Georgina, Ontario
Town in Ontario, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Georgina is a town in south-central Ontario. The northernmost municipality in the Regional Municipality of York, the town is bounded to the north by Lake Simcoe. Although incorporated as a town, it operates as a township in which dispersed communities share a common administrative council. The largest communities are Keswick, Sutton, and Jackson's Point. Smaller communities include Pefferlaw, Port Bolster, Roches Point, Udora, and Willow Beach. The town was formed by the merger of the Village of Sutton, the Township of Georgina, and the Township of North Gwillimbury in 1971 and incorporated in 1986. North Gwillimbury had been part of Georgina but became its own township in 1826. It took its name from the family of Elizabeth Simcoe, née Gwillim.
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Georgina | |
|---|---|
| Town of Georgina | |
View of Lake Simcoe from Sibbald Point Provincial Park | |
 | |
 Location of Georgina within York Region | |
  Georgina Location of Georgina within Southern Ontario | |
| Coordinates (Civic Centre): 44°18′N 79°26′W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Regional Municipality | York Region |
| Named | late 1790s |
| Amalgamated | 1971 (township)[1] |
| Incorporated | 1986 (town) |
| Named after | George III |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Mayor | Margaret (Jordan) Quirk |
| • Regional Councillor / Deputy Mayor | Naomi Davison |
| • Councillor |
|
| Area | |
• Total | 287.69 km2 (111.08 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Total | 47,642 |
| • Density | 165.6/km2 (429/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Postal code FSA | |
| Area codes | 905, 289 and 705 |
| NTS Map | 31D6 Beaverton |
| GNBC Code | FBHBU |
| Website | www |
Municipal composition
The main centres in Georgina are the communities of Keswick, Belhaven, Sutton West, Jackson's Point,[3] Baldwin, Virginia, Pefferlaw, Port Bolster, Udora, and Willow Beach. Other settlements include Jersey, Cedarbrae, Brown Hill, Island Grove, Maple Hill, Elm Grove, Roches Point (named for the family of Author Mazo de la Roche, who is buried in the cemetery, at St. George's Anglican Church, Sibbald Point), Sibbald Point, Virginia/Virginia Beach (originally called Frenchtown), McRae Beach, Duclos Point, Balfour Beach, Varney, Brighton Beach, and a variety of other beach communities.[4]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Georgina had a population of 47,642 living in 17,895 of its 19,368 total private dwellings, a change of 4.9% from its 2016 population of 45,418. With a land area of 287.69 km2 (111.08 sq mi), it had a population density of 165.6/km2 (428.9/sq mi) in 2021.[2]
Ethnicity
| Panethnic group | 2021[5] | 2016[6] | 2011[7] | 2006[8] | 2001[9] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| European[a] | 39,855 | 84.56% | 39,850 | 89.02% | 39,570 | 92.17% | 39,400 | 93.97% | 37,325 | 96.09% |
| East Asian[b] | 1,670 | 3.54% | 825 | 1.84% | 440 | 1.02% | 275 | 0.66% | 200 | 0.51% |
| Indigenous | 1,320 | 2.8% | 1,225 | 2.74% | 1,120 | 2.61% | 875 | 2.09% | 645 | 1.66% |
| South Asian | 965 | 2.05% | 700 | 1.56% | 330 | 0.77% | 320 | 0.76% | 85 | 0.22% |
| Southeast Asian[c] | 880 | 1.87% | 500 | 1.12% | 545 | 1.27% | 280 | 0.67% | 110 | 0.28% |
| Middle Eastern[d] | 865 | 1.84% | 290 | 0.65% | 180 | 0.42% | 95 | 0.23% | 160 | 0.41% |
| African | 805 | 1.71% | 685 | 1.53% | 455 | 1.06% | 410 | 0.98% | 190 | 0.49% |
| Latin American | 365 | 0.77% | 380 | 0.85% | 120 | 0.28% | 120 | 0.29% | 75 | 0.19% |
| Other/multiracial[e] | 410 | 0.87% | 315 | 0.7% | 185 | 0.43% | 155 | 0.37% | 70 | 0.18% |
| Total responses | 47,135 | 98.94% | 44,765 | 98.56% | 42,930 | 98.65% | 41,930 | 99.02% | 38,845 | 98.94% |
| Total population | 47,642 | 100% | 45,418 | 100% | 43,517 | 100% | 42,346 | 100% | 39,263 | 100% |
| Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses | ||||||||||
Religion
- 45.7% Protestant
- 22.4% Roman Catholic
- 3.3% other Christian
- 0.3% Jewish
- 28.3% non-religious
Language
- 90.3% English
- 1.2% French
- 1.0% German
- 1.0% Italian
Government
The Town of Georgina operates under a ward system, and its municipal council consists of the mayor, regional councillor (known procedurally as deputy mayor) and a councillor for each of the five wards. The current council consists of:[12]
- Mayor: Margaret Quirk
- Deputy Mayor/Regional Councillor: Naomi Davison
- Councillor Ward 1: Charlene Biggerstaff
- Councillor Ward 2: Dan Fellini
- Councillor Ward 3: Dave Neeson
- Councillor Ward 4: Dale Kerr Genge
- Councillor Ward 5: Lee Dale
The mayor and the deputy mayor represent Georgina at meetings of York Regional Council.
Georgina was part of the riding of York—Simcoe until 2025 and is now part of the federal riding of York—Durham, represented by Jacob Mantle of the Conservative Party of Canada, who was elected in 2025.
