Elora, Ontario, a community nestled in the township of Centre Wellington, Wellington County, Canada, is renowned for its 19th-century limestone architecture and the geographically significant Elora Gorge. Although Elora is no longer an independent entity, it remains a vibrant community with a population of approximately 7,756 as of 2011.
The history of Elora, Ontario, dates back to the early to mid-1600s when Roman Catholic missionaries first visited the area, attempting to Christianize the indigenous people, particularly the Neutral Nation on the Attiwandaronk Lands. The first European settlers arrived in 1817, and by 1832, Elora was founded by Captain William Gilkison, a British officer originally from Scotland.
Elora's commercial area was initially near the grist mill, by the waterfalls (Mill St.), and eventually moved further up the hill. By 1848, village lots were being sold, and the settlement was incorporated into a village in 1858. In the 1850s and 1860s, Elora was a major agricultural marketplace, with the flour mill and saw mill powered by the Grand River.
The five-storey Elora grist mill, built in 1832, has a rich history of housing a sawmill, distillery, and flour mill. In the 1970s, it became a hotel called the Elora Mill Inn. After a $27 million renovation, the Elora Mill Hotel and Spa opened in July 2018, featuring 30 rooms and a restaurant.
The David Street Bridge over Irvine Creek, built in 1868, is a historically important structure in Elora, Ontario. Despite being beyond preservation, the council agreed to preserve the pier and build a replica bridge in 2004, retaining the 1867 stone pier as planned.
In 1877, the Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge, or Poorhouse, opened on Wellington Road 18 between Fergus and Elora. In 1975, the building reopened as the Wellington County Museum and Archives, becoming a National Historic Site of Canada in 1995.
Elora, Ontario, attracts many tourists with its historic charm and the Grand River Raceway. The Elora Gorge and its Conservation Area offer canoeing, paddleboat rentals, hiking, camp-grounds, fishing, and picnicking. The Elora Quarry Conservation Area, a scenic former limestone quarry, is now a popular swimming area.
Elora, Ontario, has a humid continental climate with cold winters and warm summers. It is situated on the Grand River, approximately 20 km north of Guelph, and 20 km northeast of Kitchener-Waterloo.
The Canada 2001 Census was the last Canadian census to record Elora as a separate community. Data extrapolated from the 2011 Canada Census report indicates that at the time, Elora had a population of about 7,756.
