Orillia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Orillia
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| City of Orillia | |||
Waterfront of Orillia
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| Nickname(s):
The Sunshine City
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 Orillia
Location in Southern Ontario
Orillia
Location in Simcoe County
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| Country | Canada | ||
| Province | Ontario | ||
| Incorporation | 1867 (Village) | ||
| Incorporation | 1875 (Town) | ||
| Incorporation | 1969 (City) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Land | 28.53 km2 (11.02 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 219.50 m (720.14 ft) | ||
| Population
(2021)
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| • Total | 33,411 | ||
| • Density | 1,171.1/km2 (3,033/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) | ||
| Forward Sortation Area |
L3V
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| Area code(s) | 705 / 249 | ||
Orillia is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is in Simcoe County between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a single-tier municipality. It is part of the Huronia region of Central Ontario. The population in 2021 was 33,411.
It was incorporated as a village in 1867, but the history of what is today the City of Orillia dates back at least several thousand years. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of fishing by the Huron and Iroquois peoples in the area over 4,000 years ago, and of sites used by Aboriginal peoples for hundreds of years for trading, hunting, and fishing.
Known as the "Sunshine City", the city's large waterfront attracts many tourists to the area every year, as do a number of annual festivals and other cultural attractions. While the area's largest employer is Casino Rama, overall economic activity in Orillia is a mixture of many different industries including manufacturing, government services, customer service and tourism.
Orillia is located on the shores of two connected lakes: Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching. Both lakes are part of the Trent-Severn Waterway. Travel north on Lake Couchiching, then through three locks and the only marine railway (Big Chute Marine Railway) still in use in North America leads to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. Travel south-east across Lake Simcoe, through many locks (including two of the highest hydraulic lift locks in the world, Peterborough Lift Lock and Kirkfield Lift Lock) eventually leads to Lake Ontario. From either of these Great Lakes one can connect to the St. Lawrence and thence to the Atlantic Ocean.
Contents
History and geography
The site of an Ojibwa reserve from 1830 to 1838, Orillia subsequently prospered as an agricultural and lumbering community. Transportation links with Toronto and Georgian Bay stimulated Orillia's development as a commercial centre and summer resort. The village of Orillia was incorporated in 1867 (sharing the same birthyear as Canada), became a town in 1875, and was designated a city in 1969. The city of Orillia is located on the shores of two connected lakes: Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching. Both lakes are part of the Trent-Severn Waterway. Travel north on Lake Couchiching, then through three locks and the only marine railway in North America leads to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. Travel south-east across Lake Simcoe, through many locks (including two of the highest hydraulic lift locks in the world) eventually leads to Lake Ontario. From either of these Great Lakes one can connect to the St. Lawrence and thence to the Atlantic Ocean.
The human history of the region extends back several thousand years: in the "Narrows", a small waterway that connects Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, there is marine archaeological evidence of ancient fishing weirs used by Huron and Iroquois people to trap fish over 4,000 years ago. Also, there are several archaeological sites in the surrounding area that provide evidence of trading, fishing, and hunting camps that were visited for hundreds of years by Native Americans.
Also of historical note, the famed French explorer Samuel de Champlain visited the area that would later become Orillia in the early 17th century. Ecole Samuel de Champlain, a local francophone elementary school, is named in his honour. A monument to Samuel de Champlain can also be found in Couchiching Beach Park, and is a National Historic Site of Canada.
In Stephen Leacock's 1912 book Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, Orillia was used as the basis for the fictional town known as "Mariposa", although Leacock stated that the fictional town could really be any town. The book was based on Leacock's experiences in the town and the city has since the book's release attempted to mimic the fictional location in as many ways as possible. The Stephen Leacock Museum, located in Orillia, is a National Historic Site.
William E. Bell's 1989 novel Five Days of the Ghost was also set in Orillia, with many readers recognizing popular local spots, including the Guardian Angels Catholic Church, the Samuel de Champlain statue in Couchiching Beach Park as well as Big Chief Island in the middle of Lake Couchiching.
Orillia was the first municipality in North America to introduce daylight saving time and had the first municipal hydro electric transmission plant in North America.
Name
The first recorded use of the name to describe the region, which until then had no officially sanctioned designation, was in 1820 when the name was given in York, Upper Canada by then Lieutenant-Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland, Maitland was a veteran of the British campaign against the French in Spain, called the Peninsular War, during the Napoleonic Wars where he served under the command of Wellington.
