Whitby, Ontario
Encyclopedia : W : WH : WHI : Whitby, Ontario
 | |
| City nickname: "The Heart of The Region" | |
| Land Area¹ | 146.52 km² |
| Population (2006) | 110 000 |
| Latitude and longitude | 43o 52' 59" North 78o 55' 59" West[link]. |
| Altitude: | ??? |
| Time zone | 'Eastern': UTC -5 (-4 DT) |
| Dwellings: | ?? |
| Postal code: | L1M, L1N, L1P, L1R |
| Area code: | 905, 289 |
| Mayor | Marcel Brunelle |
| MP | Jim Flaherty (CPC) |
| MPP | Christine Elliott (PC) |
| External link: * [Town of Whitby, Ontario website] | |
| ¹ According to the 2001 Statistics Canada census | |
Whitby (2004 population 110,000) is a town located east of Toronto on the north shore of Lake Ontario, and is the seat of Durham Region, Ontario, Canada.
History
The Town of Whitby was incorporated in 1855, three years after it was chosen as the seat of government for the newly formed County of Ontario. Although settlement dates back to 1800, it was not until 1836 that a downtown business centre was established by Whitby's founder Peter Perry.Whitby's chief asset was its fine natural harbour on Lake Ontario, from which grain from the farmland to the north was first shipped in 1833. In the 1840s a road was built from Whitby Harbour to Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay to bring trade and settlement through the harbour to and from the rich hinterland to the north. In the 1870s a railway was constructed to Port Perry and Lindsay from Whitby Harbour.
Whitby is also the site of Trafalgar Castle School, a private girls' school founded in 1874. The building, constructed as an Elizabethan-style castle in 1859–62 as a private residence for the Sheriff of Ontario County, is a significant architectural landmark and Whitby's only Provincial historic site marked with a plaque. The school celebrated its 125th anniversary in 1999.
During the Second World War, Whitby was the location of Camp X, a secret spy training facility established by Sir William Stephenson, the "Man Called Intrepid". Although the buildings have since been demolished, a monument was unveiled on the site of Camp X in 1984 by Ontario's Lieutenant-Governor John Black Aird.
Whitby's most famous sporting team are the Whitby Dunlops, a celebrated ice hockey squad that captured the world championship in 1958 at Oslo, Norway. This team featured long-time president of the Boston Bruins, Harry Sinden. The Dunlops were revived in 2004. Furthermore, Whitby is home to Olympic Medalists, and NHL players Adam Foote, and Joe Nieuwendyk. It is also the home of Gary Roberts who can be seen at the Brooklin Spring Fair, almost ever year. (Brooklin is a part of Whitby, it is north of Taunton road, around the Winchester area).
Today, Whitby is the seat of government in Durham Region, and the regional government is the town's largest employer. Also located in the town is Whitby Mental Health Centre, a large mental health centre.
It is commonly considered part of the Greater Toronto Area, although for census purposes it belongs to the greater Oshawa Metropolitan Area. They are both in the eastern part of the Golden Horseshoe region. As is the case with Oshawa, several major manufacturing businesses are located in Whitby.
Whitby Township (now the Town of Whitby) was named after the seaport town of Whitby, Yorkshire, England. When the township was originally surveyed in 1792, the surveyor, from the northern part of England, named the townships east of Toronto after towns on England's northeastern coast: York, Scarborough, Pickering, Whitby and Darlington. The name "Whitby" is Danish, dating from about 867 CE when the Danes invaded Britain. It is a contraction of "Whitteby," meaning "White Village." The allusion may be to the white lighthouse on the pier at Whitby, Yorkshire, and also at Whitby, Ontario.' (Whitby is known as White-by by many of the youth, commenting on the social make-up of racial traits which seems to be swiftly changing like both Pickering and Ajax have done before it.)
In addition to Whitby, Yorkshire, the Town of Whitby is also officially twinned with Longueuil, Quebec and Feldkirch, Austria
Whitby is also home to the Iroquois Sports Complex, one of the largest minor sports centres in North America, including six ice pads, the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame, swimming pool, tennis courts, five ball diamonds and a soccer pitch. Whitby also developed the McKinney Sports complex which boasts 3 ice pads, and Luther Vipond Arena in Brooklin with one.
Whitby is subdivided into sections. North of Taunton Road is the Village of Brooklin and North of Brooklin are Ashburn, Myrtle, and Myrtle station.
Local Problems
- Being a bedroom community, Whitby has many of the problems that come with such a status, such as a lack of entertainment options for youth.
- Transportation is an increasing problem. Whitby's housing boom has increased pressure on the road system, making Whitby more difficult to get around during rush hour. Due to low density, service by the former Whitby Transit was infrequent and service off-peak was very limited. A new regional system, Durham Region Transit, is hoped to alleviate some of these local transportation issues.
- Housing prices have increased dramatically, making it more difficult for some young families hoping to purchase their first home.
- Despite being among the 100 largest cities in Canada, Whitby lacks a hospital. The Whitby General Hospital has been converted into a long-term care centre.
- Whitby's downtown has become largely neglected. Many downtown historical buildings have been demolished.
- The town is often criticized for its failure to uphold the principles of smart growth, with urban sprawl becoming an increased problem.
- Due to the rapid increase of population, there is a recent growing trend of hooliganism and tom-foolery by the youth of Whitby. A testament to this was the cancellation of Whitby's annual "Mardi Gras" celebration due to an assault on a police officer.
- Schools are close to or are already overpopulated.
External links
- [Town of Whitby, Ontario website] Town of Whitby
- [Downtown Whitby] Whitby Downtown
- [Village of Brooklin] Whitby's Village of Brooklin
- [Town of Whitby's Official List of Businesses and Organizations]
- [Maps and aerial photos]
- * Satellite image from [WikiMapia] or [Google Maps]
- * Street map from [Yahoo! Maps] or [GlobalGuide]
- * Aerial image from [TerraServer]
| North: Scugog / Uxbridge | |||||
| West: Ajax / Pickering |
Whitby | East: Oshawa | |||
| South: Lake Ontario |
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