Meaford, Ontario, a municipality in Grey County, Canada, is nestled on Nottawasaga Bay, a sub-basin of Georgian Bay and Owen Sound Bay. This charming town is located in the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation in southern Ontario. Meaford's seal and motto reflect its heritage as a place of apple orchards. However, in the 21st century, the area has partly transitioned to weekend homes, seasonal homes, and lakeside tourism. The Canadian Army maintains a training facility, the 4th Canadian Division Training Centre Meaford (4 CDTC), 5 kilometres northwest of the town.
In addition to the town of Meaford itself, the municipality also includes the communities of Annan, Balaclava, Bognor, Centreville, Leith, and Woodford.
The history of Meaford dates back to 1837 when the area was part of the St. Vincent Township. The first settler was from Ireland, before the townsite was laid out by Charles Rankin in 1845 and named Meaford. The community saw significant growth from 1850 onwards, boasting a library by 1856. The post office was renamed Meaford in 1865, after the birthplace of John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent, for whom the township of St. Vincent is named. The community became a town in 1874.
The Northern Railway of Canada's North Grey Railway arrived in Meaford on December 31, 1872. By the early 1880s, Meaford was home to various mills, factories, stores, and hotels. A public school was added in 1868, and a high school was opened in 1890.
In 2001, various municipalities in Southern Ontario, including St. Vincent Township, Sydenham Township, and the Town of Meaford, were amalgamated to form one municipality entity. The council of the new Georgian Highlands municipality voted 4-3 on 5 February 2001 to name the amalgamated area Meaford. A by-law to formalize the name change to Meaford for the amalgamated area was subsequently passed on 5 March 2001.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Meaford had a population of 11,485 living in 5,035 of its 5,828 total private dwellings, a change of 4.5% from its 2016 population of 10,991. With a land area of 587.57 km2, it had a population density of 19.5/km2 in 2021.
The town of Meaford is located on Ontario Highway 26 between Owen Sound and Collingwood. A local public transit service makes stops within urban Meaford but not in Sydenham or St Vincent. Local taxis service the area around the town of Meaford. Billy Bishop Regional Airport is located in the municipality on Highway 26 between the Town of Meaford and Owen Sound.
Several scenes from the Disney movie One Magic Christmas were filmed in Meaford, Ontario.