While there are no records clearly indicating the reason for the name Orillia, the most common explanation holds that the name originates in the Spanish, "orilla," which can mean the shore of either a lake or river. The Spanish pronunciation sounds much like, "oreeya," and since the word itself is spelled almost identically to Orillia, without the second, "i," it has come to be commonly accepted as the source word for the city's name. Further backing the theory of a Spanish origin are the names of surrounding communities and landmarks, which include Oro for gold, Mariposa for butterfly, and Mono for monkey. Historical documents contain a second spelling of the name which was never officially recognised, Aurelia, which when pronounced sounds similar to the name and is considered a clerical error.
Demographics
| Orillia Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1841 | 200 | — |
| 1871 | 1,322 | +561.0% |
| 1881 | 2,911 | +120.2% |
| 1891 | 4,752 | +63.2% |
| 1901 | 4,907 | +3.3% |
| 1911 | 6,828 | +39.1% |
| 1921 | 8,774 | +28.5% |
| 1931 | 8,183 | −6.7% |
| 1941 | 9,705 | +18.6% |
| 1951 | 12,110 | +24.8% |
| 1961 | 15,345 | +26.7% |
| 1971 | 24,040 | +56.7% |
| 1981 | 23,955 | −0.4% |
| 1991 | 25,925 | +8.2% |
| 1996 | 27,846 | +7.4% |
| 2001 | 29,121 | +4.6% |
| 2006 | 30,259 | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 30,586 | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 31,166 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 33,411 | +7.2% |
| Canada census – Orillia community profile | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2011 | 2006 | |
| Population: | 31,166 (+1.9% from 2011) | 30,586 (+1.1% from 2006) | 30,259 (+3.9% from 2001) |
| Land area: | 28.58 km2 (11.03 sq mi) | 28.61 km2 (11.05 sq mi) | 28.61 km2 (11.05 sq mi) |
| Population density: | 1,090.3/km2 (2,824/sq mi) | 1,069.2/km2 (2,769/sq mi) | 1,057.8/km2 (2,740/sq mi) |
| Median age: | 47.0 (M: 44.4, F: 49.3) | 42.7 (M: 41.0, F: 44.2) | |
| Total private dwellings: | 14,287 | 13,863 | 13,013 |
| Median household income: | $55,802 | $46,722 | |
| References: 2016 2011 2006 earlier | |||
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Orillia had a population of 33,411 living in 14,422 of its 15,428 total private dwellings, a change of 7.2% from its 2016 population of 31,166. With a land area of 28.53 km2 (11.02 sq mi), it had a population density of 1,171.1/km2 (3,033/sq mi) in 2021.
The median household income in 2015 for Orillia was $55,802, which is below the Ontario provincial average of $74,287.
Recreation and culture
Orillia is known as the "Sunshine City", taking the moniker from the Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock. Many local businesses also use "Mariposa" in their names. The city council has actively restricted the construction of large buildings downtown and seeks to maintain a certain "small town" look with regard to signs and decorations. However, in 2012 plans were discussed to redevelop the waterfront district and other areas underdeveloped or otherwise vacant. A 3D model was developed at the local Royal Canadian Legion to reflect the possible future and is to be on display in city hall.
Orillia's "Arts District” is located on Peter St. S., between Mississauga St. E and Colborne St. E. and is home to a variety of art galleries, fine dining and shops. At its centre is The Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH), considered the hub of art and culture for the city, playing an instrumental role in municipal cultural events.
The museum occupies all four floors of the historic Sir Sam Steele Building, a landmark destination for both residents and visitors. A collection of over 10 000 artefacts of regional historical significance features in a rotating exhibits schedule. On a separate floor is contemporary art space with exhibits featuring regional and international artists. The museum also features a designated education space and hosts activities including art-making and interpretive programming for children, artists, artisans, historians, etc.
Many tourists and boaters are attracted to the city each year because of its waterfront park Couchiching Beach Park/Centennial Park/Port of Orillia and its position as a gateway to Lake Country, cottage country in Muskoka, Algonquin Provincial Park, and other natural attractions. The city's waterfront has an extensive lakeshore boardwalk, a large park with two beaches, several playgrounds, an outdoor theatre, a touring ferry, and a children's' train.
The city of Orillia also is home to a large number of retirement homes (currently 9, with 4 more under construction). As such, it is often characterized as a "retirement community", although less than 18% of the city's population is actually over 65 (see below).
Orillia is home to an annual Perch Fishing Festival. Perch are netted, tagged, and released into the local lake, to be caught for prize money. This event also includes a large social gathering consisting of a "perch fry". Other popular annual festivals include the Leacock Festival, Blues Festival, Jazz Festival,Scottish Festival, and Beatles Festival (newly added to the city in September 7)
The Port of Orillia holds an annual "Christmas in June", which includes a boat decorating contest and turkey buffet, every June 24. Also, boat and cottage shows are held in June and August.
