(
2004 population 74,600 and the metropolitan population numbers 112,000) is a
City on the
Otonabee River in central-eastern
Ontario ,
Canada , 125km northeast of
Toronto . Peterborough is a gateway to the "cottage country" of the Kawarthas, a large recreational region of the province. The city is the seat of
Peterborough County .
The
Trent-Severn Waterway passes through Peterborough and includes the
Peterborough Lift Lock , the world's largest hydraulic
Lift Lock , which opened in 1904. It is also the world's highest lift lock with a rise of 65ft (19.8m).
Paleo-Indian groups followed retreating glaciers into the area 11,000 years ago. Woodland Indians inhabited the area circa 1000 BC-1000 AD, followed by Iroquoians and Mississaugas circa 1740.
In 1615,
Samuel De Champlain traveled through the area and stayed for a brief period of time near the present-day site of Bridgenorth, just north of Peterborough.
In 1818, Adam Scott settled on the west shore of the Otonobee River. The following year he began construction of a sawmill and gristmill, establishing the area as Scott's Plains.
1825 marked the arrival of 2,000 Irish immigrants from the city of
Cork . In 1822, the British Parliament had approved an experimental emigration plan to transport poor Irish families to Upper Canada. The scheme was managed by
Peter Robinson , at the time a politician in York (present-day
Toronto ). Scott's Plains was re-named Peterborough in his honor.
In 1845,
Sandford Fleming , inventor of
Standard Time and designer of Canada's first postage stamp, moved to the city to live with Dr. John Hutchison and his family, staying until 1847. Dr. John Hutchison was one of Peterborough's first resident doctors.
Peterborough was incorporated as a town in 1850 (population 2,191).
Beginning in the late 1850's, a substantial canoe building industry grew up in and around Peterborough. The Peterborough Canoe Company was founded in 1893, with the factory being built on the site of the original Adam Scott mill. By 1930, 25% of all employees in the boat building industry in Canada worked in the Peterborough area. The period from 1928-36 saw the establishment of the Johnson Motor Company/Outboard Marine as an outgrowth of the original industry. Canoe building remained significant here until the early 1960's. Reflecting this heritage the city is now home to the
Canadian Canoe Museum .
Peterborough would also see extensive industrial growth as the city was one of the first places in the country to begin generating hydro electrical power (even before Niagara). Companies like Edison General Electric Company (later Canadian General Electric) and America Cereal Company (later to become Quaker Oats), opened to take advantage of this new cheap resource.
In 1904, the village of Ashburnham (founded in 1859) was annexed to Peterborough. Peterborough was incorporated as a city in 1905 (population 14,300).
According to the
Canada 2001 Census the population of the
Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) of Peterborough was 102,423 (Ontario 11,410,046, Canada 30,007,094) and of these 71,446 lived within the urban core. This made Peterborough the
34th Largest Urban Area In Canada (14th in Ontario).
Males made up 47.6 % of the population and females 52.4 % (Ontario males 47.8% females 52.2%, Canada males 49.0% females 51.0%).
Children under five accounted for 4.8 % of the resident population of the city (Ontario 5.8%, Canada 5.6%). People of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) made up 18.1 % of the resident population (Ontario 13.0%, Canada 13.2%). The average age of a person in Peterborough was 40.6 years (Ontario 37.2 years, Canada 37.6 years).
The population density of Peterborough (CMA) averaged 85.4 people per square kilometre, compared with an average of 12.6 for the province.
Between the time of the previous census in 1996 and 2001, the population of Peterborough grew by 2.4 % (Ontario 6.1%). In 2005, the population of the Peterborough CMA was estimated at 112,000, a growth rate of 9.4 %.
Manufacturing is the biggest local industry with
General Electric and
Quaker Oats maintaining large operations in Peterborough. The city is also a 'bedroom' community for workers of
General Motors . The GM Oshawa Autoplex is actually the largest industrial employer of Peterborough citizens. The Peterborough Regional Health Centre is the largest employer, followed by school boards and local government.
