Woodstock, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Woodstock is a city and the county seat of Oxford County
in Southern
(Southwestern)
Ontario
, Canada
. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of Toronto
, north of Highway 401 along the historic Thames River
. It is known as the Dairy Capital of Canada and promotes itself as "The Friendly City." Woodstock is the only city in Ontario to still have all of its original administration buildings.
Vansittart Avenue (named after Admiral Henry Vansittart, an early settler) in Woodstock's west end has one of the finest residential Victorian
streetscapes in the province. Woodstock has a community centre that hosts hockey games in addition to most social gatherings.
The city government, Woodstock City Council, consists of four city councillors, two city and county councillors, and the mayor who serves as the Head of Council, currently Pat Sobeski. Woodstock is the seat of Oxford County, with the recently constructed County Administration Building located across from City Hall in the area of Dundas and Reeve Streets. For provincial and federal elections, Woodstock is included in the riding of Oxford. Currently, the MP of Oxford is Dave MacKenzie (Conservative), and the MPP is Ernie Hardeman (Progressive Conservative).
Woodstock was the former home of the Oxford Regional Center. Opened in 1906 as the Hospital for Epileptics, it was later renamed the Ontario Hospital in 1919. Originally on the west side of highway 59, the hospital then expanded on the east side in the 1950s and transformed as a house for mentally disabled individuals. At its peak, the center employed 1500 people. It closed its doors in 1996, and since then all buildings have been demolished.
, that the area would make a good townsite. The early settlers were American immigrants from New York state. Increased immigration from Great Britain followed in the 1820s and 1830s. In 1836 there were 200 people living in Woodstock, and by 1844 the population had grown to almost 1,000 inhabitants and nearly 200 homes. Woodstock was incorporated as a town in 1851 and had its first town meeting in the Royal Pavilion Hotel. In 1902 Woodstock, with a population of nearly 9,000, petitioned the provincial legislature for city status and the "Town of Woodstock" was incorporated into the "City of Woodstock"
es, two of which registered at least F4 on the Fujita Scale
. On the west side of town along Ingersoll
Road, a Dominion Food Store was heavily damaged while the tornadoes skipped over every other home and business. Dickson's Florist was wiped out and the Fry home was moved on its foundation. Father Grondziel of the new Polish
Roman Catholic Church
, next to the Dominion Food Store, had just stepped into the washroom when one of the tornadoes passed by and took off the roof of the church and everything in the room he had just been in. No one on the street was injured but the cleanup took many weeks. On the south side, the buildings of the Maranatha Christian Reformed Church and the John Knox Christian School were destroyed, and the only fatality occurred when a vehicle on Highway 401 was blown off the road and the lone occupant killed.
.
The "Springbank Snow Countess" was commemorated by a life-size statue
(designed by acclaimed Oxford County agricultural artist Ross Butler) which is located on the corner of Dundas and Springbank.
This bell iron
and lead
statue was made to honour a record-setting milk production by a Holstein (Friesian)
cow named Snow Countess.
The statue was first unveiled on August 4, 1937, by the Holstein Frisian Association of Canada. Snow Countess was born on November 18, 1919, and died at age 16 on August 9, 1936. During her lifetime, she produced 9,062 pounds of butterfat
, impressive at the time. The statue and granite base cost $4,000 to design and erect.
The cow has become an important symbol to Woodstock and is used in many cultural events, such as the annual Cowapalooza Festival.
, home of the Knights; St Mary's Secondary School (catholic), home of the Warriors; and Ecole Secondaire Notre Dame (French catholic), home of the Wolves. Fanshawe College operates a post-secondary campus at the south end of the city, and offers a variety of full and part time programs. Fanshawe has applied for a permit to add on to their current campus and make it double its size and allow it to offer many new programs
List of Woodstock schools, year built, and attendance:
Public schools
Woodstock Collegiate Institute (1939), 584.
College Avenue Secondary School (unknown), 842.
Huron Park Secondary School (1955), 964.
Algonquin Public School (unknown), 634.
Central Public School (1880's), 289.
DM Sutherland Public school (unknown), 192.
