Almonte, Ontario
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The former town of Almonte, in Ontario, Canada is now a ward of the town of Mississippi Mills, which was created on January 1 1998 by the merging of Almonte with Ramsay township and Pakenham. Almonte is located 50 km south-west of Ottawa, Ontario, at latitude 45.15, longtitude 75.12. Its population [2005] is about 5,000.
Almonte was founded in 1820 and is named after Mexican soldier, diplomat and politician Juan Almonte. Almonte was respected as a patriot by many Canadians who had recently fought the War of 1812 with the U.S.
For more than a century, Almonte was a thriving textile center, commemorated by the [Mississippi Valley Textile Museum.]
James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, was born in Almonte, and is honoured at the [Naismith Museum.]
A walk through Almonte is a trip back in history, with many structures from the 19th century still standing. Malcolm Street, for example, contains many fine 19th century homes, as do Union Street and others.
Almonte has three elementary schools: R. Tait McKenzie Public School, Naismith Memorial Public School and Holy Name of Mary Catholic School. Almonte and District High School serves the town of Almonte and much of the surrounding area.
Downtown Almonte is home to an interesting variety of businesses. With its mix of galleries, curio shops, restaurants and the popular Bread and Butter bakery, the downtown has a quaint and appealing character that draws tourists from many places.
[Aerial photo of Almonte, Ontario]. The Mississippi River which runs through Almonte should not be confused with the larger U.S. river of the same name.
Almonte hosts various annual events and festivals, including [Puppets Up], the [North Lanark Highland Games], [Naismith 3-on-3 Basketball Festival], [Riveredge Arts Festival] and [CeltFest].
External links
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