Tillsonburg

Tillsonburg
Town (lower-tier)
Town of Tillsonburg
Motto: A Place to Build Your Future
Tillsonburg
Coordinates: 42°52′00″N 80°44′00″W / 42.86667°N 80.73333°W / 42.86667; -80.73333Coordinates: 42°52′00″N 80°44′00″W / 42.86667°N 80.73333°W / 42.86667; -80.73333
Country Canada
Province Ontario
County Oxford
Settled 1825 (as village)
Incorporated 1872 (as town)
Government
 • Governing Body Tillsonburg Town Council
 • Town Mayor Stephen Molnar
 • Deputy Mayor Dave Beres
 • Councillors
Area[1]
 • Land 22.34 km2 (8.63 sq mi)
Elevation 270 m (890 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 15,301
 • Density 685.1/km2 (1,774/sq mi)
 • Demonym Tillsonburger
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code N4G
Area code(s) 519 and 226
Website www.tillsonburg.ca

Tillsonburg is a town in Oxford County, Ontario, Canada with a population of 15,301[1] located about 50 kilometres southeast of London, on Highway 3 at the junction of Highway 19 the closest route to Highway 401 at Ingersoll, Ontario.

History

George Tillson

The area was settled in 1825 by George Tillson and other immigrants from Enfield, Massachusetts. A forge and sawmill were erected and roads built which led to the establishment of this small community, originally called Dereham Forge. The settlement was on the Big Otter Creek.

In 1836 the village was renamed Tillsonburg in honour of its founder. It was also in this year that the main street, Broadway, was laid out to its full 100-foot (30 m) width. Because the village was predominantly a logging and wood product centre, the street was built to accommodate the turning of three-team logging wagons. This width is now unique to Ontario and has become a benefit toward handling the pressures of modern-day traffic by providing angled parking. The extension of Broadway north was called Plank Line and is now known as Highway 19.

The mid-19th century proved to be the first step in the industrialization of this municipality. A water system was devised to not only supply pure water for domestic use, but also to provide water power to such industries as a sawmill, planing mill, grist mill, spinning mill, pottery and a tannery. Many of these new establishments were either owned, started, or financed by George Tillson.

E.D Tillson

1872 witnessed the incorporation of the village as the Town of Tillsonburg, with Edwin Delevan Tillson elected as its first Mayor. The Town of Tillsonburg reached a population of 2,000 in 1885, experienced its first church dedication, and had its first telephone installation established. Electric power was first utilized in 1912 and automobiles began to appear on the market.

In 1915, a Public Library was built with funds provided by the Carnegie Foundation, and the town's Memorial Hospital came into existence in 1925.

In the 20s, major enterprises included milk production, manufacture of shoes, tractors, textiles and an increased production of tobacco. The Tillsonburg Livingston's Basketball Team (representative of Tillsonburg's largest industry) won the Canadian Championships in 1952 and represented Canada in the Olympics at Helsinki, Finland. CKOT Radio began broadcasting operations in 1955 and the Ontario Flue-Cured Tobacco Marketing Board opened its new auction exchange 3 years later.

Government

Tillsonburg is one of eight municipalities that make up the County of Oxford. The Mayor also represents the Town as a County Councillor. The County administers social programs, ambulance and paramedic services, planning, water and wastewater services, garbage and landfill operations and the County road system.

Tillsonburg is governed by an elected Mayor, Deputy Mayor and five Councillors. Council meets on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month in the Council Chambers in the Corporate Municipal Office. They oversee staff and set policy for the various operations and services provided by the Town.

The town also owns and operates:

Healthcare

Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital

The town has one hospital accredited through the Ontario Ministry of Health. Tillsonburg and District Memorial Hospital is located in the downtown area on Rolph Street. The TDMH serves the town and region.

A major fundraising campaign was undertaken to fund the equipment for a dialysis unit at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital. This became operational during 2006.

The home support programs of the Multi-Service Centre (personal support & homemaking, assisted living, meals on wheels, transportation, foot & hand care, Home at Last) are accredited by Accreditation Canada.

Development

The Town's Centennial Year (1972) saw the opening of the new $1,000,000 Community Recreation Complex by the Governor-General of Canada, as well as the opening of the Tillsonburg Museum in the old community centre on the shores of Lake Lisgar. A new 8,000-square-foot (740 m2) Library was completed in 1975, and a second indoor skating rink was built in 1977, funded completely by donations from industry, commerce, service clubs, citizens and Wintario. In 1979, the hospital built a $7,000,000 addition for offices, improved x-ray and emergency departments, and an expanded Intensive Care Unit. A fire hall was constructed in 1979, replacing the old building which was demolished to make way for a downtown mall.

