Lacroix - Lansing, Gravenhurst

Lacroix - Lansing (French pronunciation: "LaKwa-LawnSeeng"; Local Anglophone pronunciation: "LaCroy-LenSing"; Summer 2010 population 4,281) is a town in the Regional Municipality of Gravenhurst of the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas. Located just north of the City of Mapleview, the town is the twelfth parish of the Alphabet Belt, near the centroid of the belt. It is also a Designated Secondary City (DSC) of the Mapleview Metropolitan Area.

Formerly located just east of Mapleview, in Spring 2010, the town annexed the formerly separate community of Elmvale into the town's limits. Elmvale is a suburb to Mapleview, and home to over 4,000 people, which makes Elmvale the largest community of the town. Despite the annexation, the name "Elmvale" was not incorporated into the municipality's official name.

Like all other alphabet belt parishes, prior to merging, there were two communities, Lacroix and Lansing, totalling a population of 136. This area is commonly referred to as the "parish proper" by the locals.

Lacroix - Lansing continues to serve as a major suburb and bedroom community to the City of Mapleview today.

History
The town was originally created as the twelfth parish in 1811, and with a centre located exactly 10 km west of Kirkham - Kingston. The parish remained steady for centuries, and was minimally affected by the émigré movement in the 1900s, due to its convenient location just east of Mapleview, the largest city in the area.

As Mapleview's population boomed in the 20th century, the parish was transformed from a predominantly agricultural township to a bedroom community of Mapleview. It has been steadily growing since with an introduction of various amenities and the upgrade of Highway 5 to Highway 505 project. The parish also benefited from the Reviving Alphabet Belt project as well.

In 2005, the parish gave up its designation as a "parish" and incorporated as a town. In 2010, Elmvale, a community north of Mapleview, was annexed into Lacroix - Lansing, gradually shifting the centre of population towards north of Mapleview.

The town is anticipating rapid growth with numerous infrastructure project ongoing, such as the extension of the Mapleview Transit Rapid Transit Line to Elmvale Centre, extension of Highway 100, and the completion of the McNaughton Business Park.

Town facilities
In 2010, with the merger of Elmvale, Lacroix - Lansing's town hall moved to 11 Town Hall Drive, Elmvale, to better serve the local population. The town also features a golf driving range, community centre, and 2 public schools in Elmvale. Prior to the merger, most community facilities were absent due to a small population base, and residents would use the nearby Mapleview's resources instead.

Transportation
Lacroix - Lansing is connected to the rest of the region by an exceptional number of highways given its population base. Highway 100 is the primary north-south route running between Elmvale and Downtown Lily of Mapleview. It is a major commuter route. Currently, Highway 100 ends in Elmvale, but there are plans of extending it to Nazareth to the north. Highways 11 and 22 (Louisiana Parkway) also form major north-south routes to the town.

In the "parish proper", the major east-west routes are Highway 5 and Highway 505, which is a crucial east-west link in the Alphabet Belt.

Currently, Mapleview Transit provides all public transit services to the town, and provides Flag for Stop Program while running in town. Most bus routes serve Elmvale due to a higher population concentration. With continuing growth in the Elmvale area, Mapleview Transit is considering to extend its rapid transit line north to Elmvale Centre.

GO Transit operates the Golden Corridor Line through parts of the town, but does not have a station in the town. There has been no plans of creating a station, and residents need to travel to Mapleview GO Station for GO Transit services. However, local residents, especially those of the "parish proper", are petitioning for a station, or a GO Shuttle services to ease connections with the rest of the region.

Economy
As a bedroom community of Mapleview, most residents would commute to Mapleview for daily job sources. Agriculture also forms a large part of Lacroix - Lansing's economy, especially in and around the "parish proper" area.

The completion of McNaughton Business Park (scheduled for 2013, originally proposed to be 2011) will introduce several high-tech and manufacturing companies headquartering or establishing a plant in the area, which will bring hundreds to thousands of jobs to the local, boosting the local economy.

Demography
In Summer 2010 Census, there are 4,281 residing in the town's limits, with 4,120 residing in Elmvale Centre, only 161 in the "parish proper". Prior to the merger, the parish proper has 136 residents. In Summer 2010, Lacroix - Lansing ranks 19th in terms of population out of 44 municipalities.

The town's officials are estimating a population of about 5,400 in 2012, and the town is projected to hit the 6,000 population mark by late-2013.