Elgin County | |
|---|---|
| County of Elgin | |
 Logo | |
| Motto: "Progressive by Nature!" | |
 Location of Elgin County in Canada | |
| Coordinates:42°45′N81°10′W / 42.750°N 81.167°W /42.750; -81.167 | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Ontario |
| Organized | 1851 from Suffolk County |
| County seat | St. Thomas |
| Municipalities | List
|
| Area | |
| • Land | 1,845.41 km2 (712.52 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 51,912 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Area code | 519 /226 /548 |
| Website | www.elgincounty.ca |
Elgin County (/ˈɛlɡɪn/EL-ghin) is acounty composed of seven municipalities inOntario,Canada with a 2021 population of 51,912. Its population centres are Aylmer, Port Stanley, Belmont, Dutton and West Lorne. The county seat isSt. Thomas, which is separated from the county but within its geographic boundary.
Elgin County is composed of seven incorporated municipalities (in order of population):
The City ofSt. Thomas is geographically within the boundaries of Elgin County and part of the Elgin census division, but is separated from county administration.
Originally Elgin County was once part ofMiddlesex County,[2] which was reorganized as the United Counties of Middlesex and Elgin in 1851.[3] Elgin was named afterLord Elgin, who wasGovernor General of Canada at the time.
The County was separated from Middlesex in September 1853.[4]
| Township | Area | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Aldborough | 75,197 acres (117 sq mi; 304 km2) | In the early days it had a forest of oak, chestnut and black walnut. It was first settled in 1804. |
| Bayham | 56,350 acres (88 sq mi; 228 km2) | Organized in 1810. It was named forBayham Abbey inKent. |
| Dunwich | 69,592 acres (109 sq mi; 282 km2) | First settled in 1803. During the War of 1812 only twelve families lived in the township. In 1817 a company of Selkirk's Highlander settled in the Township. The Township is named afterDunwich inSuffolk. |
| Malahide | 69,181 acres (108 sq mi; 280 km2) | Organized in 1810, named forMalahide Castle in Ireland, the former home ofThomas Talbot, patriot of the region. The Township was first settled in 1810. |
| South Dorchester | 30,560 acres (48 sq mi; 124 km2) | Although surveyed in 1798, it was not settled until 1826. |
| Southwold | 72,898 acres (114 sq mi; 295 km2) | Opened for settlement in 1797, however the first colonist arrived in 1809. Named forSouthwold inSuffolk. |
| Yarmouth | 69,181 acres (108 sq mi; 280 km2) | Surveyed in 1792 and settled in 1810. |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 47,752 | — |
| 2001 | 48,250 | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 49,241 | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 49,556 | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 50,069 | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 51,912 | +3.7% |
| 2016[1], 2011[6], 2006[7], earlier[8] | ||
As acensus division in the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Elgin County had a population of94,752 living in37,278 of its38,889 total private dwellings, a change of6.5% from its 2016 population of88,978. With a land area of 1,878.57 km2 (725.32 sq mi), it had a population density of50.4/km2 (130.6/sq mi) in 2021.[9]
Places adjacent to Elgin County | ||||||||||||||||
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