Orangeville

Dufferin County, Ontario, Canada

Orangeville (2011 population 27,975; UA population 30,729) is a town in south-central Ontario, Canada, and the seat of Dufferin County.

The archeological record in Dufferin County dates Indigenous occupation of the area to the “Early Paleo-Indian” time period from 9000 to 8400 B.C. What eventually became Orangeville and Dufferin County, was historically the traditional territory of the Tionontati or Petún (Tobaco) People. “The Petun occupied from eight to ten villages located below the Niagara Escarpment along the southwest margin of Georgian Bay”. Although described in the Encyclopædia Britannica as “living in the mountains south of Nottawasaga Bay, in what are now Grey and Simcoe counties”, according to Sawden’s “A History of Dufferin County”, the Petún also lived farther South at the source of the Grand River in Dufferin County.

The Petún were decimated by European diseases in 1630s, going from a population of approximately 8000 to 3000, and were subsequently attacked by the Iroquois in December of 1649 further reducing their numbers to less than 1000, they then fled along with other Huron peoples into the United States, while other Petún sought refuge with their French allies and settled in Quebec. This Iroqouis attack was not exclusive to the Petún, but was a part of the Beaver Wars, in which the Iroquois sought to expand their territory and monopolize the fur trade, the trade between European markets, and the trade between tribes of the Great Lakes region.

After the decimation and dispersal of the Huron, Petún, and Neutral people of Southern Ontario, Algonkonian peoples from Northern Ontario moved into the area at the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century, while members of the Three Fires Confederacy (Chippewa, Odawa, Potawatomi) moved into Southern Ontario from Ohio and Michigan in the Late 1700's. During the pre-confederation Treaty era, Anishinaabe or Chippewa First Nations signed Treaty #18 on Oct 17th, 1818, which included the Dufferin County area. Today, the descendants of Petún call themselves Wyandotte, and despite the 350 years since their displacement from Southern Ontario, and despite the heteroglot and diasporic nature of their contemporary communities (located in Oklahoma, Michigan, Kansas, and Quebec), they continue to recognize their shared history and are united through a modern day Wyandotte Confederacy.

The first patent of land was issued to Ezekiel Robinson, a land surveyor, on August 7, 1820. This was followed by land issued to Alan Robinet in 1822. In 1863, Orangeville was named after Orange Lawrence, a businessman born in Connecticut in 1796 who owned several mills in the village. As a young man, he moved to Canada and settled in Halton County. During Mackenzie’s rebellion in 1837, he was a captain in the militia. Lawrence purchased the land that became Orangeville from Robert Hughson. Orange Lawrence committed suicide December 15, 1861. In 1873, the Act of Incorporation was passed and Orangeville was given town status on January 1, 1874. The public library, located at Broadway and Mill Street, was completed in 1908. Andrew Carnegie, well-known businessman and philanthropist, provided financial assistance for its construction.

According to the 2011 Canadian Census, the population of Orangeville is 27,975, a 3.9% increase from 2006. The population density is 1,791.6 people per square km. The median age is 37.3 years old, a bit lower than the national median at 40.6 years old. There are 10,265 private dwellings with an occupancy rate of 98.1%. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, the median value of a dwelling in Orangeville is $299,173, a bit higher than the national average at $280,552. The median household income (after-taxes) in Orangeville is $65,040, higher than the national average at $54,089.

Orangeville is the cultural capital of Dufferin County. Orangeville hosts the annual Orangeville Blues & Jazz Festival which is renowned throughout the region.

The Town Hall building contains the Orangeville Theatre. This facility hosts plays and concerts throughout the year. A number of performances have given the Orangeville Theater a reputation for excellence.

Local artists have made their mark on Orangeville as well. Numerous old maple trees have died due to age in recent years and have been carved into large sculptures.