Eastdale Public School(1955), 278.
Northdale Public School (1950), 264.
Roch Carrier French Immersion Public School (unknown).
Southside Public School (1956), 266.
Springbank Public School (1964), 272.
Former public schools
Broadway Public School,
Chapel Public school,
Hillcrest Public School,
Princess Public School,
Victoria Public School.
Catholic schools
St Mary's High School (1997), 983.
Holy Family French Immersion (1981), 192.
St Michel's (1967), 300.
St Patrick's(unknown), 249.
St Rita's (unknown).
The Pittock Dam is designed for both flood control
and flow augmentation purposes. It is designed to benefit water quality downstream during dry summer conditions and provide year round flood control capability to protect downstream communities.
is located 2.5 nautical mile
s (4.6 km) west of Woodstock.
SUV in November 2008, at the rate of 150,000 a year. However, due to slowing car sales and bleeding market share to South Korean marques, Toyota cut production by 50% to 75,000 a year and reduced the work force 40% to 1200 people. The other 800 workers are expected to be recalled when (if ever) car sales increase. It was the first new auto assembly plant to be built in Canada in two decades.
, a Toyota Motor Co. subsidiary, announced that it will be the first Japanese truck manufacturer to build its vehicles in Canada with a new Woodstock plant slated to begin production in April 2006, in the former General Seating plant in the Pattullo Ridge Business Park near Highway 401 and Highway 59.
The $3 million, 120,000 square foot (11,000 m2) plant will employ 45 and assemble 2,000 trucks a year when it begins production.
In late November 2008 the Hino Motors automotive plant was completed.
General Motors National Parts Distribution Warehouse, the largest of its kind in Canada.
Vuteq Canada, an automotive supply company to GM and Toyota.
Toyota Boshuko, an automotive supply company to Toyota.
Tigercat Industries, a forestry and logging equipment manufacturer.
RWF Braun, a heavy equipment manufacturer.
Kelsey Hays, an automotive supply company for Ford.
Firestone, a textile/tire manufacturing company.
Purina, a pet food company.
Some of Woodstock original Industrial Companies who are no longer there include Thomas Built Busses, Timberjack (later called John Deere), Harvey Woods, and Massey Furgeson.
.
There are three licensed FM radio stations:
The city also has a rebroadcaster of Toronto television station Citytv
, operating on channel 31 and primarily targeting London
and surrounding towns.
provides bus service on weekdays and Saturdays.
For intercity travel Via Rail
operates a train station in the city, offering Quebec City-Windsor corridor service to Toronto, Windsor, and points in between.
Highway 401 runs along the southern edge of the city, and its junction with Highway 403 is located in the extreme south-east. Woodstock is centred on the intersection of the former Highway 59 and Highway 2
, now Oxford Road 59 and Oxford Road 2.
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is London International Airport
, 40 km to the west. The nearest major airport is Toronto Pearson International Airport
, 128 km to the east.
Oxford County, Ontario
Oxford County is a regional municipality and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Southern portion of the province. The regional seat is in Woodstock...
in Southern
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
(Southwestern)
Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, centred on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron to the Lake Erie shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from Guelph to Windsor. The region had a population...
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...
. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of 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...
, north of Highway 401 along the historic 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...
. It is known as the Dairy Capital of Canada and promotes itself as "The Friendly City." Woodstock is the only city in Ontario to still have all of its original administration buildings.
Vansittart Avenue (named after Admiral Henry Vansittart, an early settler) in Woodstock's west end has one of the finest residential Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
streetscapes in the province. Woodstock has a community centre that hosts hockey games in addition to most social gatherings.
Government
Healthcare
Woodstock General Hospital is currently situated on its original site in the northern end of Woodstock, where it has been for over a century. It has a workforce of nearly 600 people and 270 volunteers. In the fall of 2011, the WGH will move to a new location in a newly developing area in the southern end of Woodstock. Through millions of dollars in local private donations, backed by government grants, the city will soon have a state of the art medical facility. The new hospital is close to highway 401, the busiest highway in the world, and has many upgrades including a helipad and an MRI/cancer center.Woodstock was the former home of the Oxford Regional Center. Opened in 1906 as the Hospital for Epileptics, it was later renamed the Ontario Hospital in 1919. Originally on the west side of highway 59, the hospital then expanded on the east side in the 1950s and transformed as a house for mentally disabled individuals. At its peak, the center employed 1500 people. It closed its doors in 1996, and since then all buildings have been demolished.