Orillia also hosts the largest Canada Day event in Central Ontario at Couchiching Beach Park. The day begins with the traditional pancake breakfast served by the Mayor and Council and ends with a large fireworks display.
Orillia is the original and current site of the popular Mariposa Folk Festival.
The Royal Canadian Legion sponsors a yearly Scottish Festival at Couchiching Beach Park and Centennial Park in July each year. Marching bands from around the country participate.
Since 1963, the Webers hamburger restaurant has been located approximately 1 km north of Orillia, next to Ontario Highway 11.
Lake St. George Golf Club is located ten minutes north of Orillia.
Transit
Orillia Transit provides service on five routes throughout the city. All of these routes run on loops which depart and end at the downtown bus terminal on the West St. and Mississaga St. intersection.
Climate
| Climate data for Orillia | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 10.0 (50.0) |
13.0 (55.4) |
23.0 (73.4) |
29.5 (85.1) |
32.5 (90.5) |
34.0 (93.2) |
37.5 (99.5) |
34.0 (93.2) |
32.5 (90.5) |
27.0 (80.6) |
21.5 (70.7) |
17.0 (62.6) |
37.5 (99.5) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −3.6 (25.5) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
2.9 (37.2) |
10.7 (51.3) |
18.2 (64.8) |
22.5 (72.5) |
25.7 (78.3) |
24.2 (75.6) |
19.3 (66.7) |
12.2 (54.0) |
5.8 (42.4) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
11.2 (52.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −8.4 (16.9) |
−7.7 (18.1) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
5.7 (42.3) |
12.9 (55.2) |
17.1 (62.8) |
20.6 (69.1) |
19.4 (66.9) |
14.8 (58.6) |
8.2 (46.8) |
2.2 (36.0) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
6.5 (43.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −13.1 (8.4) |
−12.6 (9.3) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
0.8 (33.4) |
7.5 (45.5) |
11.5 (52.7) |
15.5 (59.9) |
14.6 (58.3) |
10.2 (50.4) |
3.9 (39.0) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
−8.8 (16.2) |
1.8 (35.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −37.0 (−34.6) |
−37.0 (−34.6) |
−30.0 (−22.0) |
−15.0 (5.0) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
0.5 (32.9) |
7.0 (44.6) |
4.0 (39.2) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
−35.0 (−31.0) |
−37.0 (−34.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 103.1 (4.06) |
68.1 (2.68) |
71.3 (2.81) |
72.2 (2.84) |
77.6 (3.06) |
76.4 (3.01) |
77.4 (3.05) |
102.4 (4.03) |
95.5 (3.76) |
89.7 (3.53) |
102.5 (4.04) |
107.3 (4.22) |
1,043.2 (41.07) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 13.9 (0.55) |
15.4 (0.61) |
38.4 (1.51) |
60.9 (2.40) |
77.3 (3.04) |
76.4 (3.01) |
77.4 (3.05) |
102.4 (4.03) |
95.3 (3.75) |
86.5 (3.41) |
77.1 (3.04) |
29.6 (1.17) |
750.6 (29.55) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 89.2 (35.1) |
59.6 (23.5) |
32.9 (13.0) |
11.3 (4.4) |
0.4 (0.2) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
3.2 (1.3) |
25.4 (10.0) |
77.7 (30.6) |
292.6 (115.2) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 16.9 | 11.8 | 12.4 | 12.0 | 12.8 | 11.7 | 9.8 | 12.5 | 13.6 | 15.3 | 15.7 | 16.9 | 161.3 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 2.6 | 2.3 | 6.5 | 10.6 | 12.7 | 11.7 | 9.8 | 12.5 | 13.6 | 15.0 | 12.3 | 4.5 | 114.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 14.8 | 10.2 | 6.5 | 2.2 | 0.17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.73 | 4.7 | 13.4 | 52.7 |
| Source: Environment Canada | |||||||||||||
Ontario Provincial Police Headquarters
As part of an initiative to decentralise its services, the provincial government relocated the headquarters of the Ontario Provincial Police to Orillia. The office was initially located in the Tudhope Building downtown (part of which is currently used as the Orillia City Hall) until the new building was opened in 1995. The headquarters, known as the Lincoln M. Alexander Building, is located on Memorial Avenue near the Huronia Regional Centre. The building houses the assorted bureaus and divisions that make up the general headquarters, as well as the Provincial Police Academy, and The OPP Museum.
OPP Central Region Headquarters is located on Hurtubise Road, near the intersection of Hwy 12 and Memorial Avenue.
The OPP also provides municipal policing to the City of Orillia under contract from a detachment located in the downtown core. The city's police force was disbanded when the policing contract began in 1996.
