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Founding
Founding of Windsor
city in Essex County, Ontario, Canada
- 1749
- North America
Founding
city in Essex County, Ontario, Canada
Fetching the article from Wikipedia…
Windsor ( WIND-zər) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the southernmost major city in Canada and marks the southwestern end of the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city's population was 229,660 at the 2021 census, making it the third-most populated city in Southwestern Ontario, after London and Kitchener. This represents a 5.7 percent increase from Windsor's 2016 population census of 217,188.
The Detroit–Windsor urban area is North America's most populous trans-border conurbation. Linking the Great Lakes Megalopolis, the Ambassador Bridge border crossing is the busiest commercial crossing on the Canada–United States border, carrying about one-quarter of the two countries' trade volume.
Windsor is a major contributor to Canada's automotive industry and is culturally diverse. Known as the "Automotive Capital of Canada", Windsor's industrial and manufacturing heritage is responsible for how the city has developed through the years.
At the time when the first Europeans arrived in the 17th century, the Detroit River region was inhabited by the Huron, Odawa, Potawatomi and Iroquois First Nations. The land along the Detroit River was part of the Three Fires Confederacy between the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa and was referred to as Wawiiatanong or Wawiiatanong Ziibi meaning "where the river bends" in Anishinaabemowin.
A French agricultural settlement was established at the site of Windsor in 1749. It is the oldest continually inhabited European-founded settlement in Canada west of Montreal. The area was first named la Petite Côte ("Little Coast"—as opposed to the longer coastline on the Detroit side of the river). Later it was called La Côte de Misère ("Poverty Coast") because of the sandy soils near LaSalle.
Windsor's French-Canadian heritage is reflected in French street names such as Ouellette, Drouillard, Pelissier, François, Pierre, Langlois, Marentette, and Lauzon. The current street system (a grid with elongated blocks) reflects the Canadien method of agricultural land division, where the farms were long and narrow, fronting along the river. Today, the name of the north–south street often shows the name of the family that farmed the land where the street is today. The street system of outlying areas is consistent with the British system for granting land concessions. There is a sizeable French-speaking minority in Windsor and the surrounding area, particularly in the Lakeshore, Tecumseh and LaSalle areas.
In 1797, after the American Revolution, the settlement of "Sandwich" was established. It was later renamed Windsor, after the town in Berkshire, England. The Sandwich neighbourhood on Windsor's west side is home to some of the city's oldest buildings, including Mackenzie Hall, originally built as the Essex County Courthouse in 1855. Today, this building is a community centre. The city's oldest building is the Duff-Baby House, built in 1792. It is owned by Ontario Heritage Trust and houses government offices.
The François Baby House in downtown Windsor was built in 1812 and houses Windsor's Community Museum dedicated to local history.
Windsor was the site of a battle during the 1838 Upper Canada Rebellion. It was attacked by a band of 400 Americans and rebels from Detroit who burned a steamboat and two or three houses before being routed by the local militia. Later that year, Windsor also served as a theatre for the Patriot War.
In 1846, Windsor had a population of about 300. Two steamboats offered service to Detroit. The barracks were still in operation. There were various tradespeople and other occupations, including bank agencies and post offices. The city's access to the Canada–US border made it an essential stop for refugee enslaved people gaining freedom in the northern United States along the Underground Railroad. Many went across the Detroit River to Windsor to escape pursuit by slave catchers. There were estimated to be 20,000 to 30,000 African-American refugees who settled in Canada, with many settling in Essex County, Ontario.
Windsor was incorporated as a village in 1854 (the same year the village was connected to the rest of Canada by the Grand Trunk Railway/Canadian National Railway), then became a town in 1858, and gained city status in 1892.
The Windsor Police Service was established on July 1, 1867.
A fire consumed much of Windsor's downtown core on October 12, 1871, destroying over 100 buildings.
The Windsor Star Centennial Edition in 1992 covered the city's past, its success as a railway centre, and its contributions to World War I and World War II fighting efforts. It also recalled the naming controversy in 1892 when Windsor aimed to become a city. The most popular names listed in the naming controversy were South Detroit, The Ferry (from the ferries that linked Windsor to Detroit), Windsor, and Richmond (the runner-up in popularity). Windsor was chosen to promote the heritage of new English settlers in the city and to recognize Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England. However, Richmond was a popular name used until World War II, mainly by the local post office.
Sandwich, Ford City and Walkerville were separate legal entities (towns) until 1935. They are now historic neighbourhoods of Windsor. Ford City was incorporated as a village in 1912; it became a town in 1915 and a city in 1929. Walkerville was incorporated as a town in 1890. Sandwich was established in 1817 as a town with no municipal status. It was incorporated as a town in 1858 (the same year as neighbouring Windsor).
Windsor annexed these three towns in 1935. The nearby villages of Ojibway and Riverside were incorporated in 1913 and 1921, respectively. Both were annexed by Windsor in 1966. During the 1920s, alcohol prohibition was enforced in Michigan while alcohol was legal in Ontario. Rum-running in Windsor was a common practice then.
On October 25, 1960, a massive gas explosion destroyed the building housing the Metropolitan Store on Ouellette Avenue. Ten people were killed, and at least one hundred were injured. The Windsor Star commemorated the 45th anniversary of the event on October 25, 2005.
Windsor has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) which closely borders a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) using the −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm for the Riverside weather station due to a January mean temperature being right about that temperature, with four distinct seasons. Among cities in Ontario, Windsor has the warmest climate. The mean annual temperature is 10.1 °C (50 °F) at the Airport, 10.8 °C (51 °F) Downtown, among the warmest in Canada primarily due to its hot summers. Some locations in coastal and lower mainland British Columbia have a slightly higher mean annual temperature due to milder winter conditions there. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Windsor was −32.8 °C (−27.0 °F) on January 29, 1873, and the warmest was 40.2 °C (104.4 °F) on June 25, 1988.