Tillsonburg Town Centre Mall

The controversial Tillsonburg Town Centre Mall opened in 1980, where the former Town Hall once stood. The mall, a joint effort of the Town and Trottier Investments, was built primarily to meet competition from out-of-town malls and keep more of the shopping dollar in town.

Annandale House

In 1983, two important buildings - Annandale House (built by the founding Tillson family) and the Hale Street railway station became public buildings. The former would be restored as a house museum, while the latter would become The Station Arts Centre.

A major residential development geared for seniors – Hickory Hills – was announced in 1985. The development significantly added to the Town's population as well as increased the pool of volunteers for local non-profit agencies.

In 1991, a Food Bank had to be established for the community's needy and continues to be operated on a volunteer basis.

Throughout the early 1990s, volunteers were also busy on the Lake Lisgar Renaissance Project, which sought to revitalize the Lake, and make the park around the Lake more attractive with the construction of a gazebo, water fountain and walkways into the Lake.

That same period saw the closing of two major entertainment outlets: the Skylark Drive-In and the Strand movie theatre, victims of the video store arrival. The original angled marquee architecture of the Strand Theatre is still intact but the building is again unoccupied after brief stints as businesses. To the relief of many, big screen movies came back in Tillsonburg in 1996 with the opening of Broadway Cinemas.

In 1994, the downtown area was significantly enhanced with the construction of the Rotary Club Clock Tower, which incorporated a clock from the town's former Post Office, and a bell from the demolished Town Hall. Soon, it became a community tradition (sponsored by the Rotary Club) for local residents to gather at the Clock Tower to ring in the New Year with fireworks, hot apple cider and the dropping of a ball.

Further development of residential senior's focused development began in 2001 with the Baldwin Place subdivision located on the western periphery of the town. This development which is currently in Phase 8 will have approximately 300 homes when completed.

The Tillsonburg Community Centre was refurbished in 2004 with renovations and enlargement of the main ice surface to NHL size. The project's scope of work included keeping the whale-back roof as a key architectural feature as well as to increase seating and provide for new recreation and health club facilities.

Recent residential development includes the re-urbanization of the former railway lands on Bridge Street East which is the site of Tillson Landing condominium, the first such highrise construction in more than a decade. Tillson Landing was completed in January 2006.

Another major subdivision containing nearly 400 homes, The Oaks, is currently under construction. This subdivision is located in the south-west area of town on the east side of Quarterline Road between Concession and Baldwin Streets. Additional new subdivision development is concentrated in the west quadrant of town including Park Place, Southridge Heights (Morning Glory), and Brookside Phase 3.

Industry and economy

Tillsonburg serves a regional tri-county area of 225,000 people at the confluence of Oxford, Elgin and Norfolk counties. The industrial base has become quite diverse during the decline of the once prominent tobacco industry. The area is home to several branch plants of major US-based automotive suppliers including Rieter Automotive, Guardian Industries, TRW and Johnson Controls. There are many service-related industries including Verspeeten Transport, Marwood Metal Fabrication Ltd., Otter Valley Foods, E & E McLauglin Ltd., J/E Bearing Ltd., Fleetwood Metal Products, and MIL-SIM-FX International Inc.

The town has a very active and developing downtown core area which includes the Tillsonburg Town Centre mall, built in 1980 and the recently opened big box stores including Canadian Tire, Shopper's Drug Mart and Staples-Business Depot. Newly expanded The Source store and Mark's Work Wearhouse are located in the Tillsonburg Town Centre Mall.

All of the major Canadian chartered banks have branches in the town and there is also a Credit Union.

The town is served by three grocery stores: Sobey's, Zehrs and Metro.

Tillsonburg is served by three radio stations; The New Country 107.3 (107.3 CJDL FM), Country 1510 (1510 CKOT AM), Easy 101 (101.3 CKOT FM) and two newspapers; The Tillsonburg News and The Tillsonburg Independent.

The town has been positively impacted by the CAMI plant in Ingersoll, 22 kilometres north of the town, which opened in 1986. The CAMI plant, owned by General Motors of Detroit, Michigan, produces the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain CUVs.

The announcement of a new Toyota plant in Woodstock, 30 km northeast of Tillsonburg, will have a similarly positive impact on the development of Tillsonburg. In preparation for the increased traffic demands in the County of Oxford, Highway 19 has been upgraded and completely rebuilt north of the town to Highway #401.

The area also has a strong agricultural community with cash crops, hog farming, milk production, tobacco, ginseng and various tertiary crops (including watermelons).

The town has recently become a hub for regional operations of the Ontario Provincial Police including Oxford County Division Headquarters and also the Southwestern Ontario Forensics laboratory which opened in April 2008.

