Hastings County

County in Ontario, Canada

For other uses, see Hastings (disambiguation).

County in Ontario, Canada

Hastings County

County (upper-tier)

County of Hastings

Seal

Coat of arms

Motto:

Communities With Opportunities

Hastings County

Coordinates: 44°45′N 77°35′W﻿ / ﻿44.750°N 77.583°W﻿ / 44.750; -77.583
Country|  Canada
Province|  Ontario
County seat| Belleville
Municipalities|

List

* Town of Bancroft
* Town of Deseronto
* Municipality of Centre Hastings
* Municipality of Quinte West
* Municipality of Hastings Highlands
* Township of Carlow/Mayo
* Township of Faraday
* Township of Limerick
* Township of Madoc
* Municipality (township) of Marmora and Lake
* Township of Stirling-Rawdon
* Township of Tudor and Cashel
* Municipality of Tweed
* Township of Tyendinaga
* Township of Wollaston

Area

[1]

• Land| 5,270.75 km2 (2,035.05 sq mi)
• Census division| 6,013.35 km2 (2,321.77 sq mi)
| Land area excludes Belleville & Quinte West
Population

(2021)[1]

• Total

| 44,115
• Density| 8.4/km2 (22/sq mi)
• Census division

| 145,746
• Census division density| 24.2/km2 (63/sq mi)
| Total excludes Belleville & Quinte West
Time zone| UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)| UTC-4 (EDT)
Website| www.hastingscounty.com
The northern portion of Hastings County is characterized by the rugged landscape of the Madawaska Highlands.

Hastings County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. Geographically, it is located on the border of Eastern Ontario and Central Ontario. Hastings County is the second-largest county in Ontario, after Renfrew County. Its county seat is Belleville, which is, along with Quinte West, independent of Hastings County.

Hastings County has trademarked the moniker "Cheese Capital of Canada".[2]

## Administrative divisions

[edit]

The 14 local municipalities within Hastings County are:

* Town of Bancroft
* Town of Deseronto
* Municipality of Centre Hastings
* Municipality of Hastings Highlands
* Municipality of Tweed
* Municipality of Marmora and Lake
* Township of Carlow/Mayo
* Township of Faraday
* Township of Limerick
* Township of Madoc
* Township of Stirling-Rawdon
* Township of Tudor and Cashel
* Township of Tyendinaga
* Township of Wollaston

The Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory is within the Hastings census division but is independent of the county. The cities of Belleville and Quinte West are separated municipalities and so are within the geographical boundaries of the county and included in the Hastings census division, but they not under the administration of the county government.

## History

[edit]

Hastings County (named for Francis Rawdon-Hastings) was first organized for electoral purposes in 1792, with its boundaries described as being:

> bounded on the east by the westernmost boundary of the county of Lenox, on the south by the bay of Quinte, until it meets a boundary on the easternmost line of the river Trent, thence along the river until it intersects the rear of the ninth concession, thence by a line running north sixteen degrees west until it intersects the river Ottawa or Grand river, thence descending the said river until it meets the northwesternmost boundary of the county of Addington; and the said county of Hastings to comprehend all the islands of the bay of Quinte and the river Trent nearest to the said county, in the whole or in greater part fronting the same.[3]

For the initial elections to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, it was united with Northumberland County and most of Lennox County for purposes of returning one member.[4]

It was situated within the Mecklenburg District, which was later renamed the "Midland District" in 1792.[5]

In 1798, the Parliament of Upper Canada passed legislation to provide, that, at the beginning of 1800:

> ... the townships of Sidney, Thurlow, the tract of land occupied by the Mohawks, Huntingdon, Hungerford, and Rawdon, do constitute and form the county of Hastings.[6]

The territory withdrawn from the County continued to form part of the Midland District.[7]

### 19th century

[edit]

In 1821, the newly surveyed townships of Elzevir, Madoc and Marmora were added to the county.[8] While in this time agriculture was the most important industry in Hastings County, by 1822 (when the Marmora Iron Works was approaching its peak production) mining was playing an increasingly more important role in the area's economy.

