Cobourg | |
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Town (lower-tier) | |
Town of Cobourg | |
Victoria Hall by Kivas Tully
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Nickname(s): Ontario's Feel Good Town | |
Motto: Our Strength Is In Our Unanimity | |
Location of Cobourg in southern Ontario | |
Coordinates: 43°58′N 78°10′W / 43.967°N 78.167°WCoordinates: 43°58′N 78°10′W / 43.967°N 78.167°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Ontario |
County | Northumberland |
Settled | 1798 |
Incorporated | 1837 (town) |
Government | |
• Mayor | Gil Brocanier |
• Council | Cobourg Town Council |
• MP | Kim Rudd (Northumberland—Quinte West, LPC) |
• MPP | Lou Rinaldi (Northumberland—Quinte West, LIB) |
Area | |
• Land | 22.37 km2 (8.64 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 18,519 |
• Density | 827.8/km2 (2,144/sq mi) |
Time zone | EST (UTC−5) |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−4) |
Postal Code FSA | K9A |
Area code(s) | 905, 289 |
Website | www |
Cobourg is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario 95 kilometres (59 mi) east of Toronto and 62 kilometres (39 mi) east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, 7 km (4 mi) to the west. It is located along Highway 401 (exits 472 and 474) and the former Highway 2 (now Northumberland County Road 2). To the south, Cobourg borders Lake Ontario. To the north, east and west, it is surrounded by Hamilton Township.
The settlements that make up today's Cobourg were founded by United Empire Loyalists in 1798. Some of the founding fathers and early settlers were Eluid Nickerson, Joseph Ash, Zacheus Burnham and Asa Burnham. The Town was originally a group of smaller villages such as Amherst and Hardscrabble, which were later named Hamilton. In 1808 it became the district town for the Newcastle District. It was renamed Cobourg in 1818, in recognition of the marriage of Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (later Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who would later become King of Belgium).
By the 1830s Cobourg had become a regional centre, much due to its fine harbour on Lake Ontario. In 1835 the Upper Canada Academy was established in Cobourg by Egerton Ryerson and the Wesleyan Conference of Bishops. On July 1, 1837, Cobourg was officially incorporated as a town. In 1841 the Upper Canada Academy's name was changed to Victoria College. In 1842 Victoria College was granted powers to confer degrees. Victoria College remained in Cobourg until 1892, when it was moved to Toronto and federated with the University of Toronto. In 1842, John Strachan founded the Diocesan Theological Institute in Cobourg, an Anglican seminary that became integrated into the University of Trinity College in Toronto in 1852.