The town is the 3rd fastest growing community in Oxford County, and ranks as one of the top places to live in Canada.

Tourism

In January 2006 the National Post listed Tillsonburg as number 75 on the top 100 places to visit in Canada.[2] Annandale House was designated a Canadian National Historic Site in 1997.[3]

Tillsonburg is home to three barn quilts. One is located on the north end of town on the side of a furniture store, shaped as a barn. Another one is located on the grounds of Station Arts in front of the caboose and the third quilt is located on the original Pea & Barley Mill, built in 1878 by E.D. Tillson, son of the town's founder and opened in 2009 as the Mill Tales Inn beside the Otter Creek featuring a restaurant and inn. These barn quilts make up part of the Barn Quilt Trail in Southwest Ontario .

Another attraction is the Station Arts Centre, a multi-use facility which was created from two historic train stations that were joined together by a central gallery. It has been home to artistic, cultural and technical groups since its founding in 1983. It is also home to the Saturday morning Tillsonburg Farmers' Market which operates from April to October.

A number of organizations across Tillsonburg collaborate in putting together events such as Turtlefest, the Week Of Remembrance and the Tillsonburg Country Christmas Festival.

Camping is available north of town at Casey's Park located on Highway #19 north of Mount Elgin, which is the home of weekly Country Music Jamborees between Victoria Day and Labour Day, where audience members are encouraged to participate on stage.

Lake Lisgar, a small lake located in the centre of town, has been rehabilitated and is home for the Tillsonburg Rowing Club and the Lake Lisgar Water Park.

Education

Elementary and secondary schools

Tillsonburg elementary and secondary schools are under the control of two school boards, the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) and the London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB).

Special service schools

Demographics

Census Population
1871 1,700
1881 1,939
1891 2,163
1901 2,241
1911 2,758
1921 2,974
1931 3,385
1941 4,002
1951 5,330
1961 6,600
1971 6,608
1981 10,487
1991 12,019
2001 14,052
2006 14,822
2011 15,301

All statistics are based on the 2006 census by Statistics Canada.[4]

Age

Tillsonburg Population By Age[5] Compared To Oxford County[6]
Tillsonburg Oxford County
Age Total Male Female Total Male Female
Total - All Persons 14,820 6,995 7,830 102,755 50,460 52,295
0 - 4 765 380 385 5,945 3,075 2,870
5 - 9 750 395 355 6,510 3,305 3,210
10 - 14 880 435 445 7,390 3,805 3,585
15 - 19 870 435 430 7,275 3,685 3,590
20 - 24 860 445 415 6,320 3,235 3,085
25 - 29 825 395 430 5,500 2,755 2,740
30 - 34 785 390 400 6,045 3,035 3,005
35 - 39 875 440 435 6,645 3,300 3,345
40 - 44 1,020 485 540 8,395 4,120 4,275
45 - 49 1,070 490 585 8,105 3,970 4,140
50 - 54 950 445 510 7,210 3,625 3,585
55 - 59 890 425 465 6,425 3,195 3,225
60 - 64 860 385 480 5,015 2,465 2,555
65 - 69 805 375 430 4,265 2,045 2,220
70 - 74 840 365 470 3,805 1,760 2,050
75 - 79 735 325 415 3,280 1,450 1,830
80 - 84 635 260 370 2,630 1,070 1,570
85+ 390 120 280 2,000 580 1,415
Median Age 43.9 41.9 45.8 39.8 38.6 40.9
% Over 15 83.9 82.7 84.9 80.7 79.8 81.5

Marital status

Tillsonburg Population By Marital Status[7] Compared To Oxford County[8]
Tillsonburg Oxford County
Marital Status Total Male Female Total Male Female
Total - Population 15 years and over 12,425 5,780 6,645 82,910 40,280 42,625
Single 3,070 1,630 1,440 22,420 12,270 10,150
Married 6,655 3,325 3,330 45,535 22,790 22,740
Separated 495 215 275 3,185 1,470 1,710
Divorced 930 370 555 5,810 2,605 3,210
Widowed 1,285 240 1,045 5,960 1,145 4,815

Languages

Tillsonburg Population By Language(s) Understood[9] Compared To Oxford[10] County
Tillsonburg Oxford County
Language Total Male Female Total Male Female
Total - All Persons 14,635 6,930 7,705 101,460 50,070 51,385
English Only 12,460 5,900 6,565 89,875 44,395 45,485
French Only 210 90 120 1,100 495 610
Both English And French 15 0 10 95 35 55
Other Languages 1,950 935 1,010 10,380 5,145 5,235