Winters in Windsor are cold. The January mean temperature averages −3.6 °C (25.5 °F) Airport, −2.9 °C (26.8 °F) Downtown. Occasional bitter cold outbreaks do occur, often accompanied by wind chills exacerbating the feel to exposed skin; these tend to be short-lived. The city occasionally sees lake-effect snow that originates from distant Lake Michigan. Snow cover is intermittent throughout the winter; on average, there are 46 days each year with at least some measurable snow falling. There are typically three to five major snowfalls each winter.
Summers are very warm to hot and humid, with a July mean temperature of 23.2 °C (74 °F) Airport, 23.8 °C (75 °F) Downtown (with the highest climatological Summer mean temperature average in Canada). The humidex (combined feel of temperature and humidity) reaches 30 °C (86 °F) or higher on over 70 days in an average summer; the highest recorded humidex in Ontario of 52.1 °C (125.8 °F), occurred on June 20, 1953, in Windsor. Thunderstorms are common during summer and occur on average 32 days per year, some of them severe with high winds, heavy rainfall, flooding, intense lightning, hail and less often, tornadic activity. Windsor has the highest number of days per year with lightning, haze, and daily maximum humidex over 30 °C (86 °F) of cities in Canada. Windsor has Canada's warmest climatological Fall season, with the highest mean temperatures for September, October and November. Precipitation is generally well-distributed throughout the year, on average driest in February, wettest in July. There are 2,261 sunshine average sunshine hours per year, or 52% of possible.
The record high daily minimum was 27.2 °C (81.0 °F) recorded August 12, 1943, at Windsor Airport. The record highest dew point at Windsor Airport was 28.9 °C (84.0 °F) recorded June 20, 1953. The most humid month at Windsor Airport was August 1995 with an average dew point of 19.6 °C (67.3 °F). The warmest month at Windsor Airport was July 2011 with an average mean temperature of 25.7 °C (78.3 °F), the highest average monthly daily minimum of 20.6 °C (69.1 °F), no daily maximum temperature below 26.1 °C (79.0 °F) for the entire month, and daily minimum temperatures staying at or above 16.1 °C (61.0 °F) throughout the month. The month with the highest monthly average daily maximum was July 1887 at 31.8 °C (89.2 °F), and at Windsor Airport was July 1988 at 31.3 °C (88.3 °F). August 2016 recorded no dew point below 10.9 °C (51.6 °F) throughout the entire month at Windsor Airport.
The lowest yearly maximum dew point is 23.1 °C (73.6 °F) recorded in 1999 at Windsor Airport. The lowest yearly maximum daily minimum temperature is 20.0 °C (68.0 °F) recorded in 1904; and at Windsor Airport 20.6 °C (69.1 °F) in 1962. The lowest yearly maximum temperature is 30.0 °C (86.0 °F) recorded in 1907, and at Windsor Airport 31.8 °C (89.2 °F) in 2023.
The average yearly maximum dew point is 24.9 °C (76.8 °F) and the average yearly maximum daily minimum temperature is 23.8 °C (74.8 °F).
Windsor experienced historic flooding in 2016, 2017 and 2019. In 2016, the mayor of Windsor, Drew Dilkens, declared a state of emergency because of the disastrous flooding that occurred. In spring of 2019 Windsor applied for disaster mitigation funding following widespread flooding.
A previous state of emergency in Windsor was called in 2013 when a fire broke out at a plastic recycling warehouse. This state of emergency was called due to poor air quality caused by the fire.
In 2017, Windsor was noted on Environment Canada's top 10 list of weather events. In late August 2017, Windsor faced a storm that left 285 millimetres (11.2 in) of rain in 32 hours.
As the Canadian city with the highest number of days that experience severe thunderstorms and lightning, Windsor has historically been subject to tornadoes and severe weather. Notably, Windsor is located in the middle of "Tornado Alley". The strongest and deadliest tornado to touch down in Windsor was an F4 in 1946. Windsor was the only Canadian city to experience a tornado during the 1974 Super Outbreak, an F3 which killed nine people when it destroyed the Windsor Curling Club. The city was grazed by the 1997 Southeast Michigan tornado outbreak, with one tornado (an F1) forming east of the city. Tornadoes have been recorded crossing the Detroit River (in 1946 and 1997), and waterspouts are regularly seen over Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, especially in autumn.
On April 25, 2009, an F0 tornado briefly touched down in the eastern part of the city, causing minor damage to nearby buildings, most notably a CUPE union hall.
Two tornadoes (an F1 and an F2) touched down in the evening of August 24, 2016, causing damage in parts of Windsor as well as LaSalle.
Ouellette Avenue is the historic main commercial street in downtown Windsor. It runs north–south, perpendicular to the Detroit River, and divides the city into east and west sections. Roads that cross Ouellette Avenue include the directional components East and West after their names. Address numbers on east–west roads in Windsor increase by 100 for each block travelled away from Ouellette Avenue and address numbers on north–south roads increase by 100 for each block travelled away from the Detroit River. In areas where the river curves, some numbers on north–south roads are skipped. For consistency across the city, all address numbers on north–south roads reset at either 600 for streets west of Walker Road or 800 for those to the east, where the road crosses Wyandotte Street (which roughly parallels the Detroit River).
Text from the Wikipedia article “Windsor, Ontario”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.