Prominent citizens of Hastings County and Ameliasburgh Township unsuccessfully petitioned the provincial government for district status during 1817, 1818, 1823 and 1825. After Prince Edward County successfully achieved its own government in 1831, Hastings County continued to send petitions throughout the 30s before finally achieving the status of a separate district in March 1837.[9]

It was constituted as the District of Victoria in 1839 (which continued until its dissolution in 1850).[10] By 1845, the county was declared to consist of the following geographic townships:[11]

* Elzevir
* Grimsthorpe
* Hungerford
* Huntingdon
* Lake
* Marmora
* Madoc
* Rawdon
* Sydney
* Tudor
* Thurlow
* Tyendinaga

Belleville, after an abortive attempt two years previously, was organized as a municipality with its own Board of Police in 1836,[12][13] and was designated as the district seat in 1837.[14] It was constituted as a town under the Baldwin Act in 1850,[15] and later became a city in 1877.[16]

Edward Fidlar became the first warden of Hastings County with their first meeting on January 28, 1850. By this time the Hastings County Council was also interested in education and the building of the railroad.

On October 27, 1856, the first railroad train arrived in Belleville and by 1864 around 100 people were employed by the railroad.

In August 1866, discovery of gold at Eldorado, near Madoc, caused great excitement throughout Hastings County as people flooded to the area from all over North America. According to Barnes, "gold has been found in twenty-seven locations spread over nine townships."[17] The railroads and 170 miles (270 km) of good gravel roads opened these areas to settlement by 1880.

In 1889 the Belleville Waterworks was created as a private company, which was then bought by the city of Belleville in 1889.

### 20th century

[edit]

In 1911, Hastings County was the first in the province to appoint a reforestation committee, which was instrumental in passing laws around county forests. Postal service began in the area in 1913.[18]

By 1927 the original townships had each formed separate governance and many of them had been partitioned due to increase in population and development. The 1927 townships were:[19]

* Bangor
* Carlow
* Cashel
* Dungannon
* Elzevir
* Faraday
* Grimsthorpe
* Herschel
* Hungerford
* Huntingdon
* Lake
* Limerick
* Madoc
* Marmora
* Mayo
* McClure
* Monteagle
* Rawdon
* Sidney
* Thurlow
* Tudor
* Tyendinaga
* Wicklow
* Wollaston

Following World War II, more efficient communication and transportation led a trend toward consolidation of township administrations:

* The Township of Carlow/Mayo was formed by amalgamation of the contiguous townships of Carlow and Mayo.
* The Township of Wicklow and McClure was formed by amalgamation of the contiguous townships of McClure and Wicklow.
* Lake Township and Marmora Township were administered as the Township of Marmora & Lake.
* Elzevir Township and Grimsthorpe Township were administered as the Township of Elzevir & Grimsthorpe since before 1968.
* The Township of Tudor and Cashel was formed by amalgamation of the geographically non-contiguous townships of Cashel and Tudor.

### 21st century

[edit]

At the dawn of the 21st century, there has been a trend toward amalgamating rural and urban administrations. On 1 January 1998:

* The City of Quinte West was formed through amalgamation of the City of Trenton and the Township of Sidney from Hastings County, with the Village of Frankford and the Township of Murray from Northumberland County.[20]
* The Municipality of Centre Hastings was incorporated by amalgamating Huntingdon Township with the Village of Madoc.
* The Township of Stirling-Rawdon was formed through the amalgamation of Rawdon Township with the Village of Stirling.

In 1998, the Village of Tweed was amalgamated with its Township of Hungerford and the contiguous Township of Elzevir & Grimsthorpe to form the Municipality of Tweed. In 1999, the Village of Bancroft merged with Dungannon Township to form the Town of Bancroft.

