Warwick, Ontario

Coordinates: 43°00′N 81°53.5′W / 43.000°N 81.8917°W / 43.000; -81.8917
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Warwick
Township of Warwick
Warwick is located in Lambton County
Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is located in Southern Ontario
Warwick
Warwick
Coordinates: 43°00′N 81°53.5′W / 43.000°N 81.8917°W / 43.000; -81.8917
Country Canada
Province Ontario
CountyLambton
Settled1830s
Formed2001
Government
 • MayorTodd Case
 • Federal ridingLambton—Kent—Middlesex
 • Prov. ridingLambton—Kent—Middlesex
Area
 • Land290.20 km2 (112.05 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)[2]
 • Total3,692
 • Density12.7/km2 (33/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal Code
N0M 2S0
Area code(s)519, 226, 548
Websitewww.warwicktownship.ca Edit this at Wikidata

Warwick is a rural township in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada, with a population (2016) of 3,692.

Bisected by the Egremont Road that was surveyed to link London with the Lake Huron shoreline in 1832, the township began to attract settlers including those helped by charitable organizations, such as Lord Sheffield's Petworth settlers, and retired soldiers from the British Army. A village by the same name was surveyed within the township where Bear Creek crossed the Egremont.

The larger village of Watford was established to the southeast of Warwick Village when the Great Western Railway was established in the 1850s. Watford became an incorporated village in 1873 while parts of Warwick were removed for municipal purposes when the villages of Forest and Arkona were incorporated in the 1870s.

With municipal restructuring in 2001, Watford and Warwick were merged. While agriculture remains a mainstay the township's location between the cities of London and Sarnia means that increasingly residents find work in these larger centres. Starting in 2005 a group of volunteers actively worked to research and write a detailed history of the township and collect a substantial archive of historical materials. The resulting history was published as The Township of Warwick: A Story Through Time in 2008. Subsequently, an archives of the materials was established at the Lambton Room in Wyoming, Ontario.[3]

In addition to Warwick and Watford, the township also includes the smaller communities of Birnam and Wisbeach.

Watford village[edit]

Watford was first settled in 1851 at what was known as Brown's Corners, a stagecoach stop between the village of Warwick and Brooke Township. The Great Western Railway was built in 1856 and caused the settlement to be relocated to its present location near the tracks. It was incorporated as the village of Watford in 1873. Watford was named either for the Watford in England,[4] or by Col. Brown for his home town of Waterford, Ireland.[5]

There was a great fire in the 1880s that destroyed much of the town during a Guy Fawkes Night celebration.

In 1972, Watford Roof Truss started manufacturing wood trusses for delivery in the Southwestern Ontario and Southern Michigan markets. Watford Roof Truss is still a major employer in the town.[citation needed]

Demographics[edit]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Warwick had a population of 3,641 living in 1,357 of its 1,425 total private dwellings, a change of -1.4% from its 2016 population of 3,692. With a land area of 290.21 km2 (112.05 sq mi), it had a population density of 12.5/km2 (32.5/sq mi) in 2021.[6]

Canada census – Warwick, Ontario community profile
20162011
Population3,692 (-0.7% from 2011)3,717 (-5.8% from 2006)
Land area290.20 km2 (112.05 sq mi)290.20 km2 (112.05 sq mi)
Population density12.7/km2 (33/sq mi)12.8/km2 (33/sq mi)
Median age40.8 (M: 40.1, F: 41.3)40.7 (M: 39.9, F: 41.7)
Private dwellings1,432 (total)  1,434 (total) 
Median household income$72,277
References: 2016[7] 2011[8] earlier[9][10]
Municipal office
Historical population
YearPop.±%
19964,141—    
20014,025−2.8%
20063,945−2.0%
20113,717−5.8%
20163,692−0.7%
[11][1][2]

Township council[edit]

The township's current mayor is Todd Case, and its councillors are Jerry Westgate, Wayne Morris, Joe Manning and John Couwenberg.[12] They were elected in 2022 and their terms will end in 2026, in conjunction with province-wide municipal elections in Ontario.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Warwick census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  2. ^ a b "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Warwick, Township". Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  3. ^ "The Township of Warwick: A Story Through Time". Warwick Township History Committee. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  4. ^ "Watford Guide-Advocate : Volume XXXIII, No. 33 ... - Canadiana".
  5. ^ Belden's Illustrated Historical Atlas of the County of Lambton (1973 edition), p. 13.
  6. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Ontario". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  7. ^ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
  8. ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  9. ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  10. ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  11. ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
  12. ^ "Council". Township of Warwick. Retrieved June 17, 2019.

External links[edit]

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