- Elora, Ontario
Elora is a community in the township of Centre Wellington, Wellington County,
Ontario ,Canada . It is well-known for its 19th centurylimestone architecture , its artistic community, and the geographically significantElora Gorge .History
Elora was founded in
1832 by Captain William Gilkison, a British officer recently returned fromIndia . Originally called Irvine Settlement, the village was renamed Elora when the post office was established in1839 . Gilikson named the community after his brother's ship, which was itself inspired by theEllora Caves near Aurangabad,Maharashtra ,India . Originally part of Nichol Township, Elora was incorporated as a village in1858 and remained as such until it was amalgamated with Fergus and portions of Eramosa, Nichol, Pilkington and West Garafraxa Townships to form Centre Wellington in1999 . Elora had a population of 4,546 according to the 2001 Census, the last to record the village's population as a separate entity.In 2000 a proposal was made to bring a racetrack with slot machines to Elora. The
race track became the subject of much debate. TheCentre Wellington Citizens Coalition was formed in opposition to the race track, primarily because of the inclusion ofgambling facilities. A 4-3 decision to approve the opening was made by township council. It came down to a 3-3 decision and the mayor at the time George Pinkney, voted in favour of it. In 2002, theGrand River Raceway opened in Elora, with 200slot machine s.In 2002 the Township of Centre Wellington announced that for safety reasons it would be necessary to demolish the historically important David Street Bridge. Concerned about the preservation of Elora's culturally significant architecture, artist Jim Reed and gallery owner David Neelin formed the group
Elora Heritage . They received over 1,000 names on apetition and, assisted by long-time resident activist Don Harris, they met with representatives from town council as well as the provincial and federal governments. It became apparent that the bridge was beyond preservation; however council agreed to preserve the pier and build areplica bridge. The replica bridge presented numerous engineering challenges and its successful construction was met with acclaim. The Township of Centre Wellington was also lauded for being responsive to its citizens in this matter.Geography
Elora is situated on the Grand River, approximately 20 kilometres north of Guelph, and 20 kilometres northeast of
Kitchener-Waterloo . Its coordinates are 43° 40" 59' N - 80° 25" 59' W.Demographics
The
Canada 2001 Census was the last Canadian census to record Elora as a separate community. In theCanada 2006 Census , demographic statistics were published only for Centre Wellington.Canada_CP_2001|pop=3,796|popDelta=13.4%
landArea=3.54|popDensity=1,072.3|medianAge=39.1|medianAgeM=37.4|medianAgeF=41.4
privateDwell=1,447|medianHHIncome=29,473Attractions
The spectacular
Elora Gorge is at the western edge of the village, adjacent to the Elora Gorge Conservation Area. At the eastern end of the village is the Elora Quarry Conservation Area, a scenic formerlimestone quarry , which is now a popularswimming area. Both of these conservation areas are under the authority of theGrand River Conservation Authority .Elora is also a noted tourist attraction, with a famous
waterfall , called the Tooth of Time, overlooked by an old mill, numerous small shops and art galleries. The quaint old Gorge Cinema is Canada's oldest continuously running repertory theatre. The Elora Mill is Ontario's only remaining five-story mill and has been renovated as a prestigiousinn andrestaurant . The village is a terminus to Ontario's scenic 47-kmElora Cataract Trailway to its east, and is just 10 km from theTrans Canada Trail to its southwest. Elora is also famous for its unique shops and its quaintcafé s and restaurants, which lie along the river's edge.Many film scenes have been filmed at the
quarry and at the gorge including "Angel Eyes " (2001), "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz " (1974), "An American Christmas Carol" (1979), "Mrs. Soffel " (1984), "Trapped in Paradise " (1994), "Simon Birch " (1998), "Lars and the Real Girl " (2007) and "Dead Silence " (2007).In 2001, inspired by David Earle and spearheaded by Toni Ellis, a group of citizens organized to develop a century school, whose headmaster had been at one time David Boyle, into an arts and cultural centre. After much hard work on the part of organizers and volunteers, the
Elora Centre for the Arts has opened and has become an important part of Elora's traditional aesthetic heritage.A.J. Casson ,Harold Town , andCorbett Gray were all admirers of Elora.The township of Centre Wellington has a community museum and an active historical society.
Elora hosts numerous artistic and cultural events, including the midsummer
Elora Festival , featuring classicalchoral music andjazz /blues .Sensational Elora , an 11-day 'festival of the senses', happens in October.References
Carter, Floreen Ellen, "Place Names of Ontario". London, ON: Phelps Publishing, 1984.
External links
* [http://www.centrewellington.ca/ Township of Centre Wellington]
* [http://www.elorafergus.ca/ Elora & Fergus Tourism Site]
* [http://www.wellingtonguelph.ca/ Wellington Guelph Community Portal]
* [http://www.elora.info/ Official town website]
* [http://www.centrewellington.com/ Fergus-Elora News-Express (local newspaper)]
* [http://www.wellingtoncounty.com/ Wellington County Website]
* [http://cwcc.info CWCC (Centre Wellington Citizens Coalition)]
* [http://www.ferguselora.com/elora_hist.htm Historical Sketch]
* [http://www.wcm.on.ca/ Wellington County Museum & Archives]
* [http://ist.uwaterloo.ca/~marj/history/wellington.html Wellington County Historical Society]
* [http://ist.uwaterloo.ca/~marj/history/wellcohist.html Wellington County History (publication)]
* [http://www.sensationalelora.com/ Sensational Elora]
* [http://www.elorafestival.com/ The Elora Festival & Singers - World Renowned classical music festival and it's core choir.]
* [http://www.eloracentreforthearts.ca/ Elora Centre for the Arts on Mill Street East]
* [http://www.eloramews.com/ Elora Mill St. Mews - Unique Shops on Mill St. West]
* [http://www.ontarioplaques.com/Plaques_VWXYZ/Plaque_Wellington17.html Ontario Plaques - The Founder of Elora]
* [http://www.ontarioplaques.com/Plaques_VWXYZ/Plaque_Wellington18.html Ontario Plaques - David Boyle 1842-1911]
* [http://www.ontarioplaques.com/Plaques_VWXYZ/Plaque_Wellington16.html Ontario Plaques - Charles Clarke 1826-1909]Canadian City Geographic Location (8-way)
Northwest = Alma
North = Arthur
Northeast = Belwood
West =Conestoga Lake
Centre = Elora, Ontario
East = Fergus
Southwest = Woolwich
St. Jacobs
South = Conestogo
Waterloo
Kitchener
Southeast = Guelph
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