Gananoque

Gananoque
613
Website	www.gananoque.ca

Gananoque (/ˌɡænəˈnɒkweɪ/ GAN-ə-NOK-way) is a town in the

The town's name is an Indigenous name which means "town on two rivers".^{[citation needed]} The town's name rhymes with the place name Cataraqui, which appears in the Cataraqui River, the Little Cataraqui Creek, and the Cataraqui Cemetery in nearby Kingston, Ontario. One way to remember its pronunciation is "The right way, the wrong way, and the Gananoque". In eastern Ontario speech, the town name is often abbreviated to Gan.

History

Colonel Joel Stone, who served with Loyalist militia during the American Revolutionary War, established a settlement on this site in 1789. Land was granted to Col. Stone for use as a mill site.

During the War of 1812, American forces raided the government depot in the town to disrupt the flow of British supplies between Kingston and Montreal. The raiders seized the supplies they found and burned the depot. Within a month of the raid, construction of the Gananoque Blockhouse was started, with completion in 1813. It had an octagonal log parapet containing five guns. The blockhouse was abandoned after the War of 1812 and given to a private landowner.^[3]

The blockhouse was quickly repaired in the 1837–38 Patriot War when there were fears American militia forces were planning to attack. The Gananoque Blockhouse stood until 1852.^[3]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Gananoque had a population of 5,383 living in 2,562 of its 2,767 total private dwellings, a change of 4.3% from its 2016 population of 5,159. With a land area of 7.01 km² (2.71 sq mi), it had a population density of 767.9/km² (1,988.9/sq mi) in 2021.^[4]

Population trend:^[5][2]

• Population in 2016: 5159
• Population in 2011: 5194
• Population in 2006: 5285
• Population in 2001: 5167
• Population in 1996: 5219 (or 5217 when adjusted for boundary changes)
• Population in 1991: 5209

Total private dwellings, excluding seasonal cottages: 2,404 (total: 2,516).^[2]

Mother tongue:^[6]

• English as first language: 94.2%
• French as first language: 1.3%
• English and French as first language: 0.4%
• Other as first language: 4.1%

Local attractions

Gananoque is referred to as the "Gateway to the

The

Gananoque lies directly on three of Canada's busiest transportation routes: the four-lane Highway 401, the double-track Canadian National Railway main line, and the St. Lawrence Seaway. It is also home to a rich provincial highway heritage, being home to the remaining stretch of Highway 2. It is the western terminus of the Thousand Islands Parkway, and a short drive from the Thousand Islands Bridge, which crosses into the United States as Interstate 81.

Via Rail inter-city passenger trains bound for Toronto and Ottawa stop at the unstaffed Gananoque station to the north of downtown. Gananoque is also served by the Gananoque Airport for general aviation.

Historically, the

Gananoque Police Service is a small law enforcement agency in the Eastern Ontario community of Gananoque.

The current

• Harry Brown—Gananoque-born recipient of the Victoria Cross for actions during the Battle of Hill 70 during the First World War
• Frank Belknap Long—Famed horror and science fiction writer. Long spent his summer family vacations in the vicinity with his parents, between the ages of six months and 17 years (1901–1918).
• Alyn McCauley—Gananoque-raised former NHL hockey player who currently serves as a pro scout for the Philadelphia Flyers.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gananoque.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Gananoque.

• Official website