Hastings County, Ontario
| Hastings County | ||
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| County (upper-tier) | ||
| County of Hastings | ||
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| Motto: Communities With Opportunities | ||
 Hastings County |
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| Coordinates: 44°45′N 77°35′W / 44.750°N 77.583°WCoordinates: 44°45′N 77°35′W / 44.750°N 77.583°W | ||
| Country |
 Canada
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| Province |
 Ontario
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| County seat | Belleville | |
| Municipalities |
List
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| Area | ||
| • Land | 5,291.05 km2 (2,042.89 sq mi) | |
| Population (2011) | ||
| • Total | 39,888 (excluding Belleville, Quinte, and Tyendinaga) | |
| • Density | 7.5/km2 (19/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | |
| Website | www.hastingscounty.com | |
Hastings County is located in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is The Cheese Capital of Canada. Geographically, it is located on the border of Eastern Ontario and Central Ontario. Hastings County is the second largest county in Ontario. The county seat is Belleville, which is independent of Hastings County.
The 14 municipalities within the county are:
The Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory is within the Hastings census division but is independent of the county. The cities of Belleville and Quinte West are separated municipalities, falling within the boundaries of the county and included in the Hastings census division, but not under the administration of the county government.
The first boundaries of Hastings County were established 1792 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe. The southern boundary was the Bay of Quinte, the eastern boundary was Lennox County and the western boundary ran from the Trent River to the Ottawa River, in a triangular shape. The County consisted of Sidney, Thurlow, Rawdon, Huntingdon and Hungerford townships as well as the Mohawk Tract. The area was named for Francis Rawdon-Hastings.
Three new townships; Elzevir, Madoc and Marmora were created in 1821 and on Monday, October 1, 1821 the first Hastings County fair was held in Belleville . The largest prize paid was to Captain Daniel Ostrom of Sydney at $20 and Ruliff Purdy of Sidney received the most prizes totaling $106.50.
While in this time agriculture was the most important industry in Hastings County, by 1822 (when the Marmora Iron Works was approaching its peak production) mining was playing an increasingly more important role in the area's economy.
Prominent citizens of Hastings County and Ameliasburgh Township unsuccessfully petitioned the provincial government for district status during 1817, 1818, 1823 and 1825. After Prince Edward County successfully achieved its own government in 1831, Hastings County continued to send petitions throughout the 30s before finally achieving the status of a separate district in March 1837. Belleville was named the county's District Town.
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Wikipedia