Former urban municipalities in Canada

[balletomane]

What former cities and towns does your province have? I have not included all former communities such as ghost towns, only ones that were formally incorporated.


For Manitoba

Cities:
St. Boniface (town 1883, city 1908) amalgamated with Winnipeg in 1972.
St. James - Assiniboia (city 1956) amalgamated with Winnipeg in 1972.
St. Vital (city 1962) amalgamated with Winnipeg in 1972
Transcona (city 1961) amalgamated with Winnipeg in 1972
East Kildonan (city 1957) amalgamated with Winnipeg in 1972
West Kildonan (city 1961) amalgamated with Winnipeg in 1972

Towns:
Brooklands (village 1921, town 1961) amalgamated with St. James in 1967
Nelsonville (town 1882) was seat of Dufferin County and grew to over 1,000, however was abandoned shortly after when the railway bypassed the town for Morden a few kilometres to the south
Tuxedo (town 1913) amalgamated with Winnipeg in 1972
Gimli (town 1946) amalgamated with RM of Gimli in 2003
The following communities held town status until the 2015 municipal amalgamations
Boissevain
Deloraine
Emerson
Erickson
Gilbert Plains
Gladstone
Grandview
Gretna
Hamiota
Hartney
Macgregor
Manitou
Minitonas
Oak Lake
Pilot Mound
Rapid City
Rivers
Roblin
Rossburn
Russell
Souris
Sainte Rose du Lac
Treherne

[kwoldtimer]

The Ontario list would be very, very long, istm.

[megadude]

I created a thread last year related to this, but it was very ON and QC specific IIRC. And mine was more about the resulting names of the towns. I too am curious about the subject matter. Didn't know there were so many in MB as well.

What I was curious about was how much residents resented their towns being swallowed up into bigger cities. Or when multiple towns combined to form a new municipality, how did people feel about the new name for the new town? The new names were often long, boring or stupid.

Another thing I wondered about was whether people even realize that the town they live in is no longer a town on its own (incorporated), but rather now a village/community/hamlet of the bigger amalgamated town.

As well, I wondered about whether people say they are from Georgetown, for example, instead of saying Halton Hills. Does anyone ever say they are from Halton Hills? Pretty much no. They would always say Georgetown. Anyway, this is an obvious example nearby to me.

[MolsonExport]

I swear, some people (esp. on this forum) are more concerned about swelling their city's population numbers, above any consideration about whether the mergers are wanted or logical.

[megadude]

It was in the 70s and late 90s/early 2000s that Ontario went through a wave of these amalgamations. Tonnes of them. To save administrative and bureaucratic costs.

However, I recently read an article saying that post 2001 amalgamation, Hamilton has seen no savings. The former towns of Ancaster, Dundas, Flamboro, Glanbrook and Stoney Creek were absorbed.

And I've read that many residents in Ancaster, Dundas and Flamboro in particular resent being a part of Hamilton. For one thing, Hamilton has a stigma. Secondly, those towns had a unique sense of identity.

Montreal in particular has seen a couple of towns de-amalgamate from the big city shortly after joining. The Hamilton towns would love to do that.

[MolsonExport]

I also read that the promised savings never came, and instead, in many respects, it lead to pay leveling (upwards) for city workers. Dis-economies of scale set in after a certain point, particularly for sprawling urban/suburban areas that lacked a cohesive binding identity.

We have countries and Provinces for larger government; I am not at all convinced that it is necessary to have giant sprawling municipalities (population counts be damned).

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by balletomane

What former cities and towns does your province have? I have not included all former communities such as ghost towns, only ones that were formally incorporated.


For Manitoba

Cities:
St. Boniface (town 1883, city 1908) amalgamated with Winnipeg in 1972.
St. James - Assiniboia (city 1956) amalgamated with Winnipeg in 1972.
St. Vital (city 1962) amalgamated with Winnipeg in 1972
Transcona (city 1961) amalgamated with Winnipeg in 1972
East Kildonan (city 1957) amalgamated with Winnipeg in 1972
West Kildonan (city 1961) amalgamated with Winnipeg in 1972

Towns:
Brooklands (village 1921, town 1961) amalgamated with St. James in 1967
Nelsonville (town 1882) was seat of Dufferin County and grew to over 1,000, however was abandoned shortly after when the railway bypassed the town for Morden a few kilometres to the south
Tuxedo (town 1913) amalgamated with Winnipeg in 1973
Gimli (town 1946) amalgamated with RM of Gimli in 2003
The following communities held town status until the 2015 municipal amalgamations
Boissevain
Deloraine
Emerson
Erickson
Gilbert Plains
Gladstone
Grandview
Gretna
Hamiota
Hartney
Macgregor
Manitou
Minitonas
Oak Lake
Pilot Mound
Rapid City
Rivers
Roblin
Rossburn
Russell
Souris
Sainte Rose du Lac
Treherne

Emerson was actually Manitoba’s second incorporated city, after Winnipeg. I think it was, anyway. Now it’s not even a town.

[balletomane]

Originally Posted by Andy6

Emerson was actually Manitoba’s second incorporated city, after Winnipeg. I think it was, anyway. Now it’s not even a town.