Ethnicity

Tillsonburg Population By Ethnicity[11] Compared To Oxford County[12]
Tillsonburg Oxford County
Ethnicity Total Male Female Total Male Female
Total - All Persons 14,635 6,930 7,705 101,460 50,075 51,385
Visible Minority Population 585 270 315 2,555 1,320 1,230
Chinese 40 20 15 300 140 155
South Asian 20 10 10 265 125 140
Black 150 65 85 515 315 195
Filipino 10 0 10 140 65 80
Latin American 15 10 10 110 50 60
Southeast Asian 320 150 170 465 215 250
Arab 10 10 0 115 60 50
Japanese 0 0 0 230 120 110
All others 14,055 6,660 7,395 98,905 48,745 50,160

Transportation

Road and rail

Though not directly on the route, Highway 401 passes close to the town, and is connected to it by Highway 19. Greyhound no longer has weekly bus service to and from Tillsonburg. Also, there is currently no transit system (Tillsonburg Transit ceased operations in 2001 after a 6-year lifespan), however there are 3 taxi cab companies to make up for this.

The Town of Tillsonburg rail service was served by the St. Thomas & Eastern Railway,[13] a division of Trillium Railway, which ran in most cases parallel to Highway 3 in the south end of the town on the former CNR Cayuga subdivision, previously the Great Western Railway's Canada Air Line. Service on the STER was daily, Monday to Friday, but ceased operation in 2013.

The Ontario Southland Railway[14] also serves Tillsonburg using the former CPR Port Burwell subdivision running from nearby Ingersoll, parallel to Highway 19 north of town, and then into the north-east end of town. The OSR interchanges with the STER at the south end of town.

Passenger train services are provided by Via Rail stations in nearby Ingersoll or Woodstock.

Air

The town is served by the Tillsonburg Municipal Airport, owned and operated by the Town of Tillsonburg. The airport is located 7 kilometers north of the town in Southwest Oxford Township. The airport is home to several aviation-related businesses. The airport has 3 runways, with the primary runway being re-constructed and extended to 5,500', constructed of asphalt. A new terminal building is also under construction with completion expected in January 2010. The airport is used by corporate aircraft including jets. Regular users of the airport also include the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association, Air Ambulance, Canadian Coast Guard, the Ontario Provincial Police and other government agencies.

Recreation

Media

Radio

Frequency Call sign Branding Format Owner Notes
FM 88.7 CBCL-FM-1 CBC Radio One Talk radio, public radio Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Rebroadcaster of CBCL-FM (London)
FM 101.3 CKOT-FM Easy 101 Adult contemporary Tillsonburg Broadcasting Company
FM 107.3 CJDL-FM Country 107.3 Country music Tillsonburg Broadcasting Company

Newspapers

Neighbourhoods

Notable Tillsonburg Residents

Popular culture

Historical churches

Historical schools

Historical/architectural resources

Plaques and monuments

Cultural resources

Natural areas and parks

References

  1. 1 2 3 2011 Census Profile
  2. ↑ Romanada, M. "Canada's top 100 trips (and you don't need a passport)", National Post, January 7, 2006.
  3. ↑ "Directory of Designations of National Historic Significance of Canada". Retrieved 2007-01-09.
  4. ↑ Population and dwelling counts, 2006 Census Statistics Canada (March 13, 2006). Retrieved on August 27, 2008.
  5. ↑ Population By Age. Tillsonburg, Ontario (table). 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Statistics Canada (March 13, 2007). Retrieved on August 28, 2008.
  6. ↑ Population By Age. Oxford County, Ontario (table). 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Statistics Canada (March 13, 2007). Retrieved on August 28, 2008.
  7. ↑ Population By Marital Status. Tillsonburg, Ontario (table). 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Statistics Canada (March 13, 2007). Retrieved on August 28, 2008.
  8. ↑ Population By Marital Status. Oxford County, Ontario (table). 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Statistics Canada (March 13, 2007). Retrieved on August 28, 2008.
  9. ↑ Population By Mother Tongue. Tillsonburg, Ontario (table). 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Statistics Canada (March 13, 2007). Retrieved on August 28, 2008.
  10. ↑ Population By Mother Tongue. Oxford County, Ontario (table). 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Statistics Canada (March 13, 2007). Retrieved on August 28, 2008.
  11. ↑ Population By Ethnicity. Tillsonburg, Ontario (table). 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Statistics Canada (March 13, 2007). Retrieved on August 28, 2008.
  12. ↑ Population By Ethnicity. Oxford County, Ontario (table). 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Statistics Canada (March 13, 2007). Retrieved on August 28, 2008.
  13. ↑ St. Thomas & Eastern
  14. ↑ Ontario Southland Railway

External links

 South-West Oxford
South-West Oxford Norwich
   Tillsonburg  
Bayham Norfolk County
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