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In 1820, the Crown bought the area surrounding the waterways. The area around the creeks, 390 ha (960 acres), ceded to the Crown by the Mississaugas,[5] was auctioned off toWilliam Chisholm in 1827. He left the development of the area to his son,Robert Kerr Chisholm, and his brother-in-law, Merrick Thomas. Chisholm also formed shipbuilding business in Oakville Navy Street andSixteen Mile Creek and lasted until 1842, but shipbuilding in Oakville lasted into the late 20th century.[6][7]
The population in 1846 was 1,500. The community shipped large quantities of wheat and lumber via schooners and the railway. There were three churches, a grist mill and saw mill, and various small companies making threshing machines, wagons, watches, saddles, and metal goods. There were also tradesmen of various types.[8]
Town Square in Downtown Oakville
Oakville's industries also included shipbuilding. In the 1850s, there was an economic recession and the foundry, the most important industry in town, was closed. Basket-making became a major industry in the town, and theGrand Trunk Railway was built through it.[9] In 1869, the population was 2,000.[10] The community was served by theGreat Western Railway and it was a port on Lake Ontario.
In 1962, the town of Oakville merged with its neighbouring villages (Bronte, Palermo, Sheridan, and the remainder ofTrafalgar Township) to become the new Town of Oakville, reaching northwards toSteeles Avenue inMilton. In 1973, the restructuring of Halton County into Halton Region brought the northern border southwards to just north of the futureHighway 407.[12]
Oakville has a long and important role in Black Canadian historical narratives. The town is one of the manyUnderground Railroad Station Stops established along the Canada-U.S.A border.[13][14] The town served as a location for fugitive enslaved Black people to escape the slavery of America and establish themselves. This population were very influential in establishing the town's prosperous economy.[15]
Oakville's Planning Department divides the town into communities. These are based on traditional neighbourhoods.[16]
Neighbourhood
Description
Old Oakville
Old Oakville (downtown) is located in South-Central Oakville along the shore ofLake Ontario. It is bordered by the Sixteen Mile Creek and Oakville Harbour to the west, Chartwell Road to the east, and Cornwall Road to the north.[17]
Kerr Village
Kerr Village is a section of downtown located just west of the Old Village around Kerr Street between Speers Rd andLakeshore Road.
Bronte
Bronte is located in Southwest Oakville along the shore of Lake Ontario. It is a community centred on Bronte Harbour.[18]
Eastlake
Eastlake is located in Southeast Oakville along the shore of Lake Ontario, it is often divided into the neighbourhoods of Morrison and Ford. It is bordered on the west by Chartwell Road, to the north by Cornwall Road, and to the east byMississauga.[19]
Clearview
Clearview is located in Centre East Oakville. It is located on the Oakville-Mississauga border[20]
College Park
College Park is located betweenSixteen Mile Creek and just east of Trafalgar Road, from theQueen Elizabeth Way north to Upper Middle Road. It surrounds Sheridan College.[21]
Iroquois Ridge North
Iroquois Ridge North is located in North East Oakville between Upper Middle Road and Dundas Street.[22]
Iroquois Ridge South
Iroquois Ridge South is located in North East Oakville. The Falgarwood area is located in the southern end of the Iroquois Ridge South community.[23]
Glen Abbey
Glen Abbey is located in West Oakville, with Third Line and Dorval Drive being the major arteries of the community. It is a large area west of theGlen Abbey Golf Course, home of theCanadian Open.[24]
Palermo
Palermo is located in Northwest Oakville. It is a small community centred on the intersection of Dundas Street and Bronte Road (Highway 25).[25]
River Oaks
River Oaks is located in North-Central Oakville. It includes the Oak Park development.[26]
Uptown Core
Uptown Core is located in North Centre Oakville. It includes the area on either side of Trafalgar Road between Dundas Street and Glenashton Drive.[27]
West Oak Trails
West Oak Trails is located in North Centre West Oakville on the north side of Upper Middle Road. It is a newer development than the other communities.[28]
