Dufferin County is a county and census division located in Central Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Orangeville, and the current Warden is Janet Horner. The current chief administrative officer is Sonya Pritchard.[2] Dufferin covers an area of 1,486.77 square kilometres (574.05 sq mi), and its population was 66,257 at the time of the 2021 Census.
History
It was originally organized as the "Provisional County of Dufferin", with preparatory work authorized by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1875[3] and the actual formation taking effect in 1881, being created from parts of the counties of Grey and Simcoe, on the north and east, and from the County of Wellington on the south and west.
The Village of Grand Valley was erected from East Luther in 1897, and the two municipalities amalgamated in 1995 to form the Township of East Luther Grand Valley, which was erected into the Town of Grand Valley in 2012.[7][8]
The county gets its name from Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, who was Governor General of Canada between 1872-1878. Originally an agriculturally based economy, Dufferin's economy has diversified to include commercial and retail businesses, industries related to residential and commercial construction (building, supplies, aggregates, real estate) and manufacturing. A portion of Dufferin’s economy still depends on agriculture but tourism is becoming more important as the county takes a more positive role in attracting visitors.
Opened in 1821 and named from a common weed-plant (Amaranth) with green or purplish flowers, or it might be named after the "un-fading flower" of the classic poets. Settled mainly between 1840 and 1873. Communities were Orangeville, Laurel, Shelburne, Waldemar, Bowling Green
East Garafraxa
40,835 acres (64 sq mi; 165 km2)
Opened in 1821. Settled mostly between 1833 and 1850. (community centre, Marsville)
East Luther
38,599 acres (60 sq mi; 156 km2)
Settled mainly between 1860 and 1875. Community centres: Grand Valley, Monticello and Colbeck.
Melancthon
74,705 acres (117 sq mi; 302 km2)
Opened in 1821 and named after one of the leaders of the German Reformation (Philipp Melanchthon). A swampy township like East Luther so it was slow to be settled. Not generally settled until after 1850. Community centres: Melancthon, Corbetton, Riverview, Hornings Mills.
Mono
Mulmur
70,291 acres (110 sq mi; 284 km2)
Opened in 1822. Origin of the name is forgotten, possibly a corruption of an Indian word or name. Settled mainly after 1867. Community centres: Mansfield, Honeywood, Terra Nova, Primrose.
Geography
Plateau around Orangeville
Dufferin County is the highest plateau immediately south of Georgian Bay, and as such forms the watershed divide between the four lakes: Huron, Erie, Ontario and Simcoe. Four rivers — Saugeen, Grand, Credit and Nottawasaga — take their rise in Dufferin or in adjacent townships and drain through the county.
The county is a lofty table-land that is about 518 metres (1,700 ft) above sea-level and about 427 metres (1,400 ft) above the level of downtown Toronto. A continuation of the Caledon Mountains skirts the eastern side of the county. The highest peaks, however, are no match for the Blue Mountains north of Dufferin or the Caledon Mountains on the south.
The County of Dufferin, sits on the fringe of the Greater Toronto Area, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of Toronto. It is largely a rural county with three urban settlement areas, namely Grand Valley, Orangeville and Shelburne. The Town of Orangeville, the county seat, is situated on the southern border of the county and is the largest urban centre, with just over half the population. Although Orangeville dominates in terms of population, in area it is very small and geographically compact.
As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Dufferin County had a population of 66,257 living in 23,310 of its 24,388 total private dwellings, a change of 7.3% from its 2016 population of 61,735. With a land area of 1,486.77 km2 (574.05 sq mi), it had a population density of 44.6/km2 (115.4/sq mi) in 2021.[1]
