Prior to European contact in the 17th century, the present site of London was occupied by numerous Iroquois villages; the village at the forks of Askumessippi (the Thames River) was called Kotequogong. This site was selected as the site of the future capital of Upper Canada by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe in 1793, although the city itself was not founded until 1826 and it never became the capital envisioned by Simcoe. It was part of the Talbot Settlement, overseen by Colonel Thomas Talbot, who surveyed the land and built the first government buildings for the administration of the Western Ontario region. With the rest of southwestern Ontario which was part of this settlement it benefited from Talbot's provisions for building and maintaining roads and for assignment of priority for access to main roads to productive land (rather than to Crown and clergy reserves, which received preference in the rest of Ontario). London remained a centre of strong Tory support during the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, with a large British garrison stationed there, although Charles Duncombe did lead a group of rebels there.
While other Protestant cities in Ontario (notably Toronto) remained under the sway of the Orange Order well into the twentieth century, London abandoned sectarianism in the nineteenth. In 1877, Catholic and Protestant Irish in London formed the Irish Benevolent Society, which was open to both Catholics and Protestants and forbade the discussion of Irish politics. The influence of the Orange Order (and of Catholic organizations) quickly waned. The Society survives to this day.
London continued its role as a military centre during the two world wars, serving as the administrative centre for the Western Ontario district. Today there is still an active Canadian Forces Base in the city.
London continues to grow, having amalgamated many of the surrounding communities in the 1990s. It is currently the 11th largest city in Canada and the 5th largest city in Ontario.
On May 24, 1881, the ferry SS Victoria capsized in the Thames River, drowning approximately 200 passengers.
On April 26, 1937, there was a devastating flood that destroyed over 1000 homes and caused millions of dollars in damages. After repeated floods the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority built Fanshawe Dam to control the level of the Thames; it opened in 1952. Financing came from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments.
The courthouse and jail for Middlesex County are location in London. London's mayor is Anne Marie DeCicco. London has 14 councillors, two representing each of its 7 wards. There is also a Board of Control, consisting of 4 Controllers, and the mayor.
See also List of mayors of London, Ontario.
London is situated in Middlesex County, at the forks of the non-navigable Thames River, almost exactly halfway between Toronto and Detroit. It is located at 43°2' N by 81°9' W.
The Thames dominates London's geography, with the river's two branches meeting at the centre of the city. The North Branch of the Thames runs through the man-made Lake Fanshawe, located to the north-east of London. The area was formed during the retreat of the glaciers during the last ice age, which produced areas of marshland, notably the Sifton Bog, as well as some of the most productive areas of farmland in Ontario. London is the area of Canada with the most thunder and lightning storms per year.
Its economy is dominated by locomotive and military vehicle production, insurance, life sciences/biotechnology, and information technology.
In 2001, London had a population of 326,539 (2001). Its population is fairly diverse, although there is no significant minority population, with Polish-speakers being the next-largest group after English-speakers at only 1.9%. Seventy-nine per cent of the population was born in Canada, and 81% spoke an official language as a first language.
London is the home of the University of Western Ontario (UWO). UWO was founded in 1878 and is Canada's 4th oldest school with approximate enrolment of 26,000 full-time students.
The Richard Ivey School of Business is part of UWO, was formed in 1922 and it often ranks among the best business schools in the world, and the best in Canada.
UWO has three affiliated colleges: Brescia University College, founded in 1919, Canada's only university-level women's college; Huron University College, founed in 1863, pre-dating UWO itself; and King's College, founded in 1957.
London is also the home of Fanshawe College, a community college with an enrolment of over 10,000 students.
Labbat Park, which opened in 1877, is also North America's oldest operating baseball park.
History
Major Historical Events
Law/Government
Geography
Physical geography (area, unique features)
Major Parks
Economy
Major industries/products
Demographics
First-language
From StatsCan 2001 Census data:Colleges/Universities in city
Sporting teams in the city
The University of Western Ontario teams play under the name Mustangs. The university's football team plays at TD Waterhouse Stadium.Notable personalities in London's history
Media
Arts and Culture
Transportation
See also: Roman Catholic Bishops of London, Ontario
| North: Middlesex Centre | |||||
| West: Middlesex Centre | London | East: Thames Centre | |||
| South: Southwold, Central Elgin |