Brantford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brantford
City (single-tier)
City of Brantford
From top, left to right: Flowerbed outside RBC Building, Statue of Joseph Brant, Colborne Street in Downtown Brantford, Bell Homestead, City Hall, Grand River
Flag Logo
Brantford Location in Southern Ontario
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Brant (independent)
Established	May 31, 1877
Area
• Land	98.65 km2 (38.09 sq mi)
• Metro	1,074.00 km2 (414.67 sq mi)
Elevation	248 m (814 ft)
Population  (2021)
• City (single-tier)	104,688 (53rd)
• Density	1,061.2/km2 (2,748/sq mi)
• Metro	144,162 (30th)
• Metro density	134.2/km2 (348/sq mi)
Gross Metropolitan Product
• Brantford CMA	CA$6.1 billion (2020)
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Forward sortation area	N3P to N3V
Area code(s)	519, 226, and 548
Website	www.brantford.ca

Brantford is a city in Ontario, Canada. In 2021, about 104,688 people lived there. It's located on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. Even though it's surrounded by Brant County, Brantford has its own independent city government.

The city is built on the Haldimand Tract, a large piece of land given to the Mohawk people. Brantford is named after Joseph Brant, a famous Mohawk leader and soldier. Many of his family members and other First Nations people live on the nearby Six Nations of the Grand River reserve, which is the biggest reserve in Canada.

Brantford is often called the "Telephone City." This is because Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone at his family's home, the Bell Homestead, located just outside the city. Brantford is also the hometown of famous people like hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and comedian Phil Hartman.

Discovering Brantford's Past

Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant, a Mohawk leader.

Long ago, before the 1600s, the Neutral Nation lived in the Grand River valley where Brantford is today. Their main village was called Kandoucho. However, their communities were destroyed in 1650 during a war with the Iroquois over the fur trade.

In 1784, Captain Joseph Brant and the Mohawk people moved to Canada from New York State. They were given a large area of land called the Haldimand Tract along the Grand River by the British. The original Mohawk settlement was where Brantford is now, at a good spot for canoes to land. The area was first called "Brant's ford" because Joseph Brant crossed the river there. Today, the Glebe Farm Indian Reserve is at this original site.

The settlement started to grow in the 1820s when roads improved. By the 1830s, Brantford became a stop on the Underground Railroad. Many African-Americans who had escaped slavery settled in the town. They built their own school and church, now known as the S.R. Drake Memorial Church. By 1846, about 2,000 people lived in the city, and many churches were built.

More people moved to Brantford after 1848 when boats could travel on the river to the city. The population grew even more in 1854 when the railway arrived.

Because it was easy to get goods in and out by river and rail, many factories opened in Brantford by 1869. These included companies that made engines and farm tools. Major farm equipment makers like Cockshutt and Harris started here in the 1870s.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Canadian government encouraged First Nations children to attend residential schools. These schools aimed to teach them English and European ways. However, these schools caused a lot of harm by trying to erase Native cultures.

In 1945, Brantford was the first city in Canada to add fluoride to its water.

In 2010, the city decided to tear down 41 old buildings in downtown Brantford. These buildings were very old and important to history, but the city wanted to rebuild the downtown area. Many people who care about history were upset by this decision.

Historic Markers & Monuments

Plaques and monuments around Brantford tell us more about its early history.

• The famous Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant led his people to Canada after the American Revolution. A group of 400 settled on the Grand River in 1788. Later, a monument was built in his honor in Burlington.
• The Mohawk Chapel was built in 1785 for the Mohawk and Iroquois people. It was given "Royal" status in 1904 by King Edward VII. It's still used today and is the oldest Protestant church in Ontario. Joseph Brant and his son, John Brant, are buried here.
• Chief John Brant (Mohawk leader) was Joseph Brant's son. He fought with the British in the War of 1812 and worked to help First Nations people. He helped build schools and was the first Native Superintendent of the Six Nations. He was also the first Indigenous Canadian to be elected to Parliament in 1830.
• The Brant County Courthouse was built in 1852 on land bought from the Six Nations. It has a grand Greek Revival style with large columns.
• Alexander Graham Bell and his family moved to Brantford in 1870. They lived at Melville House, which is now the Bell Homestead museum. This is where Bell invented the telephone in 1874. The Bell Memorial was built to celebrate this important invention.

