About Guelph

Known as “The Royal City”, Guelph is roughly 28 kilometres (17 mi) east of Kitchener-Waterloo and 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of downtown Toronto at the intersection of Highway 6 and Highway 7. It is the seat of Wellington County, but as a separated municipality, the city is not part of the county. As one entity, Guelph and Wellington County have a population of 200,425.

Residents of Guelph are called Guelphites. Guelph also has a number of sister cities, which are selected based on economic, cultural and political criteria.

Because of its low crime rates, clean environment and generally high standard of living, Guelph is consistently rated as one of the country’s most livable cities: Moneysense magazine ranked Guelph fourth in the country to live in 2007, and was also rated among Canada’s ten best places to live by Chatelaine magazine.

In April 2009 Guelph was named one of Canada’s top ten places to live for university graduates, mid-career professionals, families with children, and retirees.

Demographics

Guelph is the fourth fastest growing city in Canada with a population growth rate of about 2% per year. Guelph's current population is estimated to be around 127,872 and is projected to have a population around 175,000-195,000 by the year 2027. Population varies throughout the year because of variations in the University of Guelph student population. [10]

The 2001 census indicates 117,344 people residing in Guelph, of whom 49.1% were male and 50.9% were female. Children under five accounted for approximately 6.2% of the resident population of Guelph, whereas 12.2% of the resident population in Guelph were of retirement age. The average age is 35.7 years of age. In the five years between 1996 and 2001, the population of Guelph grew by 10.7%. Population density of Guelph averaged 310.1 people per square kilometre.

Historically, Guelph's population has been principally British in origin, with 92% in 1880 and 87% in 1921.[5]

Now, some 10 percent of the resident population described themselves as visible minorities, predominantly South Asian mostly of Afghan, Indian and Pakistani origin: 2.43%, Chinese: 2.42%, Black Canadian/African Canadians: 1.25%, and many others including Filipino, Vietnamese and Arab. The city is mostly Christian: 74.17%, almost evenly split among Protestants and Roman Catholics. The largest non-Christian religion is Buddhism: 1.45%, followed by Islam, and Hinduism.[11]


Transportation

Bus

Main article: Guelph Transit
Guelph Transit provides local transportation around the city. On June 20, 2007 Guelph Transit launched a web-based system known as Next Bus[16]. Global positioning satellites (GPS) technology and advanced computer modeling provide riders via the Internet, handheld devices (including Palms, Blackberries, and Web-capable cellular phones), or their telephones to receive accurate, real-time arrival and departure information. Intercity connections are made at the Guelph Bus Terminal.


Rail

Guelph Train StationGuelph was the first municipality in Canada to have its own federally chartered railway, the Guelph Junction Railway. This 16-mile link to the CPR is still municipally owned.

VIA Rail provides daily passenger rail service from the railway station to London and Toronto. The Goderich-Exeter Railway and Guelph Junction Railway provide freight service.


Highways

Highway 401 to Toronto and London.
Highway 7 to Kitchener and Acton.
Highway 6 to Hamilton and Owen Sound. This highway is known as the Hanlon Parkway for most of its length inside the city. The MTO has plans to extend the Hanlon to Kitchener, Ontario, as well they plan to upgrade the status to a controlled access Freeway


Economy

Manufacturing is a leading sector, accounting for 18 per cent of employment.[8].

The City of Guelph's Economic Development Strategy identified life science, agri-food and biotechnology firms, environmental management and technology companies as growth industries on which to focus economic development activities. [9]

Guelph's major employers include the University of Guelph, Linamar Corporation, and Sleeman Breweries (recently purchased by Sapporo of Japan) among others.


Guelph Property Taxes