Leamington, Ontario
Encyclopedia : L : LE : LEA : Leamington, Ontario
Leamington is a municipality in Essex County, Ontario and has a population of about 25,000. It has a large H. J. Heinz Company factory and it lays claim to being the "Tomato Capital of Canada", with 4 km² of this crop in the vicinity.
Leamington is on the shore of Lake Erie and adjoins the Point Pelee National Park, a major site for migrating birds especially in spring. As such, it plays host to many birdwatchers from Canada, the USA and further afield, especially in the peak month of May. Another important area for nature is the wetland at Hillman Marsh.
The information booth in the center of town is a large fiberglass tomato. The town's water tower, visible for miles in the flat southern Ontario landscape, is also a giant tomato. Its position next to the lake makes it important for recreation. There is a large marina, boat trips to Pelee Island and an auto ferry that runs to Sandusky, Ohio.
The recreational activities mean that this town has a number of hotels and motels catering for the tourist trade.
Stompin' Tom Connors mentions Leamington in his famous tune "The Ketchup Song".
It has also been known for its greenhouses, and contains the 'most greenhouses in Canada.' As Point Pelee is the most southern tip of Canada, Leamington enjoys the second warmest weather in Canada (after the BC region of Vancouver and Victoria Island.) Every summer, migrant workers, mostly Mexican and Caribbean seasonal labourers, come and work in the greenhouses. At night, the town glows similar to a sunset due to the vast and many greenhouses which are always illuminated.
Leamington has a small private airport located 2 1/2 miles to the east of the town.
Sports
The Leamington Flyers play in the [Western Ontario Junior 'B' hockey league]. The Wheatley-Southpoint Sharks play in the [Great Lakes Junior 'C' hockey league].Media
Leamington's weekly newspaper is the Leamington Post (formerly called the Post and News). Leamington is home to a regional commercial radio station, CHYR. A community television station, CFTV, is scheduled to launch in 2006.Famous people
- David Coppola, videographer, publisher of Kickstartnews.com
- Shanda Deziel, writer
- Darren McCarty, NHL hockey player
- Nino Ricci, author
- Jody Raffoul, musician
- David Suzuki, science broadcaster and environmental activist
See also
External links
| North: Lakeshore | |||||
| West: Kingsville |
Leamington | East: Chatham-Kent, Lake Erie | |||
| South: Pelee, Ontario, Sandusky, Ohio, Lake Erie |
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