History
The community was first settled in 1800 after it was determined by Sir John Graves Simcoe, governor of what was then known as Upper CanadaUpper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
, that the area would make a good townsite. The early settlers were American immigrants from New York state. Increased immigration from Great Britain followed in the 1820s and 1830s. In 1836 there were 200 people living in Woodstock, and by 1844 the population had grown to almost 1,000 inhabitants and nearly 200 homes. Woodstock was incorporated as a town in 1851 and had its first town meeting in the Royal Pavilion Hotel. In 1902 Woodstock, with a population of nearly 9,000, petitioned the provincial legislature for city status and the "Town of Woodstock" was incorporated into the "City of Woodstock"
Devastating tornado
On August 7, 1979, the Woodstock area was hit by three tornadoTornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
es, two of which registered at least F4 on the Fujita Scale
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
. On the west side of town along Ingersoll
Ingersoll, Ontario
Ingersoll is a town in Oxford County on the Thames River in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The nearest cities are Woodstock to the east and London to the west....
Road, a Dominion Food Store was heavily damaged while the tornadoes skipped over every other home and business. Dickson's Florist was wiped out and the Fry home was moved on its foundation. Father Grondziel of the new Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, next to the Dominion Food Store, had just stepped into the washroom when one of the tornadoes passed by and took off the roof of the church and everything in the room he had just been in. No one on the street was injured but the cleanup took many weeks. On the south side, the buildings of the Maranatha Christian Reformed Church and the John Knox Christian School were destroyed, and the only fatality occurred when a vehicle on Highway 401 was blown off the road and the lone occupant killed.
Downtown Woodstock
Downtown Woodstock stretches from Vansittart Avenue to Huron Street on Dundas Street, the city's main street. It houses the city's banks, administration buildings, independent retailers and several restaurants. The majority of buildings are a century old. Downtown promotes itself through its B.I.A. members as a place to shop, work, play and dine. Although there are a few vacancies in the city center, the downtown is full of beautiful historic buildings and several unique retail outlets. In the 1990s the city undertook an extensive makeover of the main street, adding many gardens and cobbled sidewalks. Every summer the main street is shut down for the cities "Sidewalk Sales" celebrations, a mix of retail sales and various entertainment.Demographics
| Census | Population |
|---|---|
| 1841 | 1,085 |
| 1871 | 3,982 |
| 1881 | 5,373 |
| 1891 | 8,612 |
| 1901 | 8,833 |
| 1911 | 9,320 |
| 1921 | 9,935 |
| 1931 | 11,395 |
| 1941 | 12,339 |
| 1951 | 15,544 |
| 1961 | 20,486 |
| 1971 | 26,173 |
| 1981 | 26,603 |
| 1991 | 30,075 |
| 2001 | 33,061 |
| 2006 | 35,480 |
Attractions
Woodstock has many popular attractions held throughout the year. The Woodstock Wood Show is held every October at the fairgrounds and is one of the largest in North America. The Canadian Farm Show is held every September at the North end of the city and is also one of the largest in Canada. The Woodstock Fair is held at the end of August at the fairgrounds and consists of a midway, contests, concerts and other events. On Victoria Day weekend there is a parade along Dundas that ends in Southside Park where there is also a Midway. Woodstock is also home to an OLG Slots, live harness racing, and 7 screen movie theatre (Gallerie Cinemas).Old St. Paul's Anglican Church
One of Woodstock's most notable buildings is Old St. Paul's Anglican Church. Built in 1833 and situated near the intersection of Huron and Dundas Streets, the first sermon was held in the rectory on June 29, 1834. The first person buried in St. Paul's cemetery was a blacksmith named Spencer who died of cholera the day following his arrival in Woodstock in 1834. It is alleged that the church tower was infamously used as a temporary jail during the rebellion of 1837. The church, a brick cruciform structure surrounded by Woodstock's oldest cemetery, boasts original box pews and dozens of memorial tablets commemorating prominent Woodstock citizens. The first incumbent was William Craddock BettridgeWilliam Craddock Bettridge
William Craddock Bettridge was a soldier and clergyman with the Church of England.Bettridge's first career was with the military as an ensign in the 81st foot. He saw active service in the Low Countries and attained the rank of a lieutenant, retiring on half-pay in 1816...
