Sundridge is a village in central 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, approximately 75 km south of North Bay, Ontario

North Bay, Ontario

North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...

 along Highway 11

Highway 11 (Ontario)

King's Highway 11 is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. At , it is the second longest highway in the province after Highway 17. Highway 11 begins at Highway 400 in Barrie, and arches through northern Ontario, around Lake Superior, to the Ontario–Minnesota border...

, on the shore of Lake Bernard

Lake Bernard

Lake Bernard is a lake in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada, between Toronto and North Bay. It measures roughly 2.5 km across and 7 km long...

. Sundridge is a tourist destination in both winter and summer, with boating and snowmobiling

Snowmobile

A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...

 providing the main attraction. Algonquin Provincial Park

Algonquin Provincial Park

Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Central Ontario, Canada, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Canada. Additions since its creation have increased...

 is accessible nearby. Cities within a reasonable driving distance include Toronto (approximately 300 km south) and Ottawa

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

 (approximately 500 km east.) The village has long been known as "The Pearl of the North" to residents of central and northern Ontario.

History

Originally it was supposed to be named Sunny Ridge, but when the name was applied for in the late 1800s, an error at the post office department resulted in the name becoming Sundridge.

Sundridge developed largely as a result of the extension of the Canadian National Railway

Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....

 (CNR) northward. The first settler in the area – usually considered the village's founder – was James Dunbar in 1876. The CNR route in the area was completed in 1885, and the Village of Sundridge was incorporated in 1889. Protestant churches (Anglican

Anglicanism

Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...

, Methodist

Methodism

Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...

 and Presbyterian

Presbyterianism

Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...

) were established in the mid 1880s, and in 1897 the first municipal library was established. During World War I, Sundridge was the location for basic training for the 162nd Canadian Battalion.

Demographics

Sundridge is located in the Parry Sound District census division

Parry Sound District, Ontario

Parry Sound District is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its seat is Parry Sound. Its boundaries are Muskoka to the south, the Sudbury District, the French River and Lake Nipissing in the north, Nipissing District, Ontario and North Bay in the north and east and parts of...

. According to the Canada 2001 Census

Canada 2001 Census

The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In...

, the village has a population of 983, which represented a decline of 3.5% from 1019 in 1996. Combined with the neighbouring Townships of Strong and Joly, the population of the area in 2001 was 2642. The Village is approximately 85% Protestant, and is 96% Canadian-born, with no self-identified visible minority groups among its population. It has an area of 2.23 square kilometres.

Population trend:

• Population in 2006: 942 (2001 to 2006 population change: -4.2 %)
• Population in 2001: 983
• Population in 1996: 1019
• Population in 1991: 937

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 431 (total dwellings: 473)

Mother tongue:

• English as first language: 90.9 %
• French as first language: 1.1 %
• English and French as first language: 0 %
• Other as first language: 8.0 %

Notable people

• NHLers Bill McCreary, Sr.
  Bill McCreary, Sr.
  William Edward McCreary, Sr. was a National Hockey League left winger, coach and general manager.-Career:...
  
   and Greg de Vries
  Greg de Vries
  Greg de Vries is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played over 800 games with six teams in the National Hockey League...
  
  .
• Canadian author Mary Susanne Edgar
  Mary Susanne Edgar
  Mary Susannah Edgar was a Canadian author born in Sundridge, Ontario on May 23, 1889. Her schooling took her from Sundridge to Barrie High School and Havergal College, Toronto...
  
  , founder of Glen Bernard Camp.
• NHLer Bucko McDonald, there is a street named after him.

Local politics

The municipality is governed by a five-member council consisting of a mayor and four councillors, each elected at large every four years. Many local services (such as the library and arena) are run by committees jointly established by Sundridge and its surrounding townships. The current mayor of Sundridge is Elgin Schneider.

External links

• The Annual Sundridge Sunflower Festival
• Sundridge Ontario Almaguin Highlands Regional Portal