Like much of Southern Ontario, Oakville has ahumid continental climate straddling Dfa/Dfb classifications, with cold winters with frequent snowfall, and warm summers. Like most lakeside municipalities on the Great Lakes, there are varying temperatures within town boundaries, generally warmer days further from the lake, the exception being on the colder days in winter.[29]
In the2021 Canadian census conducted byStatistics Canada, Oakville had a population of 213,759 living in 73,558 of its 76,179 total private dwellings, a change of10.3% from its 2016 population of 193,832. With a land area of 138.94 km2 (53.65 sq mi), it had a population density of1,538.5/km2 (3,984.7/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
According to the 2021 census, the median age in the town is 41.6 years. 18% of the population is under 15 years of age, 66.3% is between 15 and 64 years, and 15.7% is 65 and over.[31]
According to the 2021 census, 52.7% of the population identify asChristians, withCatholics (28.8%) making up the largest denomination. Others identify asMuslims (10.4%),Hindus (4.5%),Sikhs (1.9%),Buddhists (1.1%),Jewish (0.6%), and with other religions. A total of 28.3% of the population report no religious affiliation.[42]
Oakville Galleries is a not-for-profit art museum that exhibits contemporary art, cares for a permanent collection and delivers public programming. Its exhibition spaces are located on two sites: Gairloch Gardens and Centennial Square.[53]
TheDowntown Oakville Jazz Festival is an annual summer jazz festival established in 1992. The event includes performances at a number of stages alongLakeshore Road in downtown Oakville. The event is free to the public.[54]
Beginning in 1982, Oakville's Coronation Park played host to the annualOakville Waterfront Festival. Among a range of events, the festival included small amusement park rides, arts and crafts, food and drinks, free concerts headlined by Canadian bands, and nightly fireworks displays. The Waterfront Festival took place in late June of each year until 2010, when it was cancelled due to financial difficulties,[55] despite having annual attendance of up to 100,000 visitors. It returned in August 2013,[56] which was the most recent festival to date.
Kerrfest is an annual outdoor music festival that takes place in early September in Oakville. Having begun in 2014, the event includes free performances and is open to the public, located at Westwood Park.[57]
Midnight Madness was a street festival that happened one night each summer. It ran for over 40 years, until it was cancelled in 2023. It would attract thousands of visitors to Downtown Oakville.[58]
The For the Love of the Arts Festival is an annual event taking place in the late spring in Oakville. Inaugurated in 2002, the event is hosted by CommUnity Arts Space (originally known as Music and Art Shared Space who initiated the festival), a local umbrella group advocating for shared physical space for Oakville's arts and cultural groups.[59] Currently the only such multi-disciplinary community festival of its kind in Oakville, the event serves to showcase local talent, skills, crafts, literary art, dance performances, theatre groups and music performances. The event is intended as a symbolic presentation of a "shared space" and is entirely sponsored by local corporate and private donations.[60]
The Northeast Oakville Fair is an annual event that takes place toward the end of spring across from the Iroquois Ridge Community Centre. The fair brings together local businesses, inflatables, food trucks, hot air balloon rides, family activities, and a DJ that's free and open to the public.[61]
Oakville Place is an indoor shopping mall in Oakville that opened in 1981.[62][63][64] The mall is approximately 42,000 square metres (452,000 sq ft).[65][66]
Glen Abbey Golf Course is located in Oakville. Designed byJack Nicklaus, the course has hosted 30Canadian Open championships since it opened in 1977, and bothGolf Canada and theCanadian Golf Hall of Fame are located there.[68] In 2018, the owner,Clublink, planned to demolish the golf course in order to build residential and commercial properties.[69] In 2021, following objections from the community and municipal government, Clublink withdrew its development plan and stated it would continue operating Glen Abbey as a golf course.[68]
