Cobourg, Ontario
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Cobourg is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario 95 kilometres (59 mi) east of Toronto and 35 kilometres (22 mi) east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, 7 km (4 mi) to the west. It is located along Highway 401 (exits 472 and 474) and the former Highway 2 (now Northumberland County Road 2). To the south, Cobourg borders Lake Ontario. To the north, east and west, it is surrounded by Hamilton Township.
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History
The settlements that make up today's Cobourg were founded by United Empire Loyalists in 1798. Some of the founding fathers and early settlers were Eluid Nickerson, Joseph Ash, Zacheus Burnham and Asa Burnham. The Town was originally a group of smaller villages such as Amherst and Hardscrabble, which were later named Hamilton. In 1808 it became the district town for the Newcastle District. It was renamed Cobourg in 1818, in recognition of the marriage of Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (later Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who would later become King of Belgium).
By the 1830s Cobourg had become a regional centre, much due to its fine harbour on Lake Ontario. In 1835 the Upper Canada Academy was established in Cobourg by Egerton Ryerson and the Wesleyan Conference of Bishops. On July 1, 1837, Cobourg was officially incorporated as a town. In 1841 the Upper Canada Academy's name was changed to Victoria College. In 1842 Victoria College was granted powers to confer degrees. Victoria College remained in Cobourg until 1892, when it was moved to Toronto and federated with the University of Toronto. In 1842, John Strachan founded the Diocesan Theological Institute in Cobourg, an Anglican seminary that became integrated into the University of Trinity College in Toronto in 1852.
Standing at the heart of the downtown is Victoria Hall, a building that now serves as the town hall, as well as home of the Art Gallery of Northumberland, the Cobourg Concert Hall, and an Old Bailey-style courtroom that is now used as the Council chamber. Victoria Hall was designed by architect Kivas Tully. The landmark is known for its impressive stone work. Charles Thomas Thomas (1820-1867), an English-born master stonecarver and building contractor, executed the fine stone carvings, including the bearded faced keystone over the main entrance into the building.[3] Victoria Hall was officially opened in 1860 by the Prince of Wales, later to become Edward VII of the United Kingdom, King Edward VII. At that time, Cobourg was a significant town in the Province of Canada, and some townspeople felt that Cobourg would be a suitable capital for the newly united provinces; this privilege went to Ottawa, Ontario, however.
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, wealthy Americans built enormous summer homes there, a few of which still stand today. One notable home, on King Street East, became the Brookside School - now a youth detention centre. A major ferry service connected Cobourg and Rochester, New York from 1907 to 1952, transporting passengers and cargo across Lake Ontario, allowing Americans to reach the town more readily. A rail line to the north, over Rice Lake, was short lived, and the lines collapsed into Rice Lake in the late 1800s. After World War II and the advent of improved transportation technology, this economic link decreased in importance.
On December 20, 1951, Cobourg experienced media attention as a C-46 Curtis Commando crash landed in local farmer Charles Wilson's field. 12
Cobourg was the site of No. 26 Ordnance Depot, later Canadian Forces Station Cobourg, from 1953 to 1971.
Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, the town invested heavily in purchasing property along the waterfront and beautifying the area. A boardwalk was developed to connect the harbour and large sandy beach while further pathways were created to encompass Victoria Park and the historic downtown. Because of this renewal and revitalization, many community activities now revolve in and around these spaces.
Transportation
Highway 401 and Northumberland County Road 2 (formerly Highway 2) pass through town. County Road 45 (formerly Highway 45) begins in Cobourg and heads north-east to Norwood.
The Canadian Pacific and Canadian National main railway lines (Toronto – Ottawa/Montreal) traverse the town. Via Rail offers passenger service to Cobourg railway station with multiple daily departures on the Toronto – Ottawa/Montreal route.
Cobourg Transit is a fully accessible community transit system that provides daily bus service to the town. Unfortunately this service stops running far too early for a bustling town that has many places open until 9pm and later. The community transit system ends its runs by 7pm, which can hamper travel for those without other means who need to use the service later. It used to run until 9:30pm but the hours were shortened a few years ago much to the dismay of the transit system users.
The Ontario waterfront trail passes through Cobourg and cyclists ride through the trails daily during the nicer months.
Demographics
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1841 | 3,347 | — |
| 1871 | 4,442 | +32.7% |
| 1881 | 4,957 | +11.6% |
| 1891 | 4,829 | −2.6% |
| 1901 | 4,239 | −12.2% |
| 1911 | 5,074 | +19.7% |
| 1921 | 5,327 | +5.0% |
| 1931 | 5,834 | +9.5% |
| 1941 | 5,907 | +1.3% |
| 1951 | 7,470 | +26.5% |
| 1961 | 10,646 | +42.5% |
| 1971 | 11,282 | +6.0% |
| 1981 | 11,385 | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 15,079 | +32.4% |
| 1996 | 16,185 | +7.3% |
| 2001 | 17,172 | +6.1% |
| 2006 | 18,210 | +6.0% |
| 2011 | 18,519 | +1.7% |
