Quinte West was formed on January 1, 1998, through the amalgamation of the city of Trenton, the village of Frankford and the townships of Murray and Sidney. Trenton is the largest community and serves as the administrative and commercial centre.
Communities
Trenton
In addition to Trenton and Frankford, the city of Quinte West also includes the following communities:
Former Murray Township: - Trenton; Barcovan Beach, Carrying Place, German's Landing, Lovett, Maple View, Mount Zion, Roseland Acres, Stockdale, Twelve O'Clock Point, Wooler; Weller's Bay
Former Sidney Township: - Frankford; Batawa, Bayside, Chatterton, Glen Miller, Glen Ross, Halloway, Johnstown, Madoc Junction (southwest portion), Oak Lake, River Valley, Tuftsville (south portion), Wallbridge; South Sidney
Frankford
Frankford was first settled by Europeans in the 1820s when settler Abel Scott built a grist mill along the Trent River. The settlement went under a number of names, including Scott's Mills, Cold Creek and Manchester. The settlement was named Frankford after Sir Francis Bond Head, the Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada. Frankford was incorporated as a village in 1920.
Economy
Quinte West is home to 8 Wing Trenton, the Canadian Armed Forces' primary air transportation hub. It is the area's biggest employer. 8 Wing/CFB Trenton is the largest air base in the Royal Canadian Air Force and supports Canadian Armed Forces operations around the world. Airfield services include snow removal, crash response and rescue services, 24-hour air traffic control, and a paved runway of over 10,000 feet which can accommodate a wide range of aircraft. There is a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) office located on site.
In May 2010, Trenton formally welcomed Toronto-based Metro Paper Industries Tissue Group set up a manufacturing facility of converted paper products at Quinte West. Earlier, this facility was operated by Pepsi Quaker Oats which was subsequently shut down.
Trenton is also home to Nestle Canada Inc., Electro Cables Inc., Globalmed Inc., Canadian Blast Freezers, Trenton Cold Storage Group, Deca Cables Inc., Domtech Inc., Drossbach North America, Fracan Ltd., L3 Communications Spar Aerospace Ltd., L3 Communications- CMRO, Norampac Inc., Quality Custom Blending, Research Casting International, SAB Group, Saputo Foods, and Quinn & Quinn Inc., just to name a few.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Quinte West had a population of 46,560 living in 19,056 of its 19,888 total private dwellings, a change of 6.8% from its 2016 population of 43,577. With a land area of 495.45 km2 (191.29 sq mi), it had a population density of 94.0/km2 (243.4/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
At the census metropolitan area (CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Belleville - Quinte West CMA had a population of 111,184 living in 46,213 of its 48,274 total private dwellings, a change of 7.5% from its 2016 population of 103,401. With a land area of 1,337.5 km2 (516.4 sq mi), it had a population density of 83.1/km2 (215.3/sq mi) in 2021.[4]
As of 2015, 7% of the population of Quinte West are immigrants, 4.4% of the total population having migrated prior to 1981. 80% of the immigrant population migrated from Asia. Of the whole population, 64.8% of Quinte West residents had not moved homes within 5 years prior to 2015.[10]
Religion
Christ Church (Anglican), Glen Miller
The population of Trenton is largely Christian, although a small Jewish community exists in Quinte West and the surrounding area, with a synagogue operating in neighbouring Belleville.[11] There is also a small Muslim community, with a mosque in Belleville and a recently opened mosque in Trenton.[12]
Trenton is the official community of licence for one radio station, CJTN-FM, although the station broadcasts from studios in Belleville. The city has its own edition of the regional community newspaper EMC, Osprey Media publishes the community newspaper The Trentonian, and CFB Trenton has its own Canadian Forces newspaper, the Contact.
Emergency services
Hastings-Quinte EMS paramedics operate from a station in Trenton. Quinte West Fire Rescue provides fire and rescue services from seven stations located throughout the municipality. The Trenton fire station is staffed by a combination of full-time and volunteer / paid-on-call firefighters, while the remaining six stations are fully volunteer. Police services are provided by the Ontario Provincial Police under contract. The OPP operates a detachment in Trenton.
