Carleton Place, Ontario

Carleton Place
—  Town  —
Town of Carleton Place
Bridge Street
Location of Carleton Place in Lanark County
Coordinates: 45°08′00″N 76°08′00″W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Lanark
Incorporated	1870 (village)
Incorporated	1890 (town)
Government
• Mayor	Wendy LeBlanc
• MP	Scott Reid (Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, CON)
• MPP	Randy Hillier (Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, OPC)
Area
• Land	8.83 km2 (3.41 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	9,809
• Density	1,110.3/km2 (2,876/sq mi)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Postal Code FSA	K7C
Area code(s)	613
Website	www.carletonplace.ca

Carleton Place is a town in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in Lanark County, about 46 kilometres (29 mi) west of downtown Ottawa. It is located at the crossroads of Highway 15 and Highway 7, halfway between the towns of Perth, Almonte, Smiths Falls, and the nation's capital, Ottawa. The Mississippi River runs through the town and is one of the tributaries of the Ottawa River.

History

Carleton Place was first settled when British authorities prompted immigration to the area. The Morphy and Moore families were among the first to arrive. Edmond Morphy chose the site in 1819 when he realized there was potential in the area waterfall. He built a mill there and was the first of many such textile and lumber industries to reside in the area. The settlement was then known as Morphy's Falls. In 1829, the area was renamed Carleton Place, after a street in Glasgow, Scotland, when a post office was constructed. It became a village in 1870, and a town in 1890. The community's economic growth was enabled by the construction of railway lines from Brockville and Ottawa later in the century. The town was also renowned for its local beauty and lake access which led to the development of the Ottawa Valley Canoe Association in 1893 which still exists today as the Carleton Place Canoe Club. The town received further recognition when a World War One fighter pilot, and town resident, Captain Arthur Roy Brown, made history by shooting down the Red Baron.

Industry

Both textile and lumber mills flourished here, but none are still operating. "The Findlay Foundry" operated in Carleton Place from the 1860s to 1974, making cast iron cookware and woodstoves. Some of the designs created by this company are still being made by another company. Today, the remaining mill buildings house condominiums and "high-tech" industry.

Historical companies

The "Crash Position Indicator" (CPI) was manufactured and marketed in Carleton Place by Leigh Instruments Ltd.

Recent developments

As a result of the population growth in Carleton Place and area, Highway 7 has been in the process of expanding from two lanes to four as it will allow better traffic flow from the Ottawa area during rush hour periods. Construction has almost been completed and the project will be wrapped up by the end of 2011.

In addition to the Highway 7 expansion, since 2006, there has been a rapid expansion of retail stores in Carleton Place, mainly concentrated along McNeely Ave between Hwy 7 and Coleman Avenue/Cavanaugh Road. New additions include Walmart with an in-store MacDonalds, Home Depo, Busters Bar and Grill, Bulk Barn and a new location for Giant Tiger. In addition to this retail development, housing projects along Mississippi Road in the south, Quarry Road in the Northwest, and along both sides of McNeely Road have become more noticeable in recent years. Several new high-rise condominiums are also under construction: one located along a new main thoroughfare, Coleman Street, another for seniors along McNeely, and a more pricey condominium project slated to begin construction downtown on scenic McArthur Island sometime in 2012.

Attempts to revive the downtown has seen some limited successes of late. Several key historical buildings have seen renovations, most notably would be the move of Moore House to its new home downtown, across the street from the Town Hall; it serves as a tourist center as well as a museum dedicated to Roy Brown. The sidewalks and facades have also seen work redone, as well as heritage murals, repainted, to display former businesses that used to reside along Main Street. A parallel access route, Beckwith Street, is in the process of being rebuilt and repaved to better help with traffic congestion downtown; Main Street saw a similar, much-needed renovation during 2010.