Economy
Initial interest in Orillia came from fur traders who used the gathering place at the Narrows to do business with the many tribes that came there each spring and fall. Subsequently, Orillia's economics has ranged from farming (even downtown) to machinery, to automobiles and even one of the first "campers" (a pop-up tent in a car).
Economic activity in Orillia is a mix of manufacturing, government services, customer service, and tourism. The largest employer in the area is Casino Rama, located in the nearby reserve land of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. Manufacturing operations in the city include CCI Thermal Technologies (industrial heaters and heating components), Dorr-Oliver Eimco (industrial equipment), Kubota Metal Corporation (petrochemical industry components), Parker Hannifin (moulded rubber products), Pliant Corporation (components for the packaging industry), Smiths Aerospace Components (aerospace industry machining), and TI Group Automotive Systems (automotive components). Call centre Tele Tech Canada also employs approximately 850 people. The Central Operations Headquarters for Ontario Provincial Police is located in Orillia on Memorial Drive along with the regional headquarters.
Heywood-Wakefield seating, which operated from the early 20th century, announced it was closing its doors in September 2007. In late July 2009, Parker Hannifin announced that they were shutting down their operations in Orillia at the end of the year.
G.W.B. Rope & Twine, which was one of the foremost North American producers of braided rope from 1973 to 1985, was also the inventor of the automotive grocery or cargo restraint net. The net was introduced with the launch of the Ford Taurus at Christmas 1985, and shortly thereafter the company was sold and became Polytech Netting Industries, which employed several hundred people until moving to Mexico in 1996–97. G.W.B. Rope and Twine's founders, Gordon W. Brown and family, launched G&B Ropes in 1990. (Their son Sean Brown worked with G&B Ropes until it transferred ownership around 1998. Sean Brown then assisted in the development of Orillia's newest rope-making business, Redpoint Ropes.)
Large public-sector employers include the headquarters for the Ontario Provincial Police, which is located in Orillia. The Huronia Regional Centre, formerly an asylum that later became an institution to house disabled people, was one of the area's largest employers for many decades until the de-institutionalization movement of the 1980s and 1990s.
Education
Both French and English public education is offered in Orillia.
There is one Catholic French-language elementary school, École élémentaire catholique Samuel-de-Champlain, operated by the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud.
Students from this elementary school attend École secondaire catholique Nouvelle-Alliance, which is operated by the same board and is located in Barrie.
English public education in Orillia is provided via the Simcoe County District School Board, which has nine elementary and three secondary schools in the city. The secondary schools are Twin Lakes Secondary School, Orillia Secondary School, formerly OD/Park Secondary School and originally called Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Institute and Park Street Collegiate Institute. The schools joined together in the summer of 2013. There is also an alternative secondary school, known as OASIS.
Publicly funded Catholic English-language education is available via the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board through four elementary schools and one secondary school, Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School.
Private schools include the Orillia Christian School.
There are two post-secondary institutions that are based in Orillia. The Orillia campus of Georgian College, offers applied arts and technology programmes to 1,600 students. Lakehead University operates a small campus downtown, with the main campus on a new site on University Ave. The Orillia campus opened in the downtown in 2006 and the campus on University Ave. opened in September 2010. The Lakehead University campus located on University Avenue is the first in North America that has been built to meet all LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards.
There is also an Adult Learning Centre, where adults may upgrade to receive high school diplomas.
Notable residents
- A. Charles Baillie, Chancellor of Queen's University
- James Bartleman, diplomat and Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
- William E. Bell, author
- David G. Benner, psychologist and author
- Franklin Carmichael, one of the Group of Seven
- Leslie Frost, Premier of Ontario
- Jake Gaudaur, football player
- Jake Gaudaur Sr., champion oarsman
- Walter Knox, athlete and athletics coach
- John Lawless, ice hockey player inducted to the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame
- Stephen Leacock, humourist
- Matt Lennox, novelist
- Doug Lewis, politician and lawyer
- Rick Ley, hockey player
- Gordon Lightfoot, singer/songwriter of classics like "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
- Robert W. Mackenzie, politician
- Sam Medysky, kiteboarder
- Ethan Moreau, Columbus Blue Jackets hockey player
- Jack Reid, artist, watercolours
- Ted Roop, Morning Radio Show Host - 104.1 The DOCK
- Sir Samuel Steele, soldier and member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- Don Tapscott, Member of the Order of Canada and former Chancellor of Trent University
- Earl Valiquette, football player
- Luke Wiles, lacrosse player
- Elizabeth Wyn Wood, sculptor
- Marnie Woodrow, novelist
Images for kids
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Front entrance of the Casino Rama in Orillia
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Decorative chair by Brenda Slater, dedicated to Stephen Leacock in Orillia
See also
In Spanish: Orillia para niños
