. Concerned about the preservation of Elora's culturally significant architecture, artist Jim Reed and gallery owner David Neelin formed the group Elora Heritage. They received over 1,000 names on a petition

Petition

A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....

and, assisted by long-time resident activist Don Harris, they met with representatives from town council as well as the provincial and federal governments. It became apparent that the bridge was beyond preservation; however council agreed to preserve the pier and build a replica

Replica

A replica is a copy closely resembling the original concerning its shape and appearance. An inverted replica complements the original by filling its gaps. It can be a copy used for historical purposes, such as being placed in a museum. Sometimes the original never existed. For example, Difference...

bridge. The replica bridge presented numerous engineering challenges and its successful construction was met with acclaim. The Township of Centre Wellington was also lauded for being responsive to its citizens in this matter.

Geography

Elora is situated on the Grand River

Grand River (Ontario)

The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...

, approximately 20 kilometres north of Guelph

Guelph

Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...

, and 20 kilometres northeast of Kitchener-Waterloo

Waterloo, Ontario

Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

. Its coordinates are 43° 46" 6' N - 80° 25" 38' W.

Demographics

The Canada 2001 Census

Canada 2001 Census

The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In...

was the last Canadian census to record Elora as a separate community. 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...

, demographic statistics were published only for Centre Wellington.
According to the Canada 2001 Census

Canada 2001 Census

Population:	3,796 (13.4% from 1996)
Land area:	3.54 km²
Population density:	1,072.3 people/km²
Median age:	39.1 (males: 37.4, females: 39.1)
Total private dwellings:	1,447
Mean household income:	$29,473

Attractions

The spectacular Elora Gorge

Elora Gorge

-External links:* * ** * *...

is at the western edge of the village, adjacent to the Elora Gorge Conservation Area. At the eastern end of the village is the Elora Quarry Conservation Area, a scenic former limestone

Limestone

quarry

Quarry

A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...

, which is now a popular swimming area. The Elora Quarry was used to film a couple of scenes in the movie Angel Eyes

Angel Eyes (film)

Angel Eyes is a 2001 romantic drama film directed by Luis Mandoki. The original music score was composed by Marco Beltrami and features Jennifer Lopez, James Caviezel, Jeremy Sisto, and Terrence Howard. Lopez's performance in the film earned her a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress.-Plot:The...

. Both of these conservation areas are under the authority of the Grand River Conservation Authority

Grand River Conservation Authority

The Grand River Conservation Authority is a conservation authority in Ontario, Canada. It operates under the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario...

.

Elora is also a noted tourist attraction, with a famous waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

, called the Tooth of Time, overlooked by an old mill, numerous small shops and art galleries

Art gallery

An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...

. The quaint old Gorge Cinema is Canada's oldest continuously running repertory theatre. The Elora Mill is Ontario's only remaining five-story mill and has been renovated as a prestigious inn

INN

InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...

and restaurant

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

. The village is a terminus to Ontario's scenic 47-km Elora Cataract Trailway

Elora Cataract Trailway

The Elora Cataract Trailway is a 47km-long recreational rail trail between the towns of Elora and Forks of the Credit, in the south of the province of Ontario, Canada. It is used year-round by naturalists, cyclists, skiers, snowmobilers, and hikers. The former railway operated from about 1880 until...

to its east, and is just 10 km from the Trans Canada Trail

Trans Canada Trail

The Trans Canada Trail is a proposed corridor in Canada. The creation of the trail was announced as part of Canada's 125th anniversary celebrations in 1992. It is expected that when complete, it will be the longest recreational trail in the world...

to its southwest. Elora is also famous for its unique shops and its quaint café

Café

A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...

s and restaurants, which lie along the river's edge.

In 2001, inspired by David Earle and spearheaded by Toni Ellis, a group of citizens organized to develop a century school, whose headmaster had been at one time David Boyle, into an arts and cultural centre. After much hard work on the part of organizers and volunteers, the Elora Centre for the Arts has opened and has become an important part of Elora's traditional aesthetic heritage. Doctor Frederick Banting

Frederick Banting

Sir Frederick Grant Banting, KBE, MC, FRS, FRSC was a Canadian medical scientist, doctor and Nobel laureate noted as one of the main discoverers of insulin....

, A.J. Casson, Harold Town

Harold Town

Harold Town was a Canadian abstract painter. He is best known as a member of Painters Eleven a group of abstract artists active in Toronto from 1954-1960. Town coined the name of the group, which was based simply on the number of artists that were present the first meeting...

, and Corbett Gray were all admirers of Elora.
Friend to A.J. Casson, Frederick Banting married Marion Robertson, an x-ray technician and daughter to Florence and Doctor William Robertson, both residents of Elora for over 50 years.

The township of Centre Wellington has a community museum and an active historical society.

Sports

Elora has a very active lawn bowling club that offers programs for all ages. The Elora Rocks Lawn Bowling Club is a member of District 7 of the Ontario Lawn Bowling Association, and more information about the club may be found on the District website.

Elora is also home to the Elora Mohawks

Elora Mohawks

The Elora Mohawks are Junior "B" box lacrosse team from Elora, Ontario, Canada. The Mohawks play in the OLA Junior B Lacrosse League.Probably founded in the 1960s, the Mohawks started out as the Fergus Thistles. In 1963, the team moved to become the Guelph Mohawks. In 1967 the team moved to...

lacrosse team, the Elora Rocks

Elora Rocks

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

hockey team.

At the community level, Elora also has a skating club, a curling club, a girls' hockey team (Grand River Mustangs), minor hockey team (Centre Wellington Fusion), soccer (Fergus-Elora District Soccer), a ringette team as well as several other sports clubs and organizations.

Notable Persons From Elora

Sitara Hewitt
Sitara Hewitt
Sitara Hewitt is a Canadian film and television actress.-Background:Sitara Hewitt, who is the daughter of two professors from Wilfrid Laurier University, was raised primarily in Elora, Ontario...

, actress (Little Mosque on the Prairie
Little Mosque on the Prairie
Little Mosque on the Prairie is a Canadian sitcom on CBC, created by Zarqa Nawaz and produced by WestWind Pictures. It is filmed in Toronto, Ontario and Indian Head, Saskatchewan...

).
Kevin Breit
Kevin Breit
Kevin Breit is a guitar player from McKerrow, Ontario. His group, The Sisters Euclid, has been a fixture at the Orbit Room in Toronto for the past 13 years. Breit has worked as a session musician with a variety of musicians including The Miller Stain Limit, Norah Jones, Michael Kaeshammer, Celine...

, Tony McManus
Tony McManus
Tony McManus is a Scottish Steel-string guitarist of Irish descent born in Paisley, Scotland. English guitarist John Renbourn described him as "the best Celtic guitarist in the world". His first self-titled album was released in 1996 on Greentrax Recordings...

, musicians
Charles Kirk Clarke
Charles Kirk Clarke
Charles Kirk Clarke was a psychiatrist who was influential in Canadian politics.-Career:He graduated from University of Toronto in 1879 and went on to found the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene in 1914 with Dr...

(1857–1924), psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...

, Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...

, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

; Clarke Institute of Psychiatry
Clarke Institute of Psychiatry
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is a psychiatric hospital in Toronto, Ontario. Much of their work focuses on forensic psychology, sex addiction, drug addiction, and research designed to shape public policy....

named in his honour

External links

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