Mount Forest is a charming unincorporated community nestled at the junction of Highway 6 and Highway 89 in the township of Wellington North, Ontario, Canada. According to the 2011 Canadian census, this quaint community is home to 4,757 residents.
Before European settlement, the area now known as Mount Forest was a prime hunting ground for the Saugeen Ojibway peoples, thanks to its strategic location on the Saugeen River. This rich history has left a legacy of sacred burial sites believed to be located in the White Bluffs region of present-day Mount Forest.
The settlement was surveyed into lots in 1853 by Francis Kerr, a provincial land surveyor, and was named Mount Forest. The village straddled the Garafraxa Road, leading to early growth. By 1864, the population had grown to 1,185, qualifying it to be incorporated as a village. By 1879, Mount Forest had become an incorporated town. On 1 January 1999, Mount Forest was amalgamated into the new township of Wellington North.
Mount Forest features a humid continental climate, characterized by warm, sometimes wet summers and cold, snowy winters. At an elevation of 430 meters (1,410 ft) above sea level, Mount Forest is one of the highest towns in Southern Ontario. Its elevation and location downwind of Lake Huron make it prone to hefty snow totals from lake effect snow, averaging nearly 300 centimeters per year.
Mount Forest's library, completed in 1913, was made possible by a generous grant of $10,000 from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The town is also the site of the founding of the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada and was the first place where Aimee Semple McPherson preached.
The Mount Forest Chamber of Commerce, along with the Arthur and Minto Chambers, formed a networking group named Northern Wellington Young Professionals in October 2012. This group provides local businesses within Northern Wellington Township an opportunity to grow their customer/client base and meet fellow young professionals within the community.
Mount Forest also hosts a number of different sporting events throughout the year, including the Trillium 10k, an annual race held each May.
Mount Forest sits at the junction of Ontario Highway 6 (north−south) and Ontario Highway 89 (east−west). It is served by Kasper Transportation's Owen Sound to Guelph intercity bus route, which began operating in January 2020 with a fourteen-seat passenger van. There are two buses in each direction on Monday to Saturday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
