Caithness - Caledonia, Gravenhurst

The Town of Caithness - Caledonia (French: La ville de Caithness-et-Calédonie) (Summer 2010 population 25,310), or simply Caithness - Caledonia, also popularily known as Caledonia or Calédonie in French, is a town in Gravenhurst Region. The township is part of the Alphabet Belt.

The town is comprised of two major communities, Caithness and Caledonia. However, there are several newer minor communities across the town, including Celine Bridge (a community that straddles between the border of Caledonia and Dovercourt), Hiryiam, and North Caledonia.

History
Like most other townships in the Alphabet Belt, the township was created in 1724 by a group of the "Alphabet Religion Activists". They created parishes (or settlements) that stretched 260 km. Some of these parishes are now abandoned, some of them remained as small communities, but some like Caledonia, flourished.

Caledonia had a steady growth rate of around 0.5 to 1.5 % during 1803 to 2003. However, with the new Golden Corridor Line of GO Transit extended to Caledonia, the community's growth rate jumped up to over 10% per year. The train line promoted growth and ease of commute for many residents. New communities are created all around town.

The separation movement in Borden in the early 1900s prompted a large French population to move into the area, and has replaced Cantonese as the prominent language in the town since. Today, about half of the population speaks French as a first language.

The population of Caledonia first exceeded 5,000 in July. As a result, Caledonia was promoted to a town status in September 2008. The town continues to grow with many newer communities, and many new houses are built near the Town Centre, along with high-rises apartments.

Town Facilities
The town features a town hall located in the heart of the town centre, along with two community centres in Hiryiam and North Caledonia. The Gravenhurst Regional Transit also serves the town with 3 bus routes, serving Town Centre, Hiryiam, and North Caledonia, with a transportation hub connecting to Mapleview Transit and GO Transit at the Caledonia Multiplex Terminal. Currently, it is proposed for Mapleview Transit to operate a new bus route servicing Celine Bridge and Dever, the only two communities in the town with no public transit coverage.

Recently, due to the strong growth of Caledonia, the regional government revealed a plan of building Highway 509 (New Hiryiam Highway) and the  Texas Corridor Line  connecting Sussex/Valleydale to Caledonia. The two plans are now under constructions and are expected to be done by 2010. However, the Texas Corridor Line was ahead of schedule and was completed in late 2008. Highway 509 has its projection date still remained to be in mid-2010.

Economy
The town's economy and income is based on the industrial areas located just outside the town centre. The town also receives income from tourists to see the Escarpment River and the Issac Newton Escarpment.

Demography
The new communities, Hiryiam, Celine, and North Caledonia, account for population that has not been counted in the July 2008 Census. It was previously estimated that the population can exceed 10,000 in the Winter 2008 Census. However, the final census count only returned to 9,826, approximately 200 people short from the 10,000 historical mark. Since then, the town's population almost doubled to 18,000, an estimated value by the town's official in March 2010.

Currently, the town is the 10th biggest in terms of population out of the 42 municipalities in the region, behind Borden (Population 31,847).

The town officials of Caledonia submitted the population estimate of the town on October 18, 2009. Instead of waiting for the official census results to come out, Caledonia municipal workers have already started posting new population signs along the borders of Caledonia. The estimate of the town population in October 2009 is 12,000.

The town is also home to a fairly significant French population, and has been designated by the Regional government to be a French Cultural Hub in September 2012, the first town to receive this title after Borden.

Nearby Municipalities
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Caithness-et-Calédonie, Gravenhurst