Finch, Ontario
Unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Finch is an unincorporated community in North Stormont, Ontario, Canada. It is recognized as a designated place by Statistics Canada.
Finch | |
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Unincorporated community | |
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  Finch | |
| Coordinates: 45°08′38″N 75°05′08″W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| County | Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry |
| Municipality | North Stormont |
| Settled | 1803 |
| Incorporated | 1906 |
| Dissolved (amalgamated) | January 1, 1998 |
| Government | |
| • Fed. riding | Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry |
| • Prov. riding | Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry |
| Area | |
| • Land | 2.07 km2 (0.80 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 84 m (275 ft) |
| Population (2021)[3] | |
• Total | 506 |
| • Density | 244.4/km2 (633/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Postal code | K0C 1K0 |
| Area codes | 613 |
History
Finch was founded by Scottish settlers, the Cameron and MacMillan families, arriving in 1803. The location was originally called Gray’s Corners, later renamed to South Finch, after local school master Joseph Finch. In 1850, the first school building was built. In 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway was built through the area, and at that time, the place name was shortened to Finch. In 1897, the Ottawa and New York Railway was constructed.[4]
In March 1906, Finch was incorporated as a village municipality, with Geo. L. MacLean as the first reeve. The following year, on May 16 and 17, a large fire destroyed much of the village, including many stores, the bank, library, armory, Orange Lodge, 2 churches, the telephone exchange, and telegraph office. In 1919, fire again burnt down a major portion of the community.[4]
On January 1, 1998, the Village of Finch, together with Finch Township and Roxborough Township, was amalgamated into the new Township of North Stormont.[5]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Finch had a population of 506 living in 214 of its 217 total private dwellings, a change of 21.3% from its 2016 population of 417. With a land area of 2.07 km2 (0.80 sq mi), it had a population density of 244.4/km2 (633.1/sq mi) in 2021.[1][3]
Historical census populations – Finch, Ontario | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2021 Population figure based on revised count. Source: Statistics Canada[3][6][7] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Railway
In 1954, the lines of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and the New York Central (NYC) crossed in Finch, and Canadian Pacific had a train station in the community. Station Master, a 1954 film by the National Film Board of Canada, chronicled a day in the life of the stationmaster and other railway workers in Finch.[8] In 1957, the NYC ceased operation and the rails were removed. And the CPR station was closed in 1969.[4]
