Cobourg, Ontario

Cobourg (2001 population 17,172) is a town on Lake Ontario some 75 km east of Toronto. Largest town in Northumberland County, Ontario; nearest neighbour is Port Hope, 7 km to the west.

The town was founded by United Empire Loyalists in 1798. In the late 19th century and early 20th century wealthy Americans built enormous homes there, many of which still stand today.

Cobourg retains its small-town atmosphere, inpart due to the downtown and surrounding residential area's status as a Heritage Conservation District. The downtown is a well-preserved example of a traditional small-town main street. Standing at the heart of the downtown is Victoria Hall, a beautiful old building that serves as the town hall, as well as home of the Art Gallery of Northumberland, the Cobourg Concert Hall, and an Old Bailey-style courtroom. Victoria Hall was designed by architect Kivas Tully.

Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, the town invested heavily in purchasing property along the waterfront and beautifying the area. The harbour and large sandy beach are now connected by a boardwalk and pathways that stretch through Victoria Park and into the downtown. Many community activities developed in conjunction with the revitalization of the waterfront lands. One of the major events that grew out of Cobourg's focus on the lake front was the Waterfront Festival.

The Cobourg Waterfront Festival is an annual arts and crafts event occurring on Canada Day. It began in 1987 as a part of the town's sesquicentennial celebrations, and was conceived by the Art Gallery of Northumberland's former Director/Curator Peter Tulumello and former Concert Hall Manager Mark Finnan.

Famous Cobourg natives include:

• Marie Dressler, silent film actress
• Paul Kane, American frontier artist
• William Weller, transportation and communications pioneer
• James Crossen, railway car builder
• James Renwick Riddel, early Canadian history writer and Ontario Supreme Court judge

Food processing is the largest industry in Cobourg, and is home to operations of companies like Kraft, and Weetabix.

External links

• Town of Cobourg
• Cobourg Waterfront Festival