Was Emerson actually incorporated as a city? I know it peaked with a population of 10,000 in the early 1880's, which interestingly means it's one of only a few communities in the province to reach the 10,000 mark.

[megadude]

Back to the OP's question. Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton all expanded greatly via amalgamation in the past couple of decades. And it would be hard to find many towns in Ontario that haven't been touched by mergers throughout history. And I'd say the majority of municipalities in the GTA are a result of amalgamating various towns.

Some places didn't absorb into cities or towns but rather into a whole county that functions as a single entity, if I got that right. Haldimand and Norfolk being examples. They are like a city/county. A single tier of government.

Nofolk is home to Port Dover, where they have the Friday the 13th biker rally, which sees 100k people attend during the summer events. Before I was going to visit there, I assumed Port Dover was a town on its own, but alas it is not. Simcoe is another population centre there. Driving through there you'd assume it's a town on its own but nope! Single tier government is confusing.

[megadude]

Mississauga and Brampton, for instance, wouldn't be the 6th and 9th largest municipalities that they are now if they hadn't merged various townships:

The township settlements of Lakeview, Cooksville, Lorne Park, Clarkson, Erindale, Sheridan, Dixie, Meadowvale Village, and Malton were amalgamated by a somewhat unpopular provincial decree in 1968 to form the Town of Mississauga. At the time, both Port Credit and Streetsville were left out and remained as separate entities. A 1965 call for public input on naming the town received thousands of letters offering hundreds of different suggestions.[14] The town name was chosen by plebiscite over "Sheridan". Political will, as well as a belief that a larger city would be a hegemony in Peel County, kept Port Credit and Streetsville as independent island towns encircled by the Town of Mississauga. In 1974, both were annexed by Mississauga when it reincorporated as a city.

In 1974, the two townships of Chinguacousy and Toronto Gore were incorporated into Brampton. After this merger, outlying communities such as Bramalea, Heart Lake and Professor's Lake, Snelgrove, Tullamore, and Mayfield, were developed.

[manny_santos]

Westminster was the biggest one in London, which London annexed in 1993. Property taxes went way up for the former Westminster residents with few of the benefits that the rest of London enjoyed. Although one could argue Westminster residents commuting to London benefited from London’s roads and various services that workplaces have (water, sewage, etc). The community of Lambeth was part of Westminster, and it still has some sense of place. Hyde Park was also absorbed at the same time as London also annexed part of the former London Township. Hyde Park didn’t have a whole lot back in the early 90s, pretty much just a church, a used car lot, a small industrial park, and Lord Gainsborough Restaurant. Now it’s a sprawling big box suburb.

Far earlier in London’s history, communities such as London East, Kensington, and Byron have been absorbed, although Byron still retains a sense of place.

[MolsonExport]

Lord Gainsborough Restaurant

The home of Liver and Onions is gone. The entire building has been gutted inside...not sure what is going on.

edit: apparently they will reopen near the new gigantic Mandarin buffet.

[Franco401]

What's now Fredericton originally consisted of Fredericton, Silverwood, Nashwaaksis, Devon, Barker's Point, Lower St. Marys, and Marysville. I'm not sure which of these were ever incorporated, but I know Devon and Nasis definitely were.

Saint John has quite a history of amalgamation, having absorbed Parrtown, Carleton, Portland, Millidgeville, Simonds (Parish), Lancaster (City) and Lancaster (Parish).

The creation of Miramichi in the 90s included the following communities, of which I believe three (Chatham, Newcastle, Douglastown) were incorporated.

[1overcosc]

Kingston was first incorporated in 1840 with a much smaller land area than today (obviously) and between 1840 and 1959 was gradually expanded outwards to match urban development growth, and then two major annexations occurred in 1959 and 1998.

What are now the urban neighbourhoods of Portsmouth and Williamsville were originally separate communities that developed independently of Kingston (Portsmouth was actually founded a few years earlier than Kingston was). Williamsville was never an incorporated village (it was just a community within the township) and it ended up being annexed to Kingston around 1880-ish as part of the one of the small scale annexations that occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

A streetcar line was built connecting Portsmouth to Kingston in 1893 and from that point on Portsmouth was largely a Kingston suburb, and the two grew into each other until their built forms connected around 1930. Portsmouth remained politically independent as an incorporated village until the 1959 annexation when it became part of Kingston. The 1959 annexation also added lots of then-rural lands to the north and west of Kingston were added to the city as well, which were developed as new suburbs. By 1970-ish Kingston had overspilled those borders and the rural townships adjacent to Kingston started to become suburbs, and were incorporated into the city in 1998.

[whatnext]

I'm not sure if this meets the idea of the thread, but to me one of the most hauntingly beautiful is Ocean Falls, BC:

[IMG]Public dock at Ocean Falls by Ron Caves, on Flickr[/IMG]
From Ron Caves on Flickr

More photos and history here:
http://www.canadiannaturephotographe...ceanfalls.html

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Kingston was first incorporated in 1840 with a much smaller land area than today (obviously) and between 1840 and 1959 was gradually expanded outwards to match urban development growth, and then two major annexations occurred in 1959 and 1998.

