33 Facts About Barrie

1.

Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about 90 kilometres north of Toronto.

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2.

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

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3.

At its inception, Barrie 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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4.

City was named in 1833 after Sir Robert Barrie, 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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5.

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

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6.

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

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7.

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

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8.

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

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9.

The minimum elevation of Barrie 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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10.

Barrie has been designated an Urban Growth Centre by the Province of Ontario.

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11.

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

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12.

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

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13.

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

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14.

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

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15.

Barrie 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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16.

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

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17.

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

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18.

Barrie is home to vibrant performing and fine arts scenes.

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19.

Barrie is home to Kempenfest; one of the largest outdoor arts and crafts celebrations in Ontario.

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20.

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

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21.

Barrie 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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22.

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

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23.

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

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24.

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

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25.

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

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26.

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

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27.

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

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28.

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

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29.

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

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30.

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

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31.

The Barrie 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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32.

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

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33.

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

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