Whitestone is a township

Township (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...

 in the Canadian

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...

 province of 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....

, as well as the name of a community within the township.

The township, located in the Parry Sound District

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...

, had a population of 853 in the 2001 Canadian 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...

.

History

In 2000, the Municipality of Whitestone was formed out of Unorganized Centre Parry Sound District

Parry Sound, Unorganized, Centre Part, Ontario

Small southern exclave...

 and incorporated by the Parry Sound District Restructuring Commission. The new municipality includes the geographic townships of East Burpee, Burton, McKenzie, Ferrie, Hagerman, and part of Croft, as well as the communities of Ardbeg, Dunchurch, Maple Island, and the village of Whitestone.

A popular attraction was once the Ardbeg fire tower, which was one of the last remaining manned towers in Southern Ontario until the early 1970s when aerial forest fire detection took over. It stood on a small hill where the road meets the railway.

Communities

The township comprises the communities of Ardbeg, Boakview, Bolger, Burton, Dunchurch, Fairholme, Lorimer Lake, Maple Island, South Magnetawan, Sunny Slope, Wahwashkesh, and Whitestone.

Geography

The municipality's vegetation is dominated by white pine

White Pine

-Trees:* Trees in the pine subgenus Pinus subgenus Strobus** Eastern White Pine , one of these species, native to northeastern North America...

 trees, and the area is dotted with many lakes, including Wahwashkesh Lake, Shawanaga Lake

Shawanaga Lake

Shawanaga lake is a lake located in the Municipality of Whitestone, District of Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada.It is a warm water lake with shoreline in Hagerman, Fergusson, and Burpee. Shawanaga lake has a long narrow shape and is heavily impacted by recreational boats. Shawanaga lake road runs...

, Whitestone Lake, and Lorimer Lake. The three major rivers are Magnetawan River

Magnetawan River

The Magnetawan River is a river in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada, which flows 175 km from Magnetawan Lake inside Algonquin Provincial Park to empty into Georgian Bay at the community of Britt on Byng Inlet....

, Shawanaga River, and Naiscoot River, all flowing west into Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...

.

Demographics

Population trend:

• Population in 2006: 1030 (2001 to 2006 population change: 20.8 %)
• Population in 2001: 853
• Population in 1996: 802 (adjusted for 2001 boundaries)

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 471 (total dwellings: 1653)

Mother tongue:

• English as first language: 88.4 %
• French as first language: 2.9 %
• English and French as first language: 0 %
• Other as first language: 8.7 %

External links

• Dunchurch Ontario, Almaguin Highlands Regional Portal