Muskoka Lakes
Encyclopedia
The Township of Muskoka Lakes is an area municipality of the District Municipality of Muskoka
, Ontario
. It has a year-round population of 6,467 and a summer population of 34,000.
was opened for settlement and organized in 1870 into the following geographic (and sometime municipal) townships of Watt, Cardwell, Humphrey, Christie, Medora and Wood.
In 1971, the current municipal structure took hold when Cardwell Township, Watt Township, Medora and Wood Townships, Bala
, Port Carling
, Windermere and part of Monck Township were merged.
The municipal offices are located in Port Carling.
The township contains the communities of Bala
, Bala Park, Bardsville, Barlochan, Beaumaris
, Baysville, Bear Cave, Beatrice, Bent River, Brackenrig, Cedar Village, Dee Bank, Dixon's Corners, Dudley, Duffy, Echo Beach, Ferndale, Foot's Bay, Glen Orchard, Gregory, Gull Rock, Hekkla, Inverness Lodge, Juddhaven, Mendora, Milford Bay, Minett, Morinus, Mortimers Point, Park Beach, Port Carling
, Port Keewaydin, Port Sandfield, Raymond, Redwood, Roderick, Rossclair, Rosseau Falls, Rostrevor, Shannon Hall, Sunset Beach, Thorel House, Tomelin Bluffs, Torrance, Ufford, Ullswater, Valley Green Beach, Walkers Point, Willow Beach, Whiteside, Windermere, Woodington, Woodward Station and Ziska.
and thus is marked with outcrops of igneous rock and evergreen trees. Although inland from both Lake Huron
's Georgian Bay
and Lake Simcoe
, the township contains the Muskoka Lakes consisting of Lake Muskoka
, Lake Rosseau
and Lake Joseph
, amongst many other smaller lakes.
Timber was initially the greatest economic attraction for the region. The soil is poor and rocky and consequently is not especially suited to agriculture
.
As the resource industries dried up, the area soon latched onto tourism
as its economic base based on its proximity to Toronto
and the rest of Southern Ontario
. For many Ontarians, this is the centre of cottage country
.
Religious groups
Muskoka District Municipality, Ontario
The District Municipality of Muskoka, more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka, or simply Muskoka, is a Regional Municipality located in Central Ontario, Canada. Muskoka extends from Georgian Bay in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching in the south, to the western border...
, 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....
. It has a year-round population of 6,467 and a summer population of 34,000.
History and government
The area now covered by the townshipTownship (Canada)
The term township generally means the district or area associated with a town. However in some systems no town needs to be involved. The specific use of the term to describe political subdivisions has varied by country, usually to describe a local rural or semi-rural government within the county...
was opened for settlement and organized in 1870 into the following geographic (and sometime municipal) townships of Watt, Cardwell, Humphrey, Christie, Medora and Wood.
In 1971, the current municipal structure took hold when Cardwell Township, Watt Township, Medora and Wood Townships, Bala
Bala, Ontario
Bala is a community located in Muskoka Lakes Township where Lake Muskoka drains into the Moon River at Bala Falls.It is considered one of the hubs of cottage country located north of Toronto. Thus, its year-round population of several hundred is increased by thousands of seasonal residents and...
, Port Carling
Port Carling, Ontario
Port Carling is an unincorporated community in the Township of Muskoka Lakes in the Canadian province of Ontario.It has been the municipal seat of the township since 1971...
, Windermere and part of Monck Township were merged.
The municipal offices are located in Port Carling.
Communities
Bala, Ontario
Bala is a community located in Muskoka Lakes Township where Lake Muskoka drains into the Moon River at Bala Falls.It is considered one of the hubs of cottage country located north of Toronto. Thus, its year-round population of several hundred is increased by thousands of seasonal residents and...
, Bala Park, Bardsville, Barlochan, Beaumaris
Beaumaris, Ontario
Beaumaris is a small settlement in Ontario, Canada, on Lake Muskoka which once served as an important transit point during the steamship era on the lake, and once hosted a summer hotel, called the Beaumaris Hotel and a post office...
, Baysville, Bear Cave, Beatrice, Bent River, Brackenrig, Cedar Village, Dee Bank, Dixon's Corners, Dudley, Duffy, Echo Beach, Ferndale, Foot's Bay, Glen Orchard, Gregory, Gull Rock, Hekkla, Inverness Lodge, Juddhaven, Mendora, Milford Bay, Minett, Morinus, Mortimers Point, Park Beach, Port Carling
Port Carling, Ontario
Port Carling is an unincorporated community in the Township of Muskoka Lakes in the Canadian province of Ontario.It has been the municipal seat of the township since 1971...
, Port Keewaydin, Port Sandfield, Raymond, Redwood, Roderick, Rossclair, Rosseau Falls, Rostrevor, Shannon Hall, Sunset Beach, Thorel House, Tomelin Bluffs, Torrance, Ufford, Ullswater, Valley Green Beach, Walkers Point, Willow Beach, Whiteside, Windermere, Woodington, Woodward Station and Ziska.
Geography and economy
The township is located on Canadian ShieldCanadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
and thus is marked with outcrops of igneous rock and evergreen trees. Although inland from both Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
's Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
and Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe is a lake in Southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called Ouentironk by the Huron natives...
, the township contains the Muskoka Lakes consisting of Lake Muskoka
Lake Muskoka
Lake Muskoka is located between Port Carling and Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. The lake is surrounded by many cottages. The lake is primarily in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, with the southeast corner in the Town of Gravenhurst. The Town of Bala, Ontario is located on the southwest shores of the...
, Lake Rosseau
Lake Rosseau
Lake Rosseau is located in Ontario about 200 kilometers north of Toronto. The lake is surrounded by many cottages, some dating back to the late 19th century. The south end of the lake is in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, and the north end is in Seguin Township. Lake Rosseau is connected to Lake...
and Lake Joseph
Lake Joseph
Lake Joseph is located in Seguin Township, Ontario. The lake is surrounded by many cottages. Lake Joseph is connected to Lake Rosseau through the narrows at Port Sandfield and the Joseph River.-Lake Front Resident Advocacy Group:...
, amongst many other smaller lakes.
Timber was initially the greatest economic attraction for the region. The soil is poor and rocky and consequently is not especially suited to agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.
As the resource industries dried up, the area soon latched onto tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
as its economic base based on its proximity to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and the rest of Southern Ontario
Golden Horseshoe
The Golden Horseshoe is a densely populated and industrialized region centred around the Greater Toronto Area at the western end of Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Georgian Bay. Most of it is also part of the Quebec City...
. For many Ontarians, this is the centre of cottage country
Cottage country
Cottage country is a common name in Eastern Canada for areas that are popular locations for recreational properties such as cottages and summer homes. The name is often applied locally; that is, any major population centre may have its own popular "cottage country" area...
.
Demographics
Racial groups- 97.1% WhiteWhite peopleWhite people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
- 2.0% AboriginalAboriginal peoples in CanadaAboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
- 0.3% Chinese
- 0.2% BlackBlackBlack is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
- 0.4% other
Religious groups
- 58.8% Protestant
- 17.4% Roman Catholic
- 2.0% other Christian
- 21.8% non-religion
External links
- Township of Muskoka Lakes
- Muskoka Lakes Association residents' organization
- Muskoka Area Attractions
- Township of Muskoka Lakes Ratepayers' Association organizational site
- Muskoka Lakes Chamber of Commerce business site
- Boating Muskoka Lakes