Brockville, Ontario, formerly known as Elizabethtown, is a city rich in history and natural beauty. Located in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region, Brockville is a politically independent city, despite being the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. Known as the "City of the 1000 Islands", Brockville is situated on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River, halfway between Kingston and Cornwall. It is 115 km south of the national capital, Ottawa, and faces the village of Morristown, New York, on the south side of the river.
Brockville, Ontario, is one of the oldest communities in Ontario, established by Loyalist settlers and named after the British general Sir Isaac Brock. The land was originally inhabited by the St. Lawrence Iroquoians and later by the Oswegatchie people. The city's history dates back to the late Middle Woodland period, with evidence of human habitation along the upper St. Lawrence River.
The area was first settled by English speakers in 1784, following the American Revolutionary War. These settlers, known as United Empire Loyalists, remained loyal to King George III and fled north to the British colony of Quebec. The first Loyalist to take up land in what is now Brockville was William Buell Sr., an ensign disbanded from the King's Rangers, from the state of New York.
In 1812, the village began to be referred to as Brockville in honor of Major-General Isaac Brock, the "Hero and Saviour" of Upper Canada. Brockville officially became Ontario's first incorporated self-governing town in 1832, two years before Toronto. By 1846, the town had developed into a local center of industry, including shipbuilding, saddleries, tanneries, tinsmiths, a foundry, a brewery, and several hotels.
Brockville experiences a humid continental climate. The highest temperature ever recorded was 39.4 °C on July 31, 1917, and June 4, 1919. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −38.3 °C on February 4, 1886, and January 28, 1925.
Brockville is conveniently located midway between Toronto and Montreal and less than an hour from Ottawa. Highway 401 runs through Brockville, and there are several daily Via Rail connections to Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa. The city also has a municipal airport, and two bridges cross the Saint Lawrence River into New York. Brockville Transit provides public transit services from Monday to Saturday.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Brockville had a population of 22,116 living in 10,647 of its 11,088 total private dwellings, a change of 2.5% from its 2016 population of 21,569.
Brockville, known as The City of the Thousand Islands, offers a variety of tourist attractions, including the Brockville Tunnel, Fulford Place, and the Aquatarium. The city is an outdoor museum of architecture, with hundreds of fine buildings from all historical periods. The Aquatarium at Tall Ships Landing is an interactive discovery center about the ecology and history of the 1000 Islands region.
Brockville's boating resources include a Municipal Harbour and public marina, a Yacht Club, and several commercial marinas. The city is at the downstream end of the Thousand Islands region, which extends to Kingston, Ontario.
Brockville is home to several music, art, and dance organizations. The city also hosts several festivals each year. St. Lawrence College in Brockville is home to the Music Theatre - Performance Program, which produces three professional-quality musicals each season at the Brockville Arts Centre.
Brockville, Ontario, has a sister city relationship with Ontario, California, United States. This relationship fosters cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the two communities.