The Telephone City's Birth

Bell Memorial, celebrating the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell.

While Alexander Graham Bell did a lot of work on the telephone in Boston, he said that the idea for the telephone was "solved at my father's home" in Brantford in 1874. He also said that the first long-distance call was made between Brantford and Paris on August 3, 1876. The next day, another call was made between the telegraph office in Brantford and Bell's father's home.

Canada's first telephone factory was in Brantford, started by James Cowherd around 1879. The first telephone business office also opened in Brantford in 1877. Because of these events, Brantford is known as "The Telephone City."

Brantford's Economy

Brantford became an important industrial city in Canada during the first half of the 1900s. It was once the third-ranked Canadian city for the value of goods it produced.

The city grew because it was at a good spot on the Grand River and became a railway hub. This helped Brantford change from a farming community into a city with many factories, especially those making farm equipment. Companies like Massey-Harris and Cockshutt Plow Company provided many jobs.

However, in the 1980s and 1990s, Brantford's economy faced challenges. Many factories closed, leaving thousands of people without jobs. This had a negative effect on the downtown area.

Things started to improve after Highway 403 was completed in 1997. This highway made it easier for companies to access Hamilton and Toronto. In 2004, big companies like Procter & Gamble and Ferrero SpA opened facilities in Brantford. SC Johnson Canada also has its headquarters and a factory here.

In February 2019, Brantford's unemployment rate was 4.6%, which was lower than Ontario's rate.

Weather in Brantford

Brantford has a humid continental climate. This means it has warm to hot summers and cold winters with some snow. The winters are not usually as harsh as in some other parts of Canada.

Brantford's People

In 2021, the population of Brantford was about 104,688 people. This was a growth of about 6.2% since 2016. The city has a population density of about 1061 people per square kilometer.

Brantford has the highest number of Indigenous people in Southern Ontario, outside of a reserve.

Diverse Backgrounds

Brantford is home to people from many different backgrounds. In 2021, most residents were of European heritage. However, there are also growing communities of people with South Asian, Indigenous, African, and Southeast Asian roots.

Religious Beliefs

In 2021, about 51.8% of Brantford residents were Christian. This included Catholics and Protestants. About 40.4% of residents said they had no religion. Other religions like Sikhism, Islam, and Hinduism are also practiced in the city.

Movies and TV in Brantford

Brantford has been used as a filming location for many TV shows and movies!

• The TV series Murdoch Mysteries has filmed scenes at the Carnegie Building (now part of Wilfrid Laurier University) and the Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts. Old homes and Victoria Park have also been used.
• Parts of the third season of The Boys were filmed in Brantford in 2021.
• The Handmaid's Tale filmed several scenes in Brantford in 2018, 2020, and 2022.
• The Brantford Airport has been used for movies like Welcome to Mooseport and Where the Truth Lies. Many episodes of Mayday have also been filmed there.
• An episode of Due South was filmed at Arnold Anderson Stadium.
• Brantford's downtown was used for Weirdsville (2006) and Silent Hill (2005).
• The Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts was used in the series Slings & Arrows.

Learning in Brantford

Many adults in Brantford have gone on to college or university. In 2016, over half of adults aged 25 to 64 had a post-secondary certificate, diploma, or university degree.

Universities and Colleges

Brantford has several places for higher education:

• Laurier Brantford is a campus of Wilfrid Laurier University. It offers many programs in subjects like Journalism, Criminology, and Psychology. About 2,800 full-time students attended in 2013–14.
• Six Nations Polytechnic offers college programs and university programs.
• Nipissing University partners with Laurier Brantford to offer a teaching program.
• Conestoga College offers business and health administration programs in downtown Brantford.

Schools for Younger Students

Public schools are managed by the Grand Erie District School Board. Catholic schools are managed by the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board.

• High Schools:

* Assumption College School (Catholic) * Brantford Collegiate Institute * North Park Collegiate & Vocational School * Pauline Johnson Collegiate & Vocational School * St. John's College (Catholic) * Tollgate Technological Skills Centre * Grand Erie Learning Alternatives (GELA)

• Elementary Schools: There are many public and Catholic elementary schools in Brantford.
• Other Schools:

* The W. Ross Macdonald School is for students who are blind or deafblind. * The Mohawk Institute Residential School was once located in Brantford. It was closed because people realized the harm these schools caused to Indigenous cultures. * Braemar House School is a private elementary school.