.
Springbank Snow Countess
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
(designed by acclaimed Oxford County agricultural artist Ross Butler) which is located on the corner of Dundas and Springbank.
This bell iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
statue was made to honour a record-setting milk production by a Holstein (Friesian)
Holstein (cattle)
Holstein cattle is a breed of cattle known today as the world's highest production dairy animal. Originating in Europe, Holsteins were bred in what is now the Netherlands and more specifically in the two northern provinces of North Holland and Friesland...
cow named Snow Countess.
The statue was first unveiled on August 4, 1937, by the Holstein Frisian Association of Canada. Snow Countess was born on November 18, 1919, and died at age 16 on August 9, 1936. During her lifetime, she produced 9,062 pounds of butterfat
Butterfat
Butterfat or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain.- Composition :The fatty acids of butterfat are typically composed as follows :...
, impressive at the time. The statue and granite base cost $4,000 to design and erect.
The cow has become an important symbol to Woodstock and is used in many cultural events, such as the annual Cowapalooza Festival.
Capitol Theatre, Woodstock
The "Capitol Theatre" originally the Woodstock Opera House. This building was recently torn down.Education
Woodstock has five high schools; Woodstock Collegiate Institute, the oldest in the city, home of the Red Devils; Huron park Secondary School, home of the Huskies; College Avenue Secondary SchoolCollege Avenue Secondary School
College Avenue Secondary School is one of three public high schools in Woodstock, Ontario under the Thames Valley District School Board and is named after the street on which it is located. It offers full courses for students in grade 9 through 12...
, home of the Knights; St Mary's Secondary School (catholic), home of the Warriors; and Ecole Secondaire Notre Dame (French catholic), home of the Wolves. Fanshawe College operates a post-secondary campus at the south end of the city, and offers a variety of full and part time programs. Fanshawe has applied for a permit to add on to their current campus and make it double its size and allow it to offer many new programs
List of Woodstock schools, year built, and attendance:
Public schools
Woodstock Collegiate Institute (1939), 584.
College Avenue Secondary School (unknown), 842.
Huron Park Secondary School (1955), 964.
Algonquin Public School (unknown), 634.
Central Public School (1880's), 289.
DM Sutherland Public school (unknown), 192.
Eastdale Public School(1955), 278.
Northdale Public School (1950), 264.
Roch Carrier French Immersion Public School (unknown).
Southside Public School (1956), 266.
Springbank Public School (1964), 272.
Former public schools
Broadway Public School,
Chapel Public school,
Hillcrest Public School,
Princess Public School,
Victoria Public School.
Catholic schools
St Mary's High School (1997), 983.
Holy Family French Immersion (1981), 192.
St Michel's (1967), 300.
St Patrick's(unknown), 249.
St Rita's (unknown).
