Simcoe, an unincorporated community and former town in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, is nestled near Lake Erie. As the county seat and largest community of Norfolk County, Simcoe is conveniently located at the junction of Highway 3 and Highway 24, due south of Brantford, and accessible to Hamilton by nearby Highway 6. As of the 2021 Census, this largest of the communities in Norfolk County had a population of 16,121.
Founded in 1795 by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe, the settlement initially consisted of two distinct areas, Birdtown and the Queensway. The post office opened in 1829 and was called Simcoe. In 1837, the village became the seat of government of the then Talbot District. Simcoe was incorporated as a town in 1878 and had its own town council and mayor until December 31, 2000. In 2001, the town was amalgamated with Delhi, Norfolk, and half of Nanticoke to become Norfolk County.
Simcoe, Ontario, is home to several notable landmarks, including the Norfolk County Memorial Tower, which commemorates the lives of Canadians who died for Canada in conflicts overseas. The Memorial Tower overlooks scenic Wellington Park, a public greenspace that includes walking paths and a waterway system with a small lake, close to the downtown core.
Simcoe's main cemetery is Oakwood Cemetery. The town also hosts a cultural club for people of Croatian descent, known as the 531st branch of the Croatian Fraternal Union. The historic Molson Bank operated here from May 1898 until sometime in the 1920s; when the Bank of Montreal took over the building. The only operating alligator tugboat remaining in the world, the W.D. Stalker, is in Simcoe.
Simcoe, like all of Norfolk County, Ontario, has a humid continental climate. Winters are cold with a January average of −7.8 °C (18.0 °F) in January and most days have maximum temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F). Summers are warm and humid with a July high of 27 °C (81 °F) and a July low of 15 °C (59 °F). The average annual precipitation is 1,010 millimetres (40 in), which is relatively evenly distributed throughout the year.
The monthly rent of a typical apartment in Simcoe ranges from 713 Canadian dollars per month (for a bachelor apartment in a working-class neighbourhood) to 1500 Canadian dollars (for the same bachelor apartment in a newer and more posh neighbourhood). The average age of a Simcoe resident as of 2011 is 48 years of age; the average male is 47 years old while the average female is 50 years old.
In 1886 the South Norfolk Railway constructed a line from Hamilton, Ontario, to Port Rowan, Ontario, that stopped in Simcoe. The train operated until 1965. A local transit program is centred around Simcoe and helps to serve the major communities of Norfolk County.
Simcoe is on a positive trajectory of employment growth, which corresponds with their population growth in recent years. Simcoe's infrastructure and close proximity to urban markets are some of the reasons why Simcoe is not in any great economic peril within the next 30 years.
One of the earliest manufacturers to operate in Simcoe is the West & Peachey Company, an equipment and boiler maker company that invented an amphibious steamboat called an Alligator. In 2018, Toyotetsu announced a multi-million dollar expansion of their manufacturing facilities in Simcoe.
The Simcoe Town Centre, is the largest enclosed mall in the municipality of Norfolk. It is anchored by Food Basics and Giant Tiger and has national tenants such as Reitmans, Ardene, Coles, Bentley, Bell and easyhome.
There are 24 physicians who practice within the city limits. Simcoe is home to the Norfolk General Hospital; the only general hospital in Norfolk County. There are many other social health and welfare programs available in Simcoe that benefit all residents of the community.