Media in Brantford

Online News

BTOWN is a free online magazine that shares news about people and events in the Brantford area.

Newspapers

• The Brantford Expositor has been published since 1852. It comes out six days a week.
• The Two Row Times is a free weekly paper that started in 2013. It's delivered to reserves in Ontario and can be read online.
• BScene is a free monthly community paper.

Radio Stations

• AM 1380 – CKPC (AM) (religious music)
• FM 92.1 – CKPC-FM (adult contemporary music)
• FM 93.9 – CFWC-FM (country music)

Television

Brantford has a local TV service called Rogers TV (cable 20). Otherwise, people in Brantford watch TV stations from Toronto, Hamilton, and Kitchener.

Getting Around Brantford

By Air

The Brantford Municipal Airport is just west of the city. It hosts an annual air show with the Snowbirds. Larger airports like the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport are also nearby.

By Train

The Brantford station is north of downtown. Via Rail trains stop here daily, connecting Brantford to cities like Toronto.

Brantford used to have horse-drawn streetcars in 1886, which became electric by 1893. By 1939, these were replaced by gas-powered buses.

By Bus

• Brantford Transit has nine bus routes that run every half hour from the downtown Transit Terminal.
• GO buses connect downtown Brantford to Burlington and McMaster University.
• Brant eRide is a service that provides rides to nearby towns like Paris and St. George.

By Car

• Highway 403 goes east to Hamilton and west to Woodstock.
• Highway 24 goes north to Cambridge and south to Simcoe.

By Bike

As of 2022, Brantford has at least 18 kilometers of bikeways. There are plans to add more bike lanes and trails.

Some old railway lines have been turned into rail trails, which are great for cycling between communities. These include the SC Johnson Trail to Paris and the Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail to Hamilton. Other trails connect south to Port Dover.

Fun Things to Do in Brantford

The Armoury

Museums

• The Bell Homestead
• Woodland Cultural Centre
• Brant Museum and Archives
• Canadian Military Heritage Museum
• The Personal Computer Museum

Festivals and Events

• "Brantford International Villages Festival" in July
• "Brantford Kinsmen Annual Ribfest" in August
• "Chili Willy Cook-Off" in February
• "Frosty Fest" in winter
• The Bell Summer Theatre Festival from Canada Day to Labour Day at the Bell Homestead.

Theatre

Brantford has several theatre groups, including Brant Theatre Workshops and Theatre Brantford.

Entertainment Venues

• Elements Casino Brantford is a local casino.
• The Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts hosts many shows and performances.

Sports and Teams

The YMCA in Brantford has a long history of organizing sports for kids and adults, including basketball, hockey, and baseball.

Local Sports Teams

• Brantford Red Sox (baseball)
• Brantford Jr. Red Sox (junior baseball)
• Brantford Blast (hockey)
• Brantford Bulldogs (hockey)
• Brantford 99ers (junior hockey)
• Brantford Bandits (junior hockey)
• Brantford Galaxy SC (soccer)
• Brantford Harlequins (rugby)

Past Teams

Some teams that used to play in Brantford include:

• Brantford Alexanders (hockey, 1976-1978 and 1978-1984)
• Brantford Motts Clamatos (hockey)
• Brantford Golden Eagles (junior hockey)
• Brantford Smoke (hockey, 1991-1998)

Sports Events

• The Wayne Gretzky International Hockey Tournament is held every year.
• Brantford hosted and won the Allan Cup in 2008.
• The Walter Gretzky Street Hockey Tournament is held annually. In 2010, it set a Guinness World Record for the largest street hockey tournament, with over 2,000 players!

Famous People from Brantford

Many notable people have come from Brantford, including:

• Alexander Graham Bell (inventor of the telephone)
• Wayne Gretzky (hockey legend)
• Phil Hartman (comedian and actor)

Sister Cities

Brantford is connected with two "sister cities" in other countries:

• Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland
• Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine

See also

In Spanish: Brantford para niños