Byron, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Byron is a neighbourhood in the City of London
, Ontario
, Canada
.
Located downriver (west) from London on the outer fringes of the city, Byron was originally called Westminster, then renamed Hall's Mill, and then finally Byron. The Byron area was settled in 1800 and first became a village in 1804. The village of Byron was annexed
by the City of London in 1961 and the population grew substantially with the development of large subdivisions around the original village.
The current boundaries of Byron are generally regarded to be the land south of the Thames River
and west of Colonel Talbot Road. Recent housing developments have expanded Byron southward to Southdale Road and westward to Wickerson Road. Outside of the urban area, Byron is surrounded by farmland and forested areas. On the eastern border of Byron is the Byron Gravel Pit, the sixteenth-largest gravel pit in Canada. Historically, Byron also consisted of some land north of the Thames River in the area known today as Oakridge Park, including the Byron Bog (now Sifton Bog
).
There are five publicly-funded elementary schools in Byron:
The first three schools are under the jurisdiction of the Thames Valley District School Board
and the latter two are part of the London District Catholic School Board
.
in the London District Catholic School Board, to the north across the Thames River. This school primarily serves the needs of Roman Catholic students, though, as it is publicly funded, students of any religious denomination
may attend. Most secondary school age students in Byron choose to attend Saunders Secondary School
in the Thames Valley District School Board in the Westmount suburb of London. Though they do not live within the drawing area, a number of secondary school age children from Byron currently attend Oakridge Secondary School
, located in the Oakridge suburb of London.
, a picturesque urban park and the largest in London. It is also home to Storybook Gardens, a popular children's attraction open year-round. Byron also has Boler Mountain
, a small co-operative that offers skiing
, snowboarding
, snow-tubing, and mountain bike
terrains.
Byron hosted two cycling events during the 2001 Canada Summer Games
; the mountain biking event on Boler Mountain, and the road cycling event, where cyclists raced through the heart of the village.
. A manual telephone exchange continued to operate until September 15, 1963, and in 1962 or 1963, the short code 471 was introduced to London exchange customers for the convenience of immediately reaching the Byron operator to complete a call. Upon dial introduction, 471 became the exchange prefix.
However, some two or three years before 1960, the Byron Telephone Company converted its Lambeth
-area customers to a dial exchange, the OLiver 2
exchange.
, which had 44 locations throughout London, sought to open its first full-service location in Byron. At the time, Tim Hortons's presence in Byron was limited to a kiosk inside the A&P
grocery store with no seating, limited hours, and a limited menu.
Tim Hortons was met by bitter opposition from a small group of members of the community, which had also stopped an entry by Tim Hortons into Byron in 1998. Some members of the group claimed building a Tim Hortons would ruin the "small-town atmosphere" that they claimed Byron to have by generating too much traffic and noise.
London City Council sided with local residents and refused to rezone a parcel of land along Commissioners Road to permit Tim Hortons to build a store there. TDL Group Ltd. appealed the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board
(OMB), and the OMB sided with TDL and ordered the City to permit the required rezoning. http://www.omb.gov.on.ca/e%2Ddecisions/pl001383%5F%231011.pdf Tim Hortons opened its Byron location in December 2001.
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Located downriver (west) from London on the outer fringes of the city, Byron was originally called Westminster, then renamed Hall's Mill, and then finally Byron. The Byron area was settled in 1800 and first became a village in 1804. The village of Byron was annexed
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...
by the City of London in 1961 and the population grew substantially with the development of large subdivisions around the original village.
The current boundaries of Byron are generally regarded to be the land south of the Thames River
Thames River (Ontario)
The Thames River is located in southwestern Ontario, Canada.The Thames flows west through southwestern Ontario, through the cities of Woodstock, London and Chatham to Lighthouse Cove on Lake St. Clair...
and west of Colonel Talbot Road. Recent housing developments have expanded Byron southward to Southdale Road and westward to Wickerson Road. Outside of the urban area, Byron is surrounded by farmland and forested areas. On the eastern border of Byron is the Byron Gravel Pit, the sixteenth-largest gravel pit in Canada. Historically, Byron also consisted of some land north of the Thames River in the area known today as Oakridge Park, including the Byron Bog (now Sifton Bog
Sifton bog
The Sifton Bog is a wetland jointly administered by the city of London, Ontario and the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. It is located west of Hyde Park Road and south of Oxford Street inside the city limits of London...