Sports and recreation
Woodstock has several parks and gardens. Most notably is Southside Park, which has a playground, baseball diamonds, public washrooms, soccer fields, gardens, and a new Skatepark. It also has a large pond, and many walking trails. At the North End of the city is Roth Park, which stretches along the Gordon Pittock Reservoir. This park contains a playground and several kilometers of walking, running, and biking trails. Woodstock has two ice rinks, two at the Community Complex at the south end of the city, and one at the fairgrounds in the central region. The Woodstock Soccer Club has built an indoor and outdoor soccer park at the north end, at the former site of the Oxford Regional Center. Woodstock two indoor swimming pools, Southside Aquatic Center, and the YMCA, and one outdoor pool, the Lions Pool. The Woodstock Public Library is one of the oldest in the province and has a large selection of books, movies, magazines, and newspapers and also has internet access for members.Museum and arts
The Old Woodstock Town Hall, a National Historic Site of Canada, now houses the Woodstock Museum. On the lower level is a permanent exhibit highlighting the history of the city and area, and the original town council room exists in its original state. Upstairs is a ballroom which houses several different exhibits throughout the year. The Woodstock Art Gallery is currently located on Hunter Street but will soon be moving into the old Shopper's Drug Mart building on Dundas Street across from Museum Square. The Woodstock Little Theatre houses plays year round in the former market building across from the museum.Pittock Dam
Construction was started on the dam in 1964 and officially completed in 1967. The cost of the dam and land base at that time was close to $6 million. Present annual maintenance costs are about $40,000.The Pittock Dam is designed for both flood control
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
and flow augmentation purposes. It is designed to benefit water quality downstream during dry summer conditions and provide year round flood control capability to protect downstream communities.
Woodstock Airport
The Woodstock AirportWoodstock Airport (Ontario)
Woodstock Airport, , is located west of Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. The airport is commonly called the Woodstock Flying Club due to the size of the airport....
is located 2.5 nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s (4.6 km) west of Woodstock.
Toyota Plant
In June 2005, Toyota, briefly the world's largest automaker, announced plans to build a new, $CAD1.1 billion automobile assembly plant in Woodstock on a 1,000-acre (4 km2) undeveloped site in the city's northeast end. The plant was expected to employ 2000 people and begin full production of the Toyota RAV4Toyota RAV4
The Toyota RAV4 is a compact crossover SUV from Toyota. It was the first compact crossover SUV, introduced in Japan and Europe in 1994 and beginning sales in North America in 1996...
SUV in November 2008, at the rate of 150,000 a year. However, due to slowing car sales and bleeding market share to South Korean marques, Toyota cut production by 50% to 75,000 a year and reduced the work force 40% to 1200 people. The other 800 workers are expected to be recalled when (if ever) car sales increase. It was the first new auto assembly plant to be built in Canada in two decades.
Hino Motors Canada Ltd.
Early in March 2006, Hino MotorsHino Motors
-External links:Global* * * Overseas offices****.*.***.*.* - Philippines**...
, a Toyota Motor Co. subsidiary, announced that it will be the first Japanese truck manufacturer to build its vehicles in Canada with a new Woodstock plant slated to begin production in April 2006, in the former General Seating plant in the Pattullo Ridge Business Park near Highway 401 and Highway 59.
The $3 million, 120,000 square foot (11,000 m2) plant will employ 45 and assemble 2,000 trucks a year when it begins production.
In late November 2008 the Hino Motors automotive plant was completed.
Woodstock Organ Company
A major Canadian piano and organ and reed organ company operated under the name of Woodstock Organ Company for many years of the early twentieth century. It was owned by D W Karn, who was at one time mayor of Woodstock. Karn had previously operated an organ and piano manufacturing company under his own name.Other industries
Woodstock is also home to:General Motors National Parts Distribution Warehouse, the largest of its kind in Canada.
Vuteq Canada, an automotive supply company to GM and Toyota.
Toyota Boshuko, an automotive supply company to Toyota.
Tigercat Industries, a forestry and logging equipment manufacturer.
RWF Braun, a heavy equipment manufacturer.
Kelsey Hays, an automotive supply company for Ford.
Firestone, a textile/tire manufacturing company.
Purina, a pet food company.
Some of Woodstock original Industrial Companies who are no longer there include Thomas Built Busses, Timberjack (later called John Deere), Harvey Woods, and Massey Furgeson.
Media
Woodstock has one daily newspaper owned by Sun Media Corporation, the Woodstock Sentinel-ReviewWoodstock Sentinel-Review
The Woodstock Sentinel Review is a local newspaper that services Woodstock, Ontario and Oxford Countyin the Canadian province of Ontario....
.
There are three licensed FM radio stations:
- FM 94.3 - CJFHCJFH-FMCJFH-FM is a Canadian radio station with a Christian format broadcasting at 94.3 FM in Woodstock, Ontario. The station was launched in late 2003.-External links:* * at Canadian Communications Foundation...
