Brighton, Ontario

Brighton
—  Town  —
Municipality of Brighton
Motto: Where the past greets the future
Brighton
Coordinates: 44°02′N 77°44′W / 44.033°N 77.733°W / 44.033; -77.733Coordinates: 44°02′N 77°44′W / 44.033°N 77.733°W / 44.033; -77.733
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Northumberland
Government
– Mayor	Mark Walas
– Federal riding	Northumberland—Quinte West
– Prov. riding	Northumberland—Quinte West
Area[1]
– Land	222.52 km2 (85.9 sq mi)
Population (2006)[1]
– Total	10,253
– Density	46.1/km2 (119.4/sq mi)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Postal Code	K0K 1H0
Area code(s)	613
Website	www.brighton.ca

Post Office

Brighton is a town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) east of Toronto and 100 km (62 mi) west of Kingston. It is intersected by both Highway 401 and the former Highway 2. It is on the West end of the Bay of Quinte on the entrance of the Murray Canal.

Brighton was primarily an agricultural community, specializing in the farming of apples and production of new apple types. However, in recent years, many of the original orchards in the area have been partially removed, to make way for the steadily growing population, and more profitable agricultural produce, such as: wheat, corn and soybeans. In late September, Brighton is host to Applefest, its largest yearly festival.

The Municipality of Brighton (an amalgamation of the former Town of Brighton and Brighton Township) is home to approximately 10,200 inhabitants,^[1] with a higher than average percentage of those retired. This is normal, as the quiet, clean and friendly atmosphere of many smaller towns near lake Ontario tend to draw the elderly as popular places for retirement living. Many small hamlets surround the town, including Codrington, Carman, Hilton, Spring Valley and Smithfield.

Presqu'ile Provincial Park, just south of the town, is one of Brighton's most popular attractions. The park is noted for birdwatching and other nature-oriented activities.

Founding

Some light controversy extends to the original founders of the town in the mid-19th century. Although there is a monument commemorating the founding of Brighton to the surnamed Simpson families of the area, there is a great deal of counter-evidence pointing to the presence of the Scottish Thayer settlers in the area for some years before the arrival of the Simpsons. The Thayers, it is said,^[who?] were harvesting apples from the fertile soil around the Brighton area well before the Simpsons had even arrived. Descendants of these families live in the town to this day. The original Simpson house, is located on 61 Simpson Street, over 150 years old.

The artificial island area of Brighton

Part of the current Municipality of Brighton is on a separate artificial island. This is a consequence of the borders chosen when the Township of Brighton was created in 1851, and the excavation of the Murray Canal across the historic Isthmus of Murray. The Murray Canal opened in 1889.

Demographics

Population trend:^[2]

• Population in 2006: 10,253 (2001 to 2006 population change: 8.5 %)
• Population in 2001: 9,449
• Population in 1996:
  • Brighton (town): 4584
  • Brighton (township): 4438
• Population in 1991:
  • Brighton (town): 4366
  • Brighton (township): 4115

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 3965 (total dwellings: 4328)

Mother tongue:

• English as first language: 92.2 %
• French as first language: 2.0 %
• English and French as first language: 0 %
• Other as first language: 5.8 %

Notable residents

• Eddie Hayward, racehorse trainer who won the Kentucky Derby.
• Mark Kellogg, Associated Press correspondent killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
• William Edgar Raney, KC - Lawyer, Politician, Ontario Attorney General and eventually judge on the Ontario Supreme Court.
• Gail Vaz-Oxlade, financial writer and television personality. Host of the Slice series' Til Debt Do Us Part and Princess.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Statistics Canada 2006 Census Community Profile for Brighton retrieved 2007-10-30
2. ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census

External links

• Municipality of Brighton web site
• Brighton Health Services Centre