- Burford, Ontario
Burford is a
rural community and is the seat of the County of Brant, in central southwesternOntario . It has 1,940 residents (2006 Census). It is located eight kilometers west of the City ofBrantford along Highway 53, and seventy kilometers east ofLondon, Ontario . It is approximately 100 km southwest ofToronto .Burford was the largest town of the former Burford Township, which included Cathcart, Harley and Princeton. Burford's ‘downtown’, the intersection of Maple Avenue and King Street (Highway 53), includes a stop light, several small businesses and a post office. The community was founded by
Canadians of German, Dutch and British backgrounds. Shortly after the Rebellion of 1837, Burford was the centre of an abortive rebellion in the Western District ofUpper Canada led byCharles Duncombe .Historically, when
tobacco was lucrative, the farms and families surrounding Burford were relatively prosperous. However, when smoking habits began to change in the 1980s, the economy slipped into decline. Currently, farmers are more likely to be growingginseng for oriental markets than tobacco.Dairy ,poultry , hog andfish farming persist and range from large scale commercial operations to subsistence type family farms. The community has lost population since the 1970s and is eager to attract new investment.[http://www3.sympatico.ca/burford.dhs/frames.htm Burford District High School] was the only secondary institution for eighty years, opening in 1922 and closing in June 2002 due to low enrollment. The building was then revamped to become
Burford District Elementary School and drew students from three elementary schools which were closed around the same time, Maple Avenue, Coronation and Harley-Northfield. Most high school age students now attend Paris District High School, Brantford Collegiate or Assumption and St. John’sCatholic schools.A
rural community with strong ties to religious and community organizations, Burford Township prides itself on being a modern community with traditional small town ethics such as honesty, charity and industry. There are, however, few visibleminorities except formigrant workers fromJamaica ,Mexico and elsewhere.Burford is home to the
Burford Bulldogs , a junior hockey team that plays in theSouthern Ontario Junior Hockey League .ervice Clubs
*
Kinsmen Club of Brantford
*Kinsmen Club of Brantford (Kin Canada Bursaries)External links
* [http://www.burfordtimes.com/ "The Burford Times"] is a weekly, independently-owned community newspaper.
*Kinsmen Club of Brantford , a Service Club active in [http://www.geocities.com/brantford_kinsmen1/ Burford area] .
* [http://www.ohahockey.org/team/index.php?id=24 Burford Bulldogs] online stats and schedule.
* [http://www.brant.ca/ County of Brant's website.]Photo gallery
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