).
Elementary schools
- Byron Northview Public SchoolByron Northview Public SchoolByron Northview Public School is an elementary school in the community of Byron in London, Ontario, Canada and part of the Thames Valley District School Board. It is sitting on one of the oldest school sites in London. It currently has 23 staff members....
- Byron Somerset Public School
- Opened in the early 1990s, this school has 337 students in JK to Grade 8. It was built in a former gravel pit, excavated by AAROC Aggregates. Its architecture was by the firm Lamb, Jorden and Jensen, which later became Carsten Jensen.
- Byron Southwood Public School
- St. George Catholic School
- St. Theresa Catholic School.
The first three schools are under the jurisdiction of the Thames Valley District School Board
Thames Valley District School Board
The Thames Valley District School Board is a public school board in southwestern Ontario. It was created on January 1, 1998 by the amalgamation of the Elgin County Board of Education, The Board of Education for the City of London, Middlesex County Board of Education, and Oxford County Board of...
and the latter two are part of the London District Catholic School Board
London District Catholic School Board
The London District Catholic School Board is a separate school board in south-western Ontario, Canada. It serves students from Elgin, Middlesex and Oxford counties, and also those from the cities of London, St. Thomas and Woodstock....
.
Secondary schools
There are no secondary schools located in Byron (a source of some consternation to residents, as a secondary school was originally promised by the city of London when Byron was annexed). Two publicly funded secondary schools serve the needs of Byron students. The nearest is St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary SchoolSt. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School (London, Ontario)
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School is a Catholic secondary school located in London, Ontario located in the west end of the city...
in the London District Catholic School Board, to the north across the Thames River. This school primarily serves the needs of Roman Catholic students, though, as it is publicly funded, students of any religious denomination
Religious denomination
A religious denomination is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity.The term describes various Christian denominations...
may attend. Most secondary school age students in Byron choose to attend Saunders Secondary School
Saunders Secondary School
Saunders Secondary School is located at 941 Viscount Road in the Westmount suburb of London, Ontario, Canada. It is named after William Saunders and his family. William Saunders was a Canadian pioneer and an authority on all matters pertaining to agriculture and horticulture. Grades offered are...
in the Thames Valley District School Board in the Westmount suburb of London. Though they do not live within the drawing area, a number of secondary school age children from Byron currently attend Oakridge Secondary School
Oakridge Secondary School
Oakridge Secondary School is one of the many government-operated High Schools in London, Ontario. Oakridge has over 1000 students and is located on Oxford Street in west London. Their nickname is the Oakridge Oaks and the school's colours are red, blue, and gold...
, located in the Oakridge suburb of London.
Private schools
There is one private (for profit) school in Byron. This is a Montessori pre-school, located on Commissioners Road between Grand View Ave and Chestnut Hill.Tourism
Byron is home to Springbank ParkSpringbank Park
Springbank Park is a 140-hectare park located along a stretch of the Thames River in London, Ontario, Canada. As the largest park in London, it contains of trails and is home to Storybook Gardens, a family attraction open year round.-History:...
, a picturesque urban park and the largest in London. It is also home to Storybook Gardens, a popular children's attraction open year-round. Byron also has Boler Mountain
Boler Mountain
Boler Mountain, is the home of the London Ski Club in London, Ontario. The mountain is located in the western suburban neighbourhood of Byron and is used for skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing in the winter and for mountain biking in the summer. Despite its title, it is more accurately described...
, a small co-operative that offers skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
, snow-tubing, and mountain bike
Mountain bike
A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...
terrains.