, "Hope FM" Christian musicChristian musicChristian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world.... - FM 103.9 - CKDKCKDK-FMCKDK-FM is a radio station owned by Corus Entertainment and based in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada that transmits at 50,000 watts at 103.9 MHz on the FM dial...
"1039 FM" Adult Greatest Hits - FM 104.7 - CIHRCIHR-FMCIHR-FM is an FM radio station located in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. The station plays an adult contemporary format branded as 104.7 Heart FM and is owned by Byrnes Communications Inc....
, "Heart FM" adult contemporary
The city also has a rebroadcaster of Toronto television station Citytv
CITY-TV
CITY-DT, Channel 57 , is a television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada owned and operated by Rogers Media...
, operating on channel 31 and primarily targeting London
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...
and surrounding towns.
Transportation
Woodstock TransitWoodstock Transit
Woodstock Transit is operated by the City of Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, providing both regular transit bus routes and specialized paratransit services for the community....
provides bus service on weekdays and Saturdays.
For intercity travel Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
operates a train station in the city, offering Quebec City-Windsor corridor service to Toronto, Windsor, and points in between.
Highway 401 runs along the southern edge of the city, and its junction with Highway 403 is located in the extreme south-east. Woodstock is centred on the intersection of the former Highway 59 and Highway 2
Ontario Highway 2
King's Highway 2, usually referred to simply as Highway 2 is a provincially maintained highway in Ontario. Once the primary east–west route across the southern end of the province, Highway 2 became mostly redundant in the 1960s following the completion of Highway 401, which more or less...
, now Oxford Road 59 and Oxford Road 2.
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is London International Airport
London International Airport
London International Airport or London Airport is located northeast of the city of London, Ontario, Canada.In 2009, the airport handled 501,835 passengers, and, in 2010, was the 9th busiest in Canada in terms of aircraft movements, with 141,001. Air Canada, Air Canada Express, United Express ,...
, 40 km to the west. The nearest major airport is Toronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport serving Toronto, Ontario, Canada; its metropolitan area; and the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration that is home to 8.1 million people – approximately 25% of Canada's population...
, 128 km to the east.
Notable natives
- Mary BothwellMary BothwellMary Bothwell was a Canadian classical vocalist and painter. As a singer she began her career as a contralto, but ultimately ended up performing soprano parts in the opera and concert repertoire....
, opera singer and painter - Don ColesDon ColesDonald L. Coles, also known as Don Coles, is a Canadian poet and a novelist. Coles won the 1993 Governor General's Award for English poetry for his collection Forests of the Medieval World and the Trillium Book Award in 2000 for his collection Kurgan.Don Coles was born on April 12, 1927, in...
, poet - Jake Muzzin, professional ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player (Los Angeles KingsLos Angeles KingsThe Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Sault Ste. Marie GreyhoundsSault Ste. Marie GreyhoundsThe Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the Essar Centre. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The Greyhounds name has been used by several ice hockey...
) - Andrea RothAndrea RothAndrea Roth is a Canadian actress. She is perhaps best known for her role on the FX television series Rescue Me , as Janet Gavin, the wife of main character Tommy Gavin.-Biography:...
, actor - Garth TurnerGarth TurnerJohn Garth Turner, PC is a Canadian business journalist, best-selling author, entrepreneur, broadcaster, financial advisor and politician, twice elected as a Member of the House of Commons, former Minister of National Revenue and leadership candidate for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada...
, business journalist - Kevin ZegersKevin ZegersKevin Joseph Zegers is a Canadian actor and model. He is best known for his leading roles as Josh Framm in the Air Bud series, as well as playing Damien Dalgaard in the Gossip Girl series and the protagonist in Rock Mafia's The Big Bang...
, actor and model
Further reading
Art Williams. Bits & Pieces: A Montage of Woodstock, Ontario in Text and Pictures. Erin, Ontario: Boston Mills, 1967, 1990.External links
- City of Woodstock official website
- Oxford County Official website
- Information Oxford Business directory, Events, Social Services etc.