Lakeshore is a town in southwestern 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, on Lake St. Clair

Lake Saint Clair (North America)

Lake St. Clair is a fresh-water lake named after Clare of Assisi that lies between the Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan, and its midline also forms the boundary between Canada and the United States of America. Lake St. Clair includes the Anchor Bay along the Metro Detroit coastline...

. Its nearest city is Windsor

Windsor, Ontario

Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...

, located in Essex County

Essex County, Ontario

Essex County is a county and census division located in Southwestern Ontario and covers an area at the southernmost tip of Canada. The administrative seat is Essex...

. The town was incorporated in 1999 by amalgamating the Town of Belle River with the townships

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 Maidstone, Rochester, Tilbury North, and Tilbury West.

Lakeshore has a significant concentration of Franco-Ontarian

Franco-Ontarian

Franco-Ontarians are French Canadian or francophone residents of the Canadian province of Ontario. They are sometimes known as "Ontarois"....

s, and is one of only three communities in Southern Ontario

Southern Ontario

Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...

 (excluding Eastern Ontario

Eastern Ontario

Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...

) where francophones, as a percentage of the community's population, exceed the provincial average of five per cent. The other two are Welland

Welland, Ontario

Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada.The city has been traditionally known as the place where rails and water meet, referring to the railways from Buffalo to Toronto and Southwestern Ontario, and the waterways of Welland Canal and Welland River,...

 and Penetanguishene.

Communities

The town comprises the communities of Belle River, Comber, Deerbrook, Elmstead, Emeryville, Haycroft, Lighthouse Cove, North Woodslee, Pike Creek, Pleasant Park, Puce, Ruscom Station, South Woodslee, St. Joachim, Stoney Point and Strangfield.

A small portion of the township's easternmost area may also be considered part of Tilbury

Tilbury, Ontario

Tilbury is a community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada. It is located between Chatham and Windsor on Highway 401.-History:...

, although Tilbury proper is located in the neighbouring municipality of Chatham-Kent.

History

Essex County resident James Scott Cooper

James Scott Cooper

James Cooper was a Canadian bootleggers who gained prosperity through the prohibition era. Cooper became one of the wealthiest and most powerful bootlegger in Canada.- Bootlegging :...

, a well known local entrepreneur, built mansions in Walkerville and Belle River. The Cooper Court Motel and Bar in Belle River, built in 1920, still operates today as a local favourite. Cooper was known to have been a philanthropist, contributing greatly to the construction of Belle River's first high school, Belle River District High School.

Sports

The community's hockey team is the Belle River Canadiens

Belle River Canadiens

The Belle River Canadiens are a Junior "C" team based out of Belle River, Ontario. They play out of the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League.-History:From 1985 until 2001, the Canadiens were one of the most feared teams in all of Ontario Junior "C" hockey...

, who play in the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League

Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League

The Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League is a Junior "C" ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association. The Champion of the Great Lakes will compete for the All-Ontario Championship and the Clarence Schmalz Cup....

. The youth baseball team is the Belle River Braves.

Belle River is the birthplace of retired NHL player Tie Domi

Tie Domi

Tahir "Tie" Domi is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. During a sixteen-year NHL career when he was known for his role as an enforcer, he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets....

.

Demographics

Population trend:

• Population in 2006: 33,245
• Population in 2001: 28,746
• Population total in 1996: 26,127
  • Belle River (town): 4531
  • Maidstone (township): 11,770
  • Rochester (township): 4458
  • Tilbury North (township): 3591
  • Tilbury West (township): 1777
• Population in 1991:
  • Belle River (town): 4298
  • Maidstone (township): 9922
  • Rochester (township): 4460
  • Tilbury North (township): 3350
  • Tilbury West (township): 1690