Community Profile
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COMMUNITY PROFILE SET YOUR SIGHTS ON MEAFORD Welcome to the Municipality of Meaford, on the southern shore of Georgian Bay. The Municipality of Meaford is a fascinating, four-season destination that has it all: fresh local food, unique shopping, nature at your doorstep, a beautiful waterfront, and hundreds of local charms and amenities awaiting your discovery. Our charming, historic downtown district features Meaford Hall – a restored 330-seat theatre, concert and cinema venue, plus distinctive boutiques, eclectic eateries and services of all kinds. Just a few minutes away, you’ll find acres of rolling countryside, charming historic villages, sandy beaches and unspoiled natural areas. TABLE OF CONTENTS Reasons To Invest ............................................................................... 4-5 Location ................................................................................................... 6 County of Grey .................................................................................. 7-8 Municipality of Meaford ........................................................................ 9 Population Trend ................................................................................. 10 Affordability ........................................................................................ 11 Real Estate Activity ............................................................................. 12 What Makes Meaford Unique ........................................................... 13 Lifestyle - Premier Parks ..................................................................... 14 Lifestyle - Trails .................................................................................... 15 Lifestyle - Recreation ......................................................................... 16 Arts & Culture .................................................................................... 17 Library.................................................................................................... 18 Tourism ................................................................................................ 19 Harbour / Marina ............................................................................... 20 Health Services ................................................................................... 21 Waterfront Strategy & Master Plan ............................................ 22-23 Agribusiness ........................................................................................ 24 Education ............................................................................................. 25 Municipal Incentives ..................................................................... 26-27 Business Organizations ...................................................................... 28 Service Clubs ......................................................................................... 29 Development Charges ........................................................................ 30 MUNICIPALITY OF MEAFORD REASONS to INVEST Location: Meaford is located within the popular tourism region, the Georgian Triangle, and is only a short two hours to the Greater Toronto area. Meaford is closely connected to Ontario’s major 400 series highway system with a connection in Barrie. Highway 26, which travels through downtown Meaford, has millions of commuters annually. The Community of Rockford’s business areas primarily serve the nearby market of Owen Sound. Affordability: Meaford is an affordable place to live in comparison to many communities in southern Ontario. Meaford has quickly become a destination of choice amongst those looking to retire from the urban centres of southern Ontario and is an attractive place for young families because of the unmatched amenities offered locally and within the region. Lifestyle: The Municipality of Meaford offers a balance between work and pleasure in an awe-inspiring natural environment. For decades, people have been drawn by the natural beauty of the landscape, the water, and charming authenticity of its urban centre with a rural community feel. Meaford’s lifestyle offers more leisure time to enjoy a variety of recreational opportunities. Arts & Culture: Meaford is the cultural destination within Grey County with the Meaford Hall Arts and Cultural Centre operating as the main attraction. Home to outstanding live performances, rotating art displays, and enriching lifelong learning classes. The Meaford region is rich with cultural history including being the resting place of Canadian icon, artist Tom Thomson. Meaford is also home to the canine hero Beautiful Joe, who inspired the bestselling novel “Beautiful Joe”, which contributed to worldwide awareness of animal cruelty, written by Margaret Saunders in 1893. 4 MUNICIPALITY OF MEAFORD Tourism: Meaford has a vibrant tourism economy with numerous outdoor activities and award winning festivals and events. Meaford is well known for outstanding agri-tourism due to its unique growing opportunities and the beautiful trail systems attract visitors from all over the world. Waterfront: The redevelopment of the waterfront is expected to be a key element of future investments. Through the Meaford Waterfront Master Plan, a multi-million dollar redevelopment is planned for the urban waterfront that will support revitalization of the downtown commercial core, bring new commercial developments to the harbour area, and sought-after residential condominium developments. Education: The Municipality of Meaford hosts high quality education facilities and programs for all ages. This includes lifelong learning opportunities within the Municipality and a regional college campus located in nearby Owen Sound and Collingwood. Meaford hosts a federal training facility for the Canadian Forces and a new Jk - Grade 12 School to be built by 2020. Healthcare: Meaford is proud to have a local hospital that offers a wide range of specialty services, including 20 inpatient beds. A new modern medical clinic opened in the fall of 2014 and offers local residents access to new equipment and has assisted in the recruitment of new doctors to the Municipality. For services not available in Meaford, the Grey Bruce Health Services Owen Sound Hospital is located 5 minutes outside of the Municipality of Meaford. Meaford has quality options for those seeking long term care facilities. Agribusiness: Meaford’s geography and micro-climate allow it to produce a wide variety of agricultural products. These include apples, garlic, hops, herbs, honey and maple syrup. Recent growth has occurred in organic farming, local wineries, breweries and cideries. The Farmers’ Market in Meaford has allowed local producers to showcase their products and is a hub for collaboration and business exchange for producers. 5 LOCATION Meaford is conveniently located between the City of Owen Sound and the Town of Blue Mountains. Urban Meaford is located along Provincial Highway 26, which sees over 7 million commuters annually travel into our harbour-side downtown. Highway 26 also provides an easy connection to Ontario’s major 400 series highway system in nearby Barrie. Within a one-hour distance of Meaford is a marketplace of more than 100,000 people and within a two-hour drive is a market of millions. Five minutes east of the City of Owen Sound along highway 26, located in the Municipality of Meaford, is the Owen Sound Billy Bishop Regional Airport serving Grey and Bruce Counties. DISTANCE TO MARKETS Blue Mountains ..................... 15km Owen Sound ......................... 30km Collingwood .......................... 34km Barrie ....................................89km Orangeville......................... 102km Brampton ............................ 138km Toronto ............................... 180km Guelph ................................ 134km Kitchener ............................ 148km Niagara Falls ....................... 265km 6 COUNTY OF GREY The Municipality of Meaford is located within the County of Grey. Grey County is a family of nine distinct rural municipalities that values its heritage, natural beauty, clean and healthy environment, and a relaxed and family-oriented rural lifestyle. As the fourth largest county in Ontario, Grey County covers an area of 4,513.21 square kilometers and is home to 93,830 residents. Grey County today is as diverse as it is expansive, encompassing: • Rich and productive farmland with almost 2,250 farms and over 200,000 hectares of farmed land. Grey is the number one producer of apples, sheep, barley & mixed grains in Ontario. • Leading edge agri-businesses; • Manufacturing, engineering, printing and business service firms of national and international stature; • An active Great Lakes shipping port; • A strong regional and rural health care system, • Exceptional cultural industries and renowned community celebrations; • Blue Mountain, Ontario’s largest four-season resort; • World-class, year-round recreation opportunities; and 7 COUNTY OF GREY COUNTY OF GREY The municipalities Thewithin municipalities Grey County are withinframed Grey by Countythe breath- are framedtaking by landscapes the breath of- Lake takingHuron landscapes and Georgian of Bay, Lakelush Huron river andvalleys Georgian Bay, verdantand riverthe renownedvalleys and wondersthe of renownedthe Niagarawonders Escarpment. of the Niagara Escarpment.Grey County offers the sophistication and Greyconvenience County offers of urban the sophisticationliving and the and timeless convenience of urban