Companies like General Electric and Outboard Marine, with their high paying manufacturing jobs, had a major impact on the growth of the city. Aging facilities and more expensive labour compared with the developing world worked against the city. The
NAFTA agreement of the early 1990's saw a major shift in trading patterns for many Canadian companies. Other innovations like just in time delivery and pressure to produce ever cheaper goods impacted some of the large multi-nationals in the 70s and 80s. Today GE, PepsiCo Quaker, Siemens and numerous smaller manufacturing companies are experiencing signficant growth. Minute Maid (Coca-Cola) recently invested $20 million in a new warehouse and product line while auto parts supplier Ventra has doubled in size. Manufacturing job creation kept pace with the provincial average from 1991-2001. Lower costs, reliable labour and high quality post-secondary institutions are a competitive advantage for Peterborough. Peterborough was ranked number one location for business in Ontario by ''
Canadian Business '' magazine in late 2004.
The ''
Peterborough Examiner '' is one of the original local publishers. In the 1990's tabloid style ''
Peterborough This Week '' entered the market taking away a large share of the market away from the Examiner. ''Peterborough This Week'' started as a free tabloid style paper delivered to most homes in Peterborough County. Alternatively, ''
Arthur '' (often erroneously referred to as ''
The Arthur '') is a student newspaper funded and produced by
Trent University students. It is distributed at no cost on the university campus and in downtown area.
In addition to Peterborough's own radio market, some (but not all) radio stations from the
Greater Toronto Area can also be heard in the area. Peterborough is in a bit of an unusual position in this regard; the city has more radio stations of its own than some larger cities, such as
Oshawa or
Brampton , which are closer to the Toronto market.
The campus of
Trent University (est. 1964) is in the city's north end. Trent University's academic focus is on environmental, cultural and science studies.
Vocational education is provided by
Fleming College (est. 1967) - a multidisciplinary institution with four campuses. The college is also a well respected business skills training centre.
Peterborough's public
Elementary and
Secondary schools are part of the
Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board . Peterborough's Catholic
Elementary and
Secondary schools are part of the
Peterborough Victoria Northumberland And Clarington Catholic District School Board
Situated on the shores of Little Lake next to the downtown core, . It is a public gallery and collector of
Contemporary art. It's located in a modern architectural styled building, and there have been several, never realised plans over the years to expand the galleries.
, founded in
1974 . Its mandate is to support the growth and development of
Contemporary Artist s. Artspace maintains a public gallery. Noted artist
David Bierk was one of the founding members.
. The PAU is mandated to serve practitioners of all artistic disciplines in Peterborough and surrounding area, and maintains a public gallery. The PAU also runs a media centre, providing resources to members for the production of digitally-based audio and video works.
in
1994 , and is a presenter and animator of
Contemporary Dance and
Performance . It is the only full-time presenter of contemporary dance in
Ontario outside of
Toronto and
Ottawa . The organziation also supports the development of local dance and performance artists.
Peterborough is well known for its hockey teams, including the
Peterborough Petes of the junior level
OHL . The Petes have sent a significant number of players on to play in the
National Hockey League . Figure skating is another popular winter sport.
Taking advantage of the dozens of arenas in the region,
Lacrosse is also popular sport in Peterborough. The city's two major teams are the
Peterborough Lakers and the
Peterborough Junior Lakers .
- Summer Festival of Lights - annual free concert series & fireworks, Wednesdays & Saturdays from June to August, Del Crary Park
- Festival of Trees - annual fundraiser in support of local healthcare built around a show of decorated Christmas trees and other seasonally themed displays, late November, Memorial Centre
- Downtown Countdown - annual alcohol/drug-free New Years Eve celebration
- Peterborough Folk Festival - annual three-day music and community festival, featuring free all-day outdoor event with five stages. Traditionally held last weekend in August.
- Peterborough Promotions Complete Daily Events List for Peterborough Ontario.
- Bob Gainey , former National Hockey League player with the Montreal Canadiens
- Ronnie Hawkins , Rock and Roll Legend currently resides in Peterborough
- Steve Larmer , former National Hockey League player with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers
- Roger Neilson , innovative National Hockey League coach who spent 10 years coaching the Peterborough Petes
- Hawk Nelson , a Christian pop/punk band hails from here
- Estella Warren , actress, model, and formerly a synchronized swimmer was born and raised here.
- Yann Martel , winner of the Booker Prize , studied philosophy at Peterborough's Trent University
