List of towns in Ontario facts for kids

A town in Ontario, Canada, is a type of local government area. Think of it as a community with its own rules and services. Towns can be either "single-tier" or "lower-tier" municipalities. This means they might handle all their local services themselves, or they might share some responsibilities with a larger regional government.

In 2016, Ontario had 88 towns. Together, these towns were home to over 1.8 million people! The average town had about 22,316 residents. In 2021, Oakville was the biggest town with over 213,000 people. The smallest was Latchford, with just 355 residents.

How Towns Were Formed

Before 2001, there were specific rules for creating a town in Ontario. A place needed at least 2,000 people to become a town. If 75 or more residents asked, the Ontario Municipal Board could make it a town. This rule also allowed villages or townships to become towns if their population grew to 2,000.

Modern Town Status

The rules changed in 2001 with a new law called the Municipal Act, 2001. After this, the old population requirements were removed.

Now, towns that were part of a larger county or region kept their "town" name but became "lower-tier" municipalities. Towns that were not part of a larger county became "single-tier" municipalities, also keeping their "town" name.

Today, local governments in Ontario can choose to call themselves a "town." They can also choose names like "cities," "villages," or "townships." Or, they can just use the general term "municipalities."

Towns in Ontario

The table below lists all the towns in Ontario. It shows their population in 2016 and 2011, how much their population changed, their size in square kilometers, and how many people live per square kilometer.

See also

• List of cities in Ontario
• List of communities in Ontario
• List of municipalities in Ontario
• List of township municipalities in Ontario
• List of villages in Ontario