Port Perry (Pop. 8,499: Statistics Canada, 2006) is a community located in Scugog Township, Durham Region, Ontario, Canada.
Contents |
History
Settler Peter Perry laid out village lots on the shore of Lake Scugog in 1848 on the site of a former native village known as Scugog Village. The townsite was named Port Perry in 1852 and incorporated as a village in 1871. The village was amalgamated with Cartwright, Reach and Scugog Townships to form the Township of Scugog in 1974 upon the creation of the Regional Municipality of Durham.
Current status
Port Perry serves as the administrative and commercial centre for the Township of Scugog. A major employer is the Great Blue Heron Charity Casino. The town is home to a 24-bed hospital, the Scugog Township's municipal offices and many retail establishments. Located southeast of Uxbridge, Ontario, and southwest of Peterborough, Ontario, Port Perry is only about an hour northeast of the city of Toronto, the capital of the Province of Ontario and thus lies within the Greater Toronto Area. Many residents commute to Toronto on a daily basis.
Culture & recreation
As noted, the community is located on Lake Scugog, and features two popular lakeside parks, Palmer and Birdseye. It is known in the area for its picturesque Victorian-era downtown, featuring many clothing stores, eateries, cafés, bookstores, and antique shops. In the summer, there are a number of festivals, including the Mississauga First Nation PowWow, the Highland Games, and StreetFest. There are also numerous golf courses. Other attractions in Port Perry and surrounding area include the Great Blue Heron Charity Casino, the Scugog Arena, Scugog Memorial Library (featuring the Kent Farndale Art Gallery), Ocala Winery, Scugog Shores Historical Museum, Town Hall 1873 - Centre for the Performing Arts and the Northwood Buffalo and Exotic Animal Ranch. Cruises on Lake Scugog aboard "The Woodman" are also possible. Its only high school is Port Perry High School. It also has a vibrant fishing season at Lake Scugog with a variety of fishes such as bass and sun fishes.
Trivia
Daniel David Palmer, the founder of chiropractic, spent his childhood in this town. Port Perry has attracted many film crews over the years, both feature film and television; it doubled as the Maine town of Mooseport in the 2004 film Welcome to Mooseport and was used briefly as a small town in New Hampshire during the sixth season of The West Wing. Port Perry is also the hometown of actress Emily VanCamp and Playboy's Miss January, 2007, Jayde Nicole.
External links
- Canadian union upset over Scugog councilor lowering flag
- Scugog flag controversy comes to an end
- Port Perry, Ontario is at coordinates Coordinates:
- Port Perry Virtual Tours, Photos & Talk Forums
- Discover Downtown Port Perry
- [1]
