Wellington County, Ontario
| Wellington County | ||
|---|---|---|
| County (upper-tier) | ||
| County of Wellington | ||
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| Motto: Vision, Valour | ||
 Location of Wellington County |
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| Coordinates: 43°45′N 80°24′W / 43.750°N 80.400°WCoordinates: 43°45′N 80°24′W / 43.750°N 80.400°W | ||
| Country |
 Canada
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| Province |
 Ontario
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| County seat | Guelph (independent) | |
| Municipalities | ||
| Government | ||
| • Warden | Dennis Lever | |
| Area | ||
| • Land | 2,573.26 km2 (993.54 sq mi) | |
| Population (2011) | ||
| • Total | 86,672 | |
| • Density | 33.7/km2 (87/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | |
| Website | www.county.wellington.on.ca/ | |
Wellington County is a county located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The County, which is made up of two towns and five townships, is predominantly rural in nature. However many of its residents commute to Guelph, Kitchener, Brampton, Mississauga, and even Toronto. According to the 2016 Census, the population of the County, including the City of Guelph, was 222,726.
The County is made up of seven lower-tier municipalities including:
The City of Guelph, although part of the Wellington census division, is a single-tier city, municipally independent of the County.
In 1837 by Act of Parliament the new District of Wellington was formed and a court house and jail in the town of Guelph were authorized. The District was named after England's Duke of Wellington and initially included the counties of Wellington, Waterloo, Grey and parts of Dufferin.
In 1840, the District Council of Wellington consisted of eighteen municipalities as follows: the town of Guelph, the villages of Fergus, Elora, Mount Forest and Orangeville, and the following historic townships:
By January 1854, Wellington County became an individual entity. At the time, it included the Townships and Towns of Amaranth, Arthur, Eramosa, Erin, Guelph, Guelph (Town), Garafraxa, Maryborough, Nichol, Peel, Pilkington, and Puslinch. Other municipalities were added between 1857 and 1881. Guelph separated in 1879 and was incorporated as a City; it lost representation on the County Council. Orangeville and Garafraxa East were annexed by Dufferin County.
In 1999, seven new municipalities (Townships) were created within Wellington County through amalgamation.
In 1877, the County opened the Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge, or Poorhouse as it was called, on Wellington Road 18 between Fergus and Elora. Over the years, approximately 1500 "deserving" poor, including those who were destitute, old and infirm or suffering from disabilities were housed here. The sixty bed house for "inmates" was surrounded by a 30 acre "industrial" farm with a barn for livestock that produced some of the food for the 70 residents and the staff and also provided work for them. Others worked in the House itself. According to a 2009 report by the Toronto Star, "pauperism was considered a moral failing that could be erased through order and hard work". A hospital was added in 1892. A nearby cemetery has 271 plots for those who died. In 1947 the House was converted into the Wellington County Home for the Aged and in 1975 the building reopened as the Wellington County Museum and Archives.
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