On 1 January 2001, the Municipality of Hastings Highlands was incorporated by amalgamating the contiguous townships of Bangor, Wicklow & McClure, Herschel and Monteagle. Also in 2001, the Village of Marmora amalgamated with the surrounding townships of Marmora and Lake to form the Municipality of Marmora and Lake.

## Demographics

[edit]

As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Hastings County had a population of 145,746 living in 61,141 of its 68,518 total private dwellings, a change of 6.8% from its 2016 population of 136,445. With a land area of 6,013.35 km2 (2,321.77 sq mi), it had a population density of 24.2/km2 (62.8/sq mi) in 2021.[1]

Canada census – Hastings census division community profile

| 2021| 2016| 2011

|
|
|

Population| 145,746 (+6.8% from 2016)| 136,445 (+1.1% from 2011)| 134,934 (3.4% from 2006)
Land area| 6,013.35 km2 (2,321.77 sq mi)| 6,103.92 km2 (2,356.74 sq mi)| 6,103.48 km2 (2,356.57 sq mi)
Population density| 24.2/km2 (63/sq mi)| 22.4/km2 (58/sq mi)| 22.1/km2 (57/sq mi)
Median age| 47.6 (M: 46.0, F: 49.2)| 46.3 (M: 45.1, F: 47.4)|
Private dwellings| 68,518 (total) 61,141 (occupied)| 65,136 (total) 57,017 (occupied)| 63,014 (total)
Median household income| $75,000| $61,109|

Notes: Includes Belleville and Quinte West.
References: 2021[21] 2016[22] 2011[23] earlier[24][25]

Historical census populations – Hastings County| Year| Pop.| ±%

|
|

1921 | 57,523| —
1931 | 58,846| +2.3%
1941 | 63,322| +7.6%
1951 | 74,298| +17.3%
1956 | 83,745| +12.7%
1961 | 93,377| +11.5%
| Year| Pop.| ±%

|
|

1966 | 94,127| +0.8%
1971 | 99,393| +5.6%
1976 | 105,837| +6.5%
1981 | 106,883| +1.0%
1986 | 109,352| +2.3%
1991 | 116,434| +6.5%
| Year| Pop.| ±%

|
|

1996 | 118,744| +2.0%
2001 | 125,915| +6.0%
2006 | 130,474| +3.6%
2011 | 134,934| +3.4%
2016 | 136,445| +1.1%
2021 | 145,746| +6.8%
2001 and 2006 population figures exclude incompletely enumerated Indian reserve. Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes.
Source: Statistics Canada[1][26]

## County council

[edit]

Hastings County offices in downtown Belleville.

Following are members of Hastings County Council as of August, 2019:[27]

* Warden: Rick Phillips
* Town of Bancroft: Paul Jenkins
* Township of Carlow/Mayo: Bonnie Adams
* Municipality of Centre Hastings: Tom Deline
* Town of Deseronto: Dan Johnston
* Township of Faraday: Dennis Purcell
* Hastings Highlands: Tracy Hagar
* Township of Limerick: Carl Stefanski
* Township of Madoc: Loyde Blackburn
* Municipality of Marmora & Lake: Jan O'Neill
* Township of Stirling/Rawdon: Bob Mullin
* Township of Tudor & Cashel: Libby Clarke
* Municipality of Tweed: Jo-Anne Albert
* Township of Tyendinaga: Rick Phillips
* Township of Wollaston: Lynn Kruger

## Transportation

[edit]

The county is served by Highway 401 in the south, Highway 7, a leg of the Trans-Canada Highway, in the central region, Highways 62 and 37 travelling north to south, Highway 28 travelling east to west in the northern region, and Highway 127 travelling north from Maynooth, also in the northern region.

## Emergency services

[edit]

There are 5 EMS stations in Hastings County with Hastings-Quinte EMS HQ located in Belleville, Ontario.