Byron hosted two cycling events during the 2001 Canada Summer Games
Canada Games
The Canada Games is a high-level multi-sport event with a National Artists Program held every two years in Canada, alternating between the Canada Winter Games and the Canada Summer Games. Athletes are strictly amateur only, and represent their province or territory.The Games were first held in 1967...
; the mountain biking event on Boler Mountain, and the road cycling event, where cyclists raced through the heart of the village.
Byron Telephone Company
Byron was served until August 1960 by the Byron Telephone Company, when it was sold to Bell CanadaBell Canada
Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
. A manual telephone exchange continued to operate until September 15, 1963, and in 1962 or 1963, the short code 471 was introduced to London exchange customers for the convenience of immediately reaching the Byron operator to complete a call. Upon dial introduction, 471 became the exchange prefix.
However, some two or three years before 1960, the Byron Telephone Company converted its Lambeth
Lambeth, Middlesex County, Ontario
Lambeth is a neighbourhood in the City of London, Ontario, Canada.Lambeth was formerly a population centre in Westminster Township, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada...
-area customers to a dial exchange, the OLiver 2
Telephone exchange names
During the early years of telephone service, communities that required more than 10,000 telephone numbers, whether dial service was available or not, utilized exchange names to distinguish identical numerics for different customers....
exchange.
Tim Hortons controversy
In 2000, Tim HortonsTim Hortons
Tim Hortons Inc. is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its coffee and doughnuts. It is also Canada's largest fast food service with over 3000 stores nationwide. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade, after an initial venture in...
, which had 44 locations throughout London, sought to open its first full-service location in Byron. At the time, Tim Hortons's presence in Byron was limited to a kiosk inside the A&P
The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, better known as A&P, is a supermarket and liquor store chain in the United States. Its supermarkets, which are under six different banners, are found in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. A&P's liquor stores, known as...
grocery store with no seating, limited hours, and a limited menu.
Tim Hortons was met by bitter opposition from a small group of members of the community, which had also stopped an entry by Tim Hortons into Byron in 1998. Some members of the group claimed building a Tim Hortons would ruin the "small-town atmosphere" that they claimed Byron to have by generating too much traffic and noise.
London City Council sided with local residents and refused to rezone a parcel of land along Commissioners Road to permit Tim Hortons to build a store there. TDL Group Ltd. appealed the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board
Ontario Municipal Board
The Ontario Municipal Board is an independent administrative board, operated as an adjudicative tribunal, in the province of Ontario, Canada...
(OMB), and the OMB sided with TDL and ordered the City to permit the required rezoning. http://www.omb.gov.on.ca/e%2Ddecisions/pl001383%5F%231011.pdf Tim Hortons opened its Byron location in December 2001.
Notable Byronites
- Ron CalhounRon CalhounRon Calhoun is executive director of Partners in Research, a Canadian non-profit educational programme.-Career:...
, executive director of Partners in ResearchPartners in ResearchPartners in Research is a Canadian charity, established in 1988, with the mission of educating citizens about the importance of bio-medical research... - Jack McIntyreJack McIntyreJohn Archibald "Jack" McIntyre was a professional ice hockey player.-Playing career:...
, professional hockey player - Rob RamageRob RamageGeorge Robert Ramage is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Minnesota North Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers...
, professional hockey player and vehicular manslaughter convict - Andy Spruce, professional hockey player
- Mike Van RynMike Van RynMichael Van Ryn is a former professional ice hockey defenceman. He attended Sir Fredrick Banting Secondary School in London, Ontario. He played for the St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers, and Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League...
, professional hockey player - Joshua WorkmanJoshua WorkmanJoshua Workman is a Canadian political consultant working with Pure Strategy Group. He has ties to the US Republican Party and was elected, at age 19, to attend the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he was credited as being one of the youngest delegates in US...
, Canadian political consultant - Tim TindaleTim TindaleTimothy Scott Tindale is a former American football running back for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He played CIS football in Canada at the University of Western Ontario.-Western Mustangs:...
, professional football player