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Milton, Ontario Milton (2006 census population 53,939)
is a town in southern Ontario,
Canada,
about 40 km west of Toronto
on Highway
401, and is the western terminus for GO Transit's Milton
Line commuter train and bus corridor.
Milton is part of the Greater
Toronto Area and is the seat of Halton
Region, and is on the edge of the Niagara
Escarpment, a UNESCO
world biosphere
reserve and the Bruce
Trail.
Milton received a tremendous amount of publicity following the release of the results of the 2006 Census,
which indicated that Milton was the fastest growing community in Canada, with a 71.4% increase in population between 2001 and 2006. History The town took root out of a settlement
by Jasper Martin, along the Sixteen
Mile Creek, who immigrated from Newcastle,
England
with his wife Sarah and two sons on May
17, 1818.
Martin was granted 100 acres (405,000 m2) of land, from the
Crown in 1820, designated Lot 14, Concession 2, Township of
Trafalgar, Halton County, in the District of Gore. Martin later
built a grist mill along the creek and created a pond, known
as Mill Pond, to power his mill. The mill became the centre
of settlement for others as they settled in the region. In 1837
the area had a population of approximately 100 people and was
named Mill Town. The town, as it is today, soon after became
known as Milton, although not because of the homonymic similarity
to Mill Town. The Martin family were instead paying tribute
to author John
Milton. The two principal property owners of the young town
were the Martins and the Fosters. The current site of Milton's
town hall was donated from Mr. Hugh Foster (and thus, Hugh Foster
Hall). Milton was incorporated into a town in 1857, after being chosen as county seat for Halton. In 1974, the present municipal structure
was created when the Regional Municipality of Halton, replaced Halton County. The new town of Milton added parts of
the former township of Esquesing (most of this township comprises
Halton
Hills), all of Nassagaweya
Township including the village of Campbellville,
and the northern sections of Trafalgar and Nelson from (a 1962
annexation of the former townships) Oakville
and Burlington
respectively. With the addition of the Niagara
Escarpment lands, tourism, recreation, and heritage conservation
have increased in importance. The Halton
Region Museum which has a large number of historic agricultural
buildings and the Halton
County Radial Railway museum are located in Milton, as is
Country Heritage Park (formerly the Ontario
Agricultural Museum). Five large parks operated by Conservation
Halton reside in the town and Mohawk
Raceway is located near Campbellville. Demographics According to the Canada
2001 Census there were 31,005 people living in Milton. (The
population of Milton as of 2006 is 53,939). As of 2001 there
were 10,933 Housing units. • The average
population density per square kilometer was 85.9 persons. Age population was: 26.4% of the population was 19 and below, 63.1% of the population ages 20-64 and 10.5% 65 and older. • The median income for a household in the town was $39,795. The average household income for a family with two earners was $94,384.
• With one earner in a family, $64,043. French as a mother tongue for 1.2% of the population and 0.4% of the population English and French. 8.7% of the populations
mother tongue was a language other than French and or English.
• 90.8% of the population could speak English only, 0.0% of the town could speak French only and 4.8% of the population could speak
English and French. 0.3% of the population could not speak English or French. Local Events Every labour day weekend in Milton the
annual Milton
Steam-Era takes place. Steam-Era is the annual show produced
by the "Ontario Steam & Antique Preservers Association" held
at the Milton Fairgrounds. Steam engines from the turn of the
century silently puff their way around the grounds. Hundreds
of tractors and stationary engines along with antique cars,
models and agricultural displays recreate life in the rural
country a 100 years ago. The Milton Fall Fair happens every year
on the last weekend of September. The Fall Fair has been a tradition
in the town for over 60 years. Events include: Agricultural
show, midway, livestock, entertainment, the Demolition
Derby and other traditional county fair events. The event
takes place at the Milton Fairgrounds located in the historic
subdivision area of Milton. A farmer's market operates on Main St. in downtown Milton on Saturdays 8:00am - 12:00pm from May through October. The section of Main St. that hosts the market is closed
off to vehicles during the event. Local Farmers proudly display "picked fresh this morning" produce and the streets come alive with artisans and flower vendors. Education Milton's public elementary and secondary
schools are part of the Halton
District School Board. Milton's Catholic elementary and
secondary schools are part of the Halton
Catholic District School Board. There are also several private
schools in Milton that belong to various independent school
organizations. Private Schools:
• Milton Christian School (JK-4) Halton Catholic District School Board:
• Bishop Paul Francis Reding Catholic High School (9-12) Halton District School Board:
• Brookville Public School (JK-8) Recreation Milton has many conservation parks, campgrounds
and recreational areas. The conservation parks in the Milton
area are owned by Conservation
Halton, a conservation
authority. • Bruce
Trail Development The town has very easy access throughout
the GTA
by Highways
401 and 407
towards Oakville, Burlington and Hamilton on the town, or by
the former Ontario Highway 25 ( Halton Road 25). There are two
key freight railway routes ( both by CN
and CP
), passenger services from GO
Transit, and VIA
Rail passenger connections in the Quebec
City-Windsor Corridor in both neighbouring Oakville and
Georgetown.
There is close proximity to Toronto
Pearson International Airport along Highway 401 (under 40
km from 401/Halton 25 exit). Milton
Transit was reorganized in 2004, to provide public transportation
service throughout the urban centre, as well as a feeder route
for GO
Transit trains and buses. Milton is currently renting buses
from Oakville
Transit. While most of the development is suburban in nature, larger lots are being developed closer to the Escarpment. The major industries in Milton are automotive, advanced maufacturing,
distribution and food production. Residential growth has increased substantially
over the past several years due to completion of "The Big Pipe"
project; designed to deliver water to the town from Lake Ontario.
Since this time, Milton has developed 4 new subdivisions and
several new ones are under development by Mattamy Homes and
various other builders. Two new grade schools have been built
as well as the Crossroads Centre shopping plaza that includes
a Wal
Mart, a Canadian
Tire, a Montana's
Cookhouse restaurant and several other smaller scale stores.
An eight screen movie theatre is operated by Cineplex
Entertainment under their Galaxy Cinemas brand and opened
on June 30, 2006. The population in Milton continues to rise.
It has been forcasted that by 2021, the population of Milton
will have risen to 106,000. Notable Figures Since the town's inauguration there have been many famous residents. The list includes: • Grand
Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, exiled House
of Romanov heiress who lived in Campbellville
in late 1940s Representation Town Council 1980-Present Mayor: Gordon Krantz Local Councilor Ward 1: Richard Day Halton
Regional Council Local and Regional Councilor Wards 1 and 3: Barry Lee Milton is listed under the Halton
Riding Member of Parliament Garth
Turner (Liberal as of February 6, 2007) Legislative
Assembly of Ontario: Member of Provincial Parliament Ted
Chudleigh (PC) (from Wikipedia, May 2007) |