## Education

[edit]

Further information: List of secondary schools in Ontario § Hastings County

Currently, Hastings & Prince Edward District School Board operates public schools. Previously, Hastings County Board of Education operated public schools.

## See also

[edit]

* List of municipalities in Ontario
* Southern Ontario
* Eastern Ontario
* Central Ontario
* List of townships in Ontario

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Hastings, County (CTY) Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
2. ^ "Artisanal Cheese". hastingscounty.com. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
3. ^ Proclamation of July 16, 1792
4. ^ Proclamation of July 16, 1792
5. ^ An act for building a gaol and court house in every district within this province, and for altering the names of the said districts, S.U.C. 1792, c. 8, s. 3
6. ^ An act for the better division of this province, S.U.C. 1798, c. 5, s. 16
7. ^ 1798 Act, s. 18
8. ^ An Act to repeal part of an Act passed in thirty-eighth year of His late Majesty's Reign, intituled, "An act for the better division of this province," and to make further provision for the division of the same into Counties and Districts, S.U.C. 1821, c. 3, s. 5
9. ^ An Act to authorise the Erection of the County of Hastings into a Separate District, S.U.C. 1837, c. 31, s. 5
10. ^ An Act for abolishing the Territorial Division of Upper-Canada into Districts, and for providing for temporary Unions of Counties for Judicial and other purposes, and for the future dissolutions of such Unions, as the increase of wealth and population may require, S.Prov.C. 1849, c. 78, Sch. B
11. ^ An Act for better defining the limits of the Counties and Districts in Upper Canada, for erecting certain new Townships, for detaching Townships from some Counties and attaching them to others, and for other purposes relative to the division of Upper Canada into Townships, Counties and Districts, S.Prov.C. 1845, c. 7, Sch. B
12. ^ Directory 1889, p. 17.
13. ^ An Act to repeal an Act passed in the fourth year of His present Majesty's reign, entitled 'An Act to establish a Board of Police in the Town of Belleville, and to make further provisions for the establishment of a Police in said Town, S.U.C. 1836, c. 14
14. ^ 1837 Act, s. 1
15. ^ An Act to provide, by one general law, for the erection of Municipal Corporations, and the establishment of Regulations of Police, in and for the Counties, Cities, Towns, Townships and Villages in Upper-Canada, S.Prov.C 1849, c. 81, s. 201, Sch. B
16. ^ An Act for the Incorporation of the Town of Belleville as a City, and for the Consolidation of the debt thereof, S.O. 1877, c. 33
17. ^ Barnes, Michael (1995). Gold in Ontario. Erin: The Boston Mills Press. pp. 13–18\. ISBN 155046146X.13-18&rft.pub=The+Boston+Mills+Press&rft.date=1995&rft.isbn=155046146X&rft.aulast=Barnes&rft.aufirst=Michael&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Hastings+County" class="Z3988">
18. ^ Historic Hastings by Gerald E. Boyce
19. ^ [1] An excerpt from The Province of Ontario: A History, 1615–1927, by Middleton, J.E. & Langdon, F., 1927, Dominion Publishing Co., Toronto, made into a geo-code map copyright 2015 by Lisa Rance. Accessed 2 June 2020.
20. ^ 2 Old Guys Walking: The Mills on Cold Creek, Frankford. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
21. ^ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
22. ^ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
23. ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
24. ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
25. ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
26. ^ "1971 Census of Canada - Population Census Subdivisions (Historical)". Catalogue 92-702 Vol I, part 1 (Bulletin 1.1-2). Statistics Canada: 76, 139. July 1973.
27. ^ "Warden and Council". County of Hastings. Retrieved August 6, 2019.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Boyce, Gerald E. Historic Hastings - Volume One with New Introduction and Expanded Index, Global Heritage Press, Milton, 2013
* Union Publishing Company Farmer's and Business Directory for the Counties of Frontenac, Hastings, Lennox, Addington, Prince Edward for 1899, Union Publishing Company, Ingersol, 1899 (facsimile reprint by Global Heritage Press, Milton, 2010)
* Directory of the County of Hastings. Belleville: Intelligencer Printing and Publishing Co. 1889.
* Elizabeth Hancocks and W. E. Britnell Hastings County Marriage Register 1858-69, Global Heritage Press, Milton, 2005
* June Gibson, Indexed by Elizabeth Hancocks, C. G. & Shannon Hancocks Hastings and Prince Edward County - Surrogate Court Index of Ontario, Canada, 1859–1900 ( Wills)- Second Edition, Global Heritage Press, Milton, 2005
* Dan Walker and Fawne Stratford-Devai Victoria District Marriage Register 1839–1858 , Global Heritage Press, Milton, 2000
* Rolph and Clark, Brian Tackaberry Directory of the County of Hastings 1879 - 1880, Rolph and Clark, 1904 (facsimile reprint with new Introduction and new Index by Global Heritage Press, Milton, 1999)
* Pioneer life on the Bay of Quinte, including genealogies of old families and biographical sketches of representative citizens. Toronto: Rolph and Clark, Limited. 1900.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hastings County, Ontario.