The old Canadian Tire, which was situated at the corner of Beckwith and Lake Ave. East, was demolished in June 2011, along with an old house and commercial building. This comes after ten-plus years of municipal legal issues regarding the condition of the land, which was said to have been contaminated by the old Canadian Tire. Most of the land will become a parking lot to not only ease the congestion of the downtown core but to provide a permanent location for the local Farmer's Market. A small building will also be erected on the old Canadian Tire location and will provide retail and residential opportunities. However, this is only the beginning of what will become a long-waged battle to revitalize a downtown core that has been fraught with closing businesses and lack of consumer business. Another, less-noticed disappearance is that of the trains which, up until recently, traveled along the local route from Smiths Falls to Arnprior. Though track through Carleton Place has not been removed, local advocates work towards maintaining the presence of a local train track, however, rail utility buildings in downtown Carleton Place were recently removed.

Sister cities

• Franklin, Tennessee, USA
• Comrie, Scotland

Local attractions

Town Hall and Mississippi River in Carleton Place

Some of the attractions of Carleton Place and surrounding area include a wide array of local parks, the Carleton Place Dragon Boat Festival, Morphy's Falls Heritage Festival, Victoria School Museum, and the Veteran's Hall of Valour. Most notable is the Carleton Place Canoe Club. Founded in 1893, it is the oldest canoe club in Canada. It is the towns most successful and longest lasting sports facility, sending dozens of athletes to the Olympics and World Championships. Up until 2010, Carleton Place also played host to the Riverside Jam, a country music concert hosted every year during the summer. This attracted many tourists from across Canada as well as many renowned country artists to headline the concert. However, due to a lacking turnout of support and repetitive acts, the concert was cancelled. The Bridge Street Bazaar, formerly known as Mississippi River Days, still occurs on the last weekend of July and the start of August, and has succeeded as the one permanent festival known by most local citizens.

Notable residents

• Roy Brown, credited with shooting down the Red Baron
• Leslie McFarlane, who wrote many of the original Hardy Boys books under the pen name Franklin W. Dixon
• Shean Donovan, professional ice hockey player (free agent), who last played for the Ottawa Senators.
• Ryan Cuthbert, Sprint Kayak, 2 time Olympian, 2004 Sydney Olympics(k-4 1000m), 2008 Beijing Olympics(k-2 1000m)
• Andrew Willows, Sprint Kayak, 2 time Olympian, 2004 Sydney Olympics(k-4 1000m), 2008 Beijing Olympics(k-2 500m)
• Nathan Barton, Sprint kayak, 2009 World Junior Championships ( k-4 1000m) 9th place
• Brian Dickie, High School teacher at Carleton Place High School, known as the "Big Dick", his eldest son Ryan being know as the "Wee Dick", Brian takes students on an annual canoe trip to the Crotch Lake providing participants with commemorative shirts that read "I stroked the crotch with the Big Dick"

Schools

The Upper Canada District School Board manages public education in Carleton Place and Lanark County, while the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario is in charge of schools teaching the Catholic curriculum. Following is a list of schools in the Carleton Place area:

• Arklan Community Public School
• Beckwith Public School (located in the Township of Beckwith)
• Caldwell Street Public School
• Calvary Christian Academy (located in the Township of Beckwith)
• Carambeck Public School
• Carleton Place High School
• École Catholique J.L. Couroux (French Catholic)
• Mississippi School for the Arts (private high school)
• Notre Dame Catholic High School
• St. Mary's Catholic School
• St. Gregory's Catholic School
• T R Leger Alternative

See also

• Carleton Place Airport
• Mississippi River
• Carleton Place High School

Sources

• Statistics Canada 2006 Community Profile – Carleton Place retrieved 2007-11-02
• Local History retrieved 2011/06/09
• Step forward for condos and farmers market as demolition begins retrieved 2011/06/09
• Death knell for Ottawa Valley rail line retrieved 2011/06/09

External links

• Official Town Website
• Town Portal
• Carleton Place and Almonte Canadian Gazette
• Calvary Christian Academy
• Chamber of Commerce
• Carleton Place Canoe Club
• Carleton Place Dragon Boat Festival
• Victoria School Museum
• Canada Veteran's Hall of Valour
• Notre Dame Catholic High School
• Carleton Place High School
• Arts Carleton Place
• Calvary Christian Academy
• Mississippi School for the Arts