Carleton Place, a charming town nestled in Eastern Ontario, Canada, is a hidden gem in Lanark County. Located approximately 46 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa, Carleton Place is conveniently situated at the intersection of Highway 15 and Highway 7. This makes it a halfway point between the towns of Perth, Almonte, Smiths Falls, and the nation's capital, Ottawa. The town is also blessed with the serene beauty of Canada's Mississippi River, a tributary of the Ottawa River, flowing through it. Just upstream, you can find the picturesque Mississippi Lake, accessible by both boat and car.
Carleton Place is perched on the edge of a vast limestone plain, just south of the Canadian Shield's edge in North America's deciduous forest ecoregion. The town's history dates back to the early 19th century when British authorities encouraged immigration to Lanark County. The Morphy and Moore families were among the first settlers. Edmond Morphy, recognizing the potential of the area's waterfall, chose the site in 1819 and built a mill, marking the beginning of the town's textile and lumber industries. Initially known as Morphy's Falls, the area was renamed Carleton Place in 1829, inspired by a street in Glasgow, Scotland. The town's economic growth was further propelled by the construction of the Brockville and Ottawa Railway.
Constructed in the mid-19th century, the Moore House, now located at 170 Bridge Street, is a significant part of Carleton Place's history. The building, which originally sat at the north end of Moore street, was moved to its current location in 2007. Today, it serves as the Carleton Place Chamber of Commerce and Visitor and Information Center. The Moore House was home to multiple generations of the Moore family, including Ida Moore, who tragically died from tuberculosis at the age of 21. Many believe her spirit haunts the building, with reports of moving objects, opening and closing windows, and even turning radios on and off.
The 19th-century logging industry played a significant role in Carleton Place's economic development, with white pine logs exported to Europe. The local forests were also harvested for hemlock to supply the leather tanning industry. Although the textile and lumber mills no longer operate, their legacy lives on in the remaining mill buildings, which now house condominiums and high-tech industries. The town was also home to the "Findlay Foundry," which operated from 1862 to 1974, producing cast-iron cookware and woodstoves.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Carleton Place had a population of 12,517, a significant increase of 17.6% from its 2016 population of 10,644. This growth rate led Statistics Canada to name Carleton Place as the fastest-growing municipality in Canada in 2021.
Carleton Place actively participates in the Sister Cities program, fostering relationships with Franklin, Tennessee, United States (since 2008), and Comrie, Scotland, United Kingdom. These relationships further enrich the cultural diversity and global connections of this rapidly growing town.