Provincially, it was part of the riding of York North until 2007 and is now part of the provincial riding of York—Simcoe, represented by Caroline Mulroney of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
Attractions
-_Georgina-Ontario-_HPC_5605-20210816.jpg)
- Captain William Johnson's Old Mill[13]
- St. George's Anglican Church, built in 1877 by the pioneering Sibbald family and burial place of Stephen Leacock and Mazo de la Roche[13]
- Roche's Point Anglican Church, built in 1862[13]
- The ROC (Recreational Outdoor Campus), including the Georgina Pioneer Village Museum and Archives
- The Red Barn Theatre, Canada's oldest summer stock theatre. [Currently not operating due to a fire in 2010.][14][13]
- Stephen Leacock Theatre
- Georgina Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Information Centre
- Duclos Point Nature Reserve
- Georgina Arts Centre and Gallery
- The Peter Gzowski Festival of Stories[15]
- Georgina Public Libraries
- York Regional Forests
- Sibbald Point Provincial Park
- Sutton Fair and Horse Show[16]
- Ramada Jacksons Point Resort and Spa
- Willow Beach Conservation Area
- Georgina Military Museum[17]
- The Briars (Georgina)
Climate
| Climate data for Ravenshoe, elevation: 250.9 m or 823 ft, 1971-2000 normals,[f] extremes 1973-1992 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.5 (52.7) |
14.5 (58.1) |
23.3 (73.9) |
30.0 (86.0) |
32.0 (89.6) |
33.5 (92.3) |
35.0 (95.0) |
34.4 (93.9) |
33.0 (91.4) |
25.5 (77.9) |
21.5 (70.7) |
19.5 (67.1) |
35.0 (95.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −3.9 (25.0) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
2.9 (37.2) |
10.8 (51.4) |
18.2 (64.8) |
22.8 (73.0) |
25.9 (78.6) |
24.7 (76.5) |
19.5 (67.1) |
12.7 (54.9) |
5.8 (42.4) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
11.3 (52.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −8.0 (17.6) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
5.8 (42.4) |
12.6 (54.7) |
17.1 (62.8) |
20.1 (68.2) |
19.2 (66.6) |
14.5 (58.1) |
8.2 (46.8) |
2.2 (36.0) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
6.5 (43.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −12.0 (10.4) |
−11.2 (11.8) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
0.8 (33.4) |
6.9 (44.4) |
11.4 (52.5) |
14.2 (57.6) |
13.7 (56.7) |
9.4 (48.9) |
3.6 (38.5) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
1.8 (35.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −35.0 (−31.0) |
−33.0 (−27.4) |
−29.0 (−20.2) |
−13.0 (8.6) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
3.0 (37.4) |
3.3 (37.9) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
−18.5 (−1.3) |
−32.0 (−25.6) |
−35.0 (−31.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 57.0 (2.24) |
53.6 (2.11) |
69.0 (2.72) |
66.7 (2.63) |
78.6 (3.09) |
80.4 (3.17) |
79.9 (3.15) |
101.3 (3.99) |
82.5 (3.25) |
75.4 (2.97) |
79.7 (3.14) |
77.1 (3.04) |
901.2 (35.5) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 12.6 (0.50) |
20.1 (0.79) |
41.4 (1.63) |
56.6 (2.23) |
77.6 (3.06) |
80.4 (3.17) |
79.9 (3.15) |
101.3 (3.99) |
82.5 (3.25) |
72.2 (2.84) |
60.8 (2.39) |
28.7 (1.13) |
714.1 (28.13) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 44.3 (17.4) |
33.5 (13.2) |
27.6 (10.9) |
10.0 (3.9) |
1.0 (0.4) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
3.3 (1.3) |
18.8 (7.4) |
48.4 (19.1) |
186.9 (73.6) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 15.7 | 12.7 | 13.3 | 12.6 | 12.7 | 12.1 | 11.0 | 12.5 | 13.1 | 14.4 | 14.5 | 16.7 | 161.3 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 3.0 | 3.3 | 7.2 | 10.6 | 12.5 | 12.1 | 11.0 | 12.5 | 13.1 | 13.8 | 10.5 | 5.3 | 114.9 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 13.5 | 10.5 | 7.6 | 3.1 | 0.36 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 13.1 | 54.86 |
| Source: Environment Canada[18] | |||||||||||||
Notable residents
- Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame member Whipper Billy Watson was a lifelong resident, and he spearheaded the campaign to build the Georgina Cultural Centre in the 1980s, which also houses the Stephen Leacock Theatre.
- Keswick is the birthplace and childhood home of former NHL goaltender Curtis Joseph.
- Captain William Johnson, former Royal Navy officer and founder of Pefferlaw, Ontario.
- Noted writer Stephen Leacock settled on a farm near Egypt, a hamlet within Georgina.
- Jim Carrey, a Canadian actor, comedian, impressionist, screenwriter, and producer. He was born in nearby Newmarket. His family settled in Jackson's Point in his late teens.
- Caroline Mulroney and her husband own land in Jackson's Point.
- Harry Lyons (politician), Member of Provincial Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie from 1951-1962, was born in Virginia in 1900.
Local media
See also
Notes
- Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
- Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
- Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
- Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.
- Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, n.i.e." and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.
- Although the period does not fit perfectly, being 1971–1992 (precipitation) and 1973-1992 (temperature), therefore a semi-normal.