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Places adjacent to Hastings County

| Haliburton County | Nipissing District | Renfrew County

|
|

|  |
Peterborough County
Northumberland County |

Hastings County

| Lennox and Addington Cty.
|  |
Lake Ontario | Bay of Quinte
Prince Edward County (single-tier city) |

* v
* t
* e

Hastings County, Ontario

Cities|

* Belleville 1
* Quinte West 1

Towns|

* Bancroft
* Deseronto

Townships|

* Carlow/Mayo
* Centre Hastings
* Faraday
* Hastings Highlands
* Limerick
* Madoc
* Marmora and Lake
* Stirling-Rawdon
* Tudor and Cashel
* Tweed
* Tyendinaga
* Wollaston

First Nations|

* Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte

Indian reserves|

* Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory

* See also: Communities in Hastings County
* Census divisions of Ontario

* 1 Separated municipality but remains a census subdivision of the county

* v
* t
* e

Subdivisions of Ontario

Counties|

* Bruce
* Dufferin
* Elgin
* Essex
* Frontenac
* Grey
* Haliburton
* Hastings
* Huron
* Lambton
* Lanark
* Leeds and Grenville
* Lennox and Addington
* Middlesex
* Northumberland
* Perth
* Peterborough
* Prescott and Russell
* Renfrew
* Simcoe
* Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
* Wellington

Districts|

* Algoma
* Cochrane
* Kenora
* Manitoulin
* Nipissing
* Parry Sound
* Rainy River
* Sudbury
* Thunder Bay
* Timiskaming

Regional municipalities|

* Durham
* Halton
* Muskoka
* Niagara
* Oxford
* Peel
* Waterloo
* York

Single-tier municipalities|

* Brant
* Brantford
* Chatham-Kent
* Greater Sudbury
* Haldimand
* Hamilton
* Kawartha Lakes
* Norfolk
* Ottawa
* Prince Edward
* Toronto

Separated municipalities|

* Barrie
* Belleville
* Brockville
* Cornwall
* Gananoque
* Guelph
* Kingston
* London
* Orillia
* Pembroke
* Peterborough
* Prescott
* Quinte West
* Smiths Falls
* St. Marys
* St. Thomas
* Stratford
* Windsor

Regions|

* Southern Ontario
* Central Ontario
* Eastern Ontario
* Golden Horseshoe
* Southwestern Ontario
* Northern Ontario
* Northeastern Ontario
* Northwestern Ontario

* Ontario communities
* Ontario municipalities
* Ontario electoral districts
* Former counties of Ontario
* Geography of Ontario

* Ontario portal
* Category:Ontario
* WikiProject: Ontario

Authority control databases |

* ISNI

|

*[Pop.]: Population
*[±%]: Percent change
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template