Brighton, Ontario


Brighton is a town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, approximately east of Toronto and west of Kingston. It is traversed by both Highway 401 and the former Highway 2. The west end of the Murray Canal that leads east to the Bay of Quinte is at the east end of the town.
It is home to over 12,108 inhabitants, with a higher than average percentage of those retired.
Presqu'ile Provincial Park, just south of the town centre, is one of Brighton's most popular attractions. The park is notable for bird-watching and other nature-oriented activities. Memory Junction Railway Museum, located in a former Grand Trunk station, had a collection of rail equipment and memorabilia but is currently closed. In late September, Brighton is host to Applefest, its largest yearly festival.
WWW brighton.ca

Geography

Communities

Besides the town proper of Brighton, the municipality of Brighton comprises a number of villages and hamlets, including the following communities:

Artificial island area of Brighton

Part of the current Municipality of Brighton is on a separate artificial island. This is a consequence of the borders chosen when the Township of Brighton was created in 1851, and the excavation of the Murray Canal across the Isthmus of Murray. The Murray Canal opened in 1889.

History

Brighton was incorporated as a village on January 1, 1859. On December 1, 1980, it became a town.
The original Simpson house, at 61 Simpson Street, was built in 1850. Brighton developed primarily into an agricultural community, specializing in the farming of apples and production of new apple types. However, in recent years, many of the original orchards in the area have been partially removed, to make way for the steadily growing population, and more profitable agricultural produce, such as wheat, corn and soybeans.
On January 1, 2001, the current Municipality of Brighton was formed through an amalgamation of the former Town of Brighton and Brighton Township.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Brighton had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.

Media

  • Brighton Independent
  • Oldies 100.9
  • Edville Gazette

Notable residents