Colchester, Ontario

Colchester is a large hamlet located in the town of Essex in Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada on the north shore of Lake Erie. It is the southernmost village in mainland Canada and lies along County Road 50 approximately 5.5 kilometers south of the village of Harrow. Colchester was formerly part of Colchester South Township and is in the Harrow postal code, N0R 1G0.

Today, in addition to its many lakeside cottages, Colchester is home to several hundred year-round residents who have converted older homes and built new ones. Restaurants, a public beach, and a marina have been an important part of Colchester for some years now. Newly developed properties are now part of a developers dream to 'liven up' this quiet and peaceful lakefront village in Essex County. Surrounded by many farms with small farmstands for direct sale to the public, and recently planted vineyards, it is hoped that more tourists will be drawn into an area becoming known for the production of award-winning Canadian wines.

The village was first settled by the Loyalists (called the United Empire Loyalists in Canada) during the American Revolution. The area was a destination for slaves escaping the U.S. via the Underground Railroad, and for freed slaves during and after the American Civil War. There are cemeteries dating to the 1700's, and Christ Anglican Church has a long history dating to the beginnings of Colchester as a settlement. The population is approximately 900.

Colchester is the birthplace and hometown of railroad engineer and inventor Elijah McCoy, whose name is a possible origin of the phrase "the real McCoy".

Canadian City Geographic Location (8-way)
Northwest = Malden Centre
North = Harrow
Northeast = Arner
West = "Lake Erie"
Centre = Colchester, Ontario
East = Oxley/Kingsville
Southwest = "Lake Erie"/Toledo, Ohio
South = "Lake Erie"/East Sister Island/Colchester Reef Light
Southeast = Pelee Island