Oakville SC is semi-professional and youth soccer club that competes inLeague1 Ontario.[70] Oakville boasts over 60 soccer fields and a Soccer Club Facility with a two-star, full-size, FIFA-Certified indoor soccer pitch.[71]
Oakville is home to the headquarters and practice facilities of theToronto Rock professional box lacrosse team competing in the National Lacrosse League. Oakville is also home to the 3rd largest minor lacrosse association in Ontario: The Oakville Minor Lacrosse Association has more than 1,500 players and competes in multiple classes and multiple divisions. The town also has theOakville Buzz, aJunior "A"lacrosse team who won theFounders Cup in 2006. The current rep lacrosse team is the Oakville Hawks.[72]
TheOakville Blades is aTier II Junior "A" franchise since 1966, and a "AAA" hockey system. The current rep hockey team for boys in Oakville is the Oakville Rangers. For girls, there is the Oakville Hornets.[73]
Skate Oakville, which is headquartered at Oakville's Sixteen Mile Creek Sports Complex, was recently the largest skating club in Canada,[74] providing learn to skate lessons, recreational figure skating programs, competitive training, and 10 synchronised skating teams.[75]
Competitive swimming in Oakville is represented by two organizations: Oakville Aquatic Club (OAK) and Dolphins Swim Club.
Oakville Aquatic Club is affiliated withSwimming Canada and Swim Ontario. OAK offers four levels of swimming based on age and skill: Acorns, Mini Oaks, Development, and Performance.
Lake Ontario Swim Team (L.O.S.T.) is an open-water swim team founded in 2006 by Rob Kent while he was training for hisEnglish Channel attempt.[76] The team meets every Saturday morning from June to mid-September at Oakville Harbour. As of 2019, it had over 200 swimmers. The LOST Race, organized by L.O.S.T. members since 2008, is an annual 3.8 km race (Ironman distance) from Edgemere Promenade to Oakville Harbour.[77]
In each ward, one councillor represents the ward solely on the Oakville Town Council, and the other is a member of the 21-member governing council of theRegional Municipality of Halton,[81] in addition to being a member of the 14-member Town Council.
Local bus service is provided byOakville Transit with some bus lines extending as far as Highway 407 & Dundas Carpool Lot in Burlington andSouth Common Centre in Mississauga. Its bus services are focused on servicing passengers using theLakeshore West line from four different GO stations within or near Oakville.GO Transit commuter rail and bus service operate fromBronte GO andOakville GO stations.Via Rail operates services along the line as part of theQuebec City–Windsor Corridor, and operates from Oakville station.[87][88]
Fire service is provided by the Oakville Fire Department with its nine fire stations.[91]
The Town of Oakville's Waters Air Rescue Force is a volunteer organization that provides marine search and rescue service in Western Lake Ontario. It was founded in 1954 and was a charter member of theCanadian Coast Guard Auxiliary.[92]
The town is home toAppleby College, a private school for grades seven to twelve, established in 1911[94] as well asSt. Mildred's-Lightbourn School, an independent all-girls school. Oakville is also home to the Trafalgar Campus ofSheridan College, primarily an arts and business studies institute, and Oakville's only higher education facility.[95]
Oakville is primarily served by media based in Toronto with markets in theGreater Toronto Area (GTA) that cover most of the news in the GTA.[96] One regional newspaper, theOakville Beaver, is published once weekly.[97][98] The monthly magazinesNeighbours of Joshua Creek,Neighbours of Glen Abbey andNeighbours of Olde Oakville serve three key neighbourhoods. The town is also served by Oakvillenews.org, a locally owned online daily newsletter and website.[99]
The Hamilton-based television stationCHCH-DT servesHamilton, theregional municipalities ofHalton andNiagara, thus including Oakville. CHCH recently closed its Halton Bureau (due to budget considerations) which was located in downtown Oakville.
YourTV from the studio in theCogeco headquarters at Harvester Road & Burloak Drive, just inside ofBurlington.