Grey County | |
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| County of Grey | |
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 Seal  Logo | |
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| Coordinates:44°20′N80°40′W / 44.333°N 80.667°W /44.333; -80.667 | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Ontario |
| Established | 1852 |
| County seat | Owen Sound |
| Subdivisions | List
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| Government | |
| • Type | Upper Tier Municipal Government |
| Area | |
| • Land | 4,497.93 km2 (1,736.66 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 100,905 |
| • Density | 22.4/km2 (58/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Area code | 519 /226 /548 |
| Website | www |
Grey County is acounty in theprovince ofOntario. The county is located in theSouthwestern Ontario region, and is a part of theGeorgian Triangle. At the time of the2021 Canadian census the population of the county was 100,905.[1]Owen Sound is the county seat and the largest city in Grey County.
Grey County consists of the following municipalities (in order of population):
| Municipality | 2016 Population[2] | Population Centres[3] |
|---|---|---|
| City ofOwen Sound | 21,341 | Owen Sound |
| Municipality ofWest Grey | 12,518 | Durham |
| Municipality ofMeaford | 10,991 | Meaford |
| Township ofGeorgian Bluffs | 10,479 | |
| Municipality ofGrey Highlands | 9,804 | Markdale |
| Town ofHanover | 7,688 | Hanover |
| Township ofSouthgate | 7,354 | Dundalk |
| Town ofThe Blue Mountains | 7,025 | Thornbury |
| Township ofChatsworth | 6,630 | Chatsworth |
The first European settlement was in the vicinity ofCollingwood orMeaford. Exploring parties arrived fromYork in 1825 by travelling fromHolland Landing and down theHolland River intoLake Simcoe andShanty Bay. From there they travelled by land to theNottawasaga River intoGeorgian Bay and along the thickly wooded shore.
In 1837 the village of Sydenham was surveyed byCharles Rankin. In 1856 it was incorporated as the Town of Owen Sound with an estimated population of 2,000.
In 1840, the area became part of the newDistrict of Wellington, and its territory formed theCounty of Waterloo for electoral purposes.[4][5] In 1849, Wellington District was abolished, and Waterloo County remained for municipal and judicial purposes.[6] The territory of theBruce Peninsula became part of Waterloo in 1849,[7] but was later withdrawn and transferred toBruce County in 1851.[8]
In January 1852, Waterloo County became the United Counties of Wellington, Waterloo and Grey.[9] Grey County was named in honour of the British Colonial Secretary's father,Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1830-1834.[10] Its territory was declared to consist of the following townships, together with part of the Indian Reserves on the Bruce Peninsula:[11]
The Indian lands were later surveyed and became the townships of Keppel[12] and Sarawak.[13] A Provisional Municipal Council was organized for the County in April 1852, with the Town of Sydenham named as thecounty town.[14]
Waterloo was withdrawn from the United Counties in January 1853, and the remainder was renamed the United Counties of Wellington and Grey.[15] In January 1854, the United Counties was dissolved, and Wellington and Grey were separate counties for all purposes.[16]
In 1861-1862 the first gravel roads were constructed into Owen Sound at a cost of $300,000. The fourcolonization roads were:
Prior to the road building it often took two days to walk up to Owen Sound.[17]
In 1881, the township of Melancthon and the village of Shelburne were withdrawn from Grey and transferred to the newDufferin County.[18][19]
On January 1, 2001, Grey County underwent a major restructuring, resulting in the reduction in number of the local municipalities:[20]
| New Municipality | Constituted from |
|---|---|
| City ofOwen Sound | |
| Town ofHanover | |
| Town ofThe Blue Mountains | Thornbury and Collingwood Township |
| Township ofChatsworth | Chatsworth, Sullivan and Holland |
| Township ofGeorgian Bluffs | Shallow Lake, Keppel, Derby and Sarawak |
| Municipality ofGrey Highlands | Flesherton, Markdale, Artemesia, Euphrasia and Osprey |
| Municipality ofMeaford | Meaford, St. Vincent and Sydenham |
| Township ofSouthgate | Dundalk, Egremont and Proton |
| Municipality ofWest Grey | Durham, Neustadt, Glenelg, Normanby and Bentinck |
As acensus division in the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Grey County had a population of100,905 living in42,309 of its50,183 total private dwellings, a change of7.5% from its 2016 population of93,830. With a land area of 4,497.93 km2 (1,736.66 sq mi), it had a population density of22.4/km2 (58.1/sq mi) in 2021.[1]
| 2021 | 2016 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 100,905 (+7.5% from 2016) | 93,830 (+1.4% from 2011) | 92,568 (+0.2% from 2006) |
| Land area | 4,497.93 km2 (1,736.66 sq mi) | 4,513.50 km2 (1,742.67 sq mi) | 4,513.21 km2 (1,742.56 sq mi) |
| Population density | 22.4/km2 (58/sq mi) | 20.8/km2 (54/sq mi) | 20.5/km2 (53/sq mi) |
| Median age | 49.6 (M: 48.0, F: 50.8) | 49.3 (M: 48.1, F: 50.4) | |
| Private dwellings | 50,183 (total) 42,309 (occupied) | 47,560 (total) | 46,481 (total) |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $62,935 |
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| Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada[1][24] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Places adjacent to Grey County | |
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