30 Facts About Barrie Ontario

1.

Barrie Ontario is situated on the traditional land of the Wendat and Anishinaabeg peoples.

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2.

At its inception, Barrie Ontario was an establishment of houses and warehouses at the foot of the Nine Mile Portage from Kempenfelt Bay to Fort Willow, an indigenous transportation route that existed centuries before Europeans arrived in Simcoe County.

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3.

City was named in 1833 after Sir Robert Barrie Ontario, who was in charge of the naval forces in Canada and frequently commanded forces through the city and along the Nine Mile Portage.

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4.

Barrie Ontario was the final destination for a branch of the Underground Railroad.

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5.

In 1846, the population of Barrie Ontario was roughly 500, mostly from England, Ireland and Scotland.

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6.

The Grand Trunk Railway purchased the original Northern Railway in 1888, and the line serving Barrie Ontario would become a branch of the Canadian National Railway .

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7.

In 2013, Barrie Ontario was twinned with the English town of Harrogate as a result of Sir Robert Barrie Ontario's close connection to it.

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8.

The minimum elevation of Barrie Ontario is 175 metres around the shores of Kempenfelt Bay and the maximum elevation is 427 metres northwest of the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport.

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9.

The annexation allows Barrie Ontario to meet its future population needs without having to extend into the countryside north, east and west of the city.

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10.

Barrie Ontario has a humid continental climate, with warm, humid summers, and cold, snowy winters.

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11.

Barrie Ontario is located in a snowbelt, a region that experiences regular lake-effect snow every year.

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12.

In recent decades however Barrie Ontario's economy has diversified, and the local population's reliance on commuting to Toronto has decreased.

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13.

Barrie Ontario has emerged as a growing tech-hub with several companies such as IBM and BMO constructing data centres in the city.

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14.

Downtown Barrie Ontario is becoming well known for its fashion boutiques, local art, live theatre, indie-music and nightlife scenes.

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15.

In 2011, Barrie Ontario's waterfront was under redevelopment, with the relocation of several roadways to provide more greenspace and parkland along the lakeshore.

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16.

Barrie Ontario is home to vibrant performing and fine arts scenes.

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17.

Barrie Ontario has numerous recreational venues and community centres throughout the city:.

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18.

Barrie Ontario is home to the Mariposa School of Skating, which has trained many world-class figure skaters, including Brian Orser, Elvis Stojko and Jeffrey Buttle.

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19.

Current mayor of Barrie Ontario is Jeff Lehman, who was elected in November 2010, succeeding Dave Aspden.

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20.

Barrie Ontario has a long military history dating back to at least the Nine Mile Portage of the War of 1812.

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21.

In 1914, the First World War broke out and many citizens of Barrie Ontario were quick to volunteer for service overseas with The Simcoe Foresters.

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22.

The City of Barrie Ontario sponsored a ship in the Royal Canadian Navy, HMCS Barrie Ontario, a Flower-class corvette.

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23.

Barrie Ontario was once a stop for the Northlander train but re-routing resulted in the termination of service.

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24.

The former Barrie Ontario station serving the Northlander still exists north of the Allandale GO Station.

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25.

Barrie Ontario once had been served by various private interurban bus lines such as Penetang-Midland Coach Lines and Greyhound Canada, which ran buses between Barrie Ontario and Toronto's Yorkdale Bus Terminal.

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26.

Barrie Ontario is served by Simcoe County LINX, which provides services between municipalities within Simcoe County, including Orillia, Midland and Penetanguishine.

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27.

Barrie Ontario has two major English school boards that operate inside the city at a public level.

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28.

The Barrie Ontario Advance, published by Metroland Media Group, is a free newspaper established in 1983 and delivered weekly to every residence in the city as well as residents of Springwater Township and parts of Oro-Medonte.

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29.

Barrie Ontario Business is a free newsprint publication covering local and regional business news.

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30.

The Barrie Ontario Examiner, established in 1864, was one of Canada's oldest daily newspapers.

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