What are now the urban neighbourhoods of Portsmouth and Williamsville were originally separate communities that developed independently of Kingston (Portsmouth was actually founded a few years earlier than Kingston was). Williamsville was never an incorporated village (it was just a community within the township) and it ended up being annexed to Kingston around 1880-ish as part of the one of the small scale annexations that occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

A streetcar line was built connecting Portsmouth to Kingston in 1893 and from that point on Portsmouth was largely a Kingston suburb, and the two grew into each other until their built forms connected around 1930. Portsmouth remained politically independent as an incorporated village until the 1959 annexation when it became part of Kingston. The 1959 annexation also added lots of then-rural lands to the north and west of Kingston were added to the city as well, which were developed as new suburbs. By 1970-ish Kingston had overspilled those borders and the rural townships adjacent to Kingston started to become suburbs, and were incorporated into the city in 1998.

To this day the former Kingston Township is still referred to as “The Township” by locals.

I’ve sometimes wondered, prior to 1998, if you lived in Kingston Township or Pittsburgh Township, did you say you were from “Kingston”? Or were other community names such as Cataraqui, Collins Bay, or Westbrook in use?

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

To this day the former Kingston Township is still referred to as “The Township” by locals.

I’ve sometimes wondered, prior to 1998, if you lived in Kingston Township or Pittsburgh Township, did you say you were from “Kingston”? Or were other community names such as Cataraqui, Collins Bay, or Westbrook in use?

People from Collins Bay and Joyceville would generally go with those, but in the rest of the townships they would just say they were from Kingston.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by balletomane

Was Emerson actually incorporated as a city? I know it peaked with a population of 10,000 in the early 1880's, which interestingly means it's one of only a few communities in the province to reach the 10,000 mark.

I've seen it described as a city in the 1880s. I can't remember how definitively but I don't think it was just a casual description.

[balletomane]

Demographics of former cities in Canada that have undergone "mega amalgamations", Toronto (1998), Montreal (2002/06), Ottawa (2001), Winnipeg (1972), Hamilton (2001) and Halifax (1996).

Old Toronto
1901 208,040
1911 381,383
1921 521,893
1931 631,207
1941 667,567
1951 675,754
1961 672,407
1971 712,786
1981 599,712
1991 635,395
2001 676,352
2011 736,775
2016 797,642

Montreal
1901 267,730
1911 490,504
1921 618,506
1931 818,517
1941 903,007
1951 1,021,520
1961 1,191,062
1971 1,214,351
1981 980,354
1991 1,017,666
2001 1,039,534
2011 1,058,194
2016 1,098,296

Ottawa
1901 59,928
1911 87,062
1921 107,843
1931 126,872
1941 154,951
1951 202,045
1961 268,206
1971 302,341
1981 295,163
1991 313,987
2001 337,031
2011 337,761
2016 341,998

Winnipeg
1901 42,340
1911 136,035
1921 179,097
1931 218,785
1941 221,960
1951 235,710
1961 265,429
1971 246,246 (245,637)
1981 207,886 (200,002)
1991 212,671 (196,384)
2001 206,898 (189,801)
2011 211,236 (193,925)
2016 218,525 (200,188)

Hamilton
1901 52,634
1911 81,960
1921 114,151
1931 155,547
1941 166,337
1951 208,321
1961 273,991
1971 309,173
1981 306,434
1991 318,499
2001 331,121
2011 330,480
2016 330,095

Halifax
1901 40,832
1911 46,619
1921 58,372
1931 59,275
1941 70,488
1951 85,589
1961 92,511
1971 122,035
1981 114,594
1991 114,455
2001 119,292
2011 130,130
2016 132,943

[someone123]

Originally Posted by balletomane

Demographics of former cities in Canada that have undergone "mega amalgamations", Toronto (1998), Montreal (2002/06), Ottawa (2001), Winnipeg (1972), Hamilton (2001) and Halifax (1996).

I'm not sure about the others but in the Halifax case these numbers are a little strange because they include past changes in boundaries but not the change in 1996. I don't think the city boundaries included all of the peninsula until the 1951 census. The municipal boundaries grew to encompass that area around the 1940's, and then again in the 1960's there was expansion to include more areas of mainland Halifax (so the difference between 1961-1971 and 1971-1981 is less significant than it appears).

Wikipedia has old census numbers for something more consistently resembling the current CMA (CMA in the past or Halifax County plus cities/towns). They look like this:

1851	39,914	—    
1861	49,021	+22.8%
1871	56,963	+16.2%
1881	67,917	+19.2%
1891	71,358	+5.1%
1901	74,662	+4.6%
1911	80,257	+7.5%
1921	97,228	+21.1%
1931	100,204	+3.1%
1941	122,656	+22.4%
1951	162,217	+32.3%
1961	225,723	+39.1%
1971	261,461	+15.8%
1981	288,126	+10.2%
1991	332,518	+15.4%
2001	359,111	+8.0%
2011	390,096	+8.6%
2016	403,131	+3.3%