Stratford is a city on the Avon River geographically within (but administratively separated from) Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a 2021 population of 33,232 in a land area of . Stratford is the seat of Perth County, which was settled by English, Irish, Scottish and German immigrants, in almost equal numbers, starting in the 1820s but primarily in the 1830s and 1840s. Most became farmers; even today, the area around Stratford is known for mixed farming, dairying and hog production.
The area was settled by Europeans in 1832, and the town and river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Stratford was incorporated as a town in 1859 and as a city in 1886. The first mayor was John Corry Wilson Daly. The swan has become a symbol of the city. Each year, twenty-four white swans are released into the Avon River. The town is noted for the Stratford Festival, which performs Shakespearean plays and other genres from May to October.
History In 1832, the development of an area called "Little Thames" as the market centre for the eastern Huron Tract began. By 1834 a tavern, sawmill and grist mill had opened, and by 1835 a post office, called Stratford, was operating. The Smith's Canadian Gazetteer of 1846 describes Stratford as follows: "Stratford contains about 200 inhabitants. Post Office, post three times a-week. Professions and Trades.—Two physicians and surgeons, one grist and saw mill, one tannery, three stores, one brewery, one distillery, one ashery, two taverns, two blacksmiths, one saddler, two wheelwrights, three shoemakers, two tailors. Settlement was slow until the early 1850s when the railway arrived.
Furniture manufacturing and railway locomotive repairs were the most important parts of the local economy by the twentieth century. In 1933 a general strike, started by the furniture workers and led by the Communist Workers' Unity League, marked the last time the army was deployed to break a strike in Canada. The Grand Trunk Railway (later CNR) locomotive repair shops were the major employer for many years, employing 40% of the population.
Timeline 1828 - Settlement began. 1832 - Thomas Mercer Jones, an agent of the Canada Company, named the village "Stratford" and renamed the portion of the Thames River running through it the "Avon River." The first sawmill, hotel (Shakespeare Hotel) and gristmill opened. 1834 - The community had a tavern, sawmill and grist mill; in 1835 the first post office opened. 1849 - The Perth County News was Stratford's first weekly newspaper. 1853 - Perth County was created, with Stratford as its county seat. 1854 - Stratford was incorporated as a village. 1856 - Stratford became a railway town with the arrival of the Grand Trunk and Buffalo-Lake Huron railways. 1859 - Stratford was incorporated as a town. 1864 - The 17-year-old American telegraph operator Thomas Edison briefly lived at 46 Ontario Street. 1871 - A major railway repair yard opened (the town's major employer by 1901) and helped accelerate the town's population growth. 1885 - Stratford was incorporated as a city with a population of 9,000. 1887 - The second and current Perth County Courthouse opened; it has received praise for its High Victorian architecture, with several Queen Anne features, and Richardsonian Romanesque elements. 1898 - The massive red brick town hall, in the Victorian "Picturesque" style, with a prominent clock tower, began construction. 1900 - January 29 Stratford City Hall opens; along with its 800-seat auditorium with a balcony and stage. 1903 - The first public library opened, built with C$15,000 of financial assistance from American steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. 1908 - The Stratford Normal School opened to train teachers; in 1953 it was renamed the Stratford Teachers' College. The school trains nearly 14,000 teachers before closing in 1973. 1909 - The GTR (later CNR) locomotive repair shops building was completed; it is 16,800 square metres (182,000 square feet) in size. 1918 - A gift from J.C. Garden, a pair of mute swans come to live in Stratford. The swan population would expand over subsequent years. 1920s - Stratford is already a major furniture manufacturing centre; nearly one-sixth of furniture made in Canada was shipped from Stratford. (All major manufacturing ceased by 2006.) 1933 - The army was called in to attempt to end a general strike (mostly of furniture workers) and remove communist leaders, but fails, marking the last time military force was used on a labour strike in Canada. 1936 - The Shakespearean Gardens were created, primarily through the efforts of R, Thomas Orr. 1953 - The Stratford Shakespearean Festival Theatre opened through the efforts of a Stratford journalist, Tom Patterson. 1957 - The Festival moved into its first permanent structure, the Festival Theatre. 1964 - The CNR shops closed and laid off numerous employees. 1976 - The Stratford City Hall was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. 1979 - an F4 tornado tore through the community. The tornado travelled for 39 kilometres and levelled approximately 10 houses. 1992 - The Stratford Armoury was recognised as a Federal Heritage building on the Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings. 1993 - Stratford's former Canadian National Railways (VIA Rail) Station was designated a Federal Heritage building. 1997 - Nations in Bloom crowned Stratford the "Prettiest City in the World." 2003 - The Stratford Festival of Canada celebrated its 50th season. A record 672,925 patrons visited and 18 plays were held. Following the 50-year record volume of playgoers, the Avon Theatre underwent a complete renewal and the Studio Theatre, a fourth theatre space seating 250 people more, was added.
Geography Climate Stratford has a humid continental climate type (Köppen: Dfb). The highest temperature ever recorded in Stratford was in July 1936. The coldest temperature ever recorded was in January 1882. Stratford has warm summers that are lengthy by Canadian standards with cool nights and long, cold, and snowy winters. Precipitation is very high year round.
Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Stratford had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
+ Population by mother tongue Group2016 Census 2011 Census 2006 Census 2001 Census 1996 CensusPopulation% of total Population % of total Population % of Total Population % of Total Population % of Total English 28,37091.828,085 92 27,485 91.6 26,585 91.2 26,085 91.5 French 200.6225 0.7 200 0.7 210 0.7 125 0.4 English and French 45.135 0.1 20 0.1 40 0.1 45 0.1 All other 2,3007.42,170 7.1 2,320 7.7 2,345 8 2,290 8 Total 30,91510030,515 100 30,025 100 29,185 100 28,550 100
+ Mobility over previous five years Group 2011 Census 2006 Census 2001 Census 1996 Census Population % of total Population % of Total Population % of Total Population % of Total At the same address 17,110 60.3 15,205 55.3 14,530 54.6 In the same municipality 6,885 24.3 11,420 41.6 7,780 29.2 In the same province 3,700 13.0 3,680 13.8 From another province 395 1.4 850 3.1 430 1.6 From another country 290 1.0 205 0.8 Total aged 5 or over 28,380 100.0 27,475 100.0 26,625 100.0
Economy The city is in a successful agricultural area and has some auto parts manufacturing, but tourism is still the most significant aspect. According to an estimate by the Conference Board of Canada, it generates $140 million in economic activity, $65 million in taxes and 3,000 direct and indirect jobs. For the past few years however, the town has been working to attract more technical industries with former Mayor Dan Mathieson spearheading the effort. The Royal Bank of Canada opened a $300 million data centre here, Starwood Hotels is experimenting with a new type of call centre, and the University of Waterloo has opened a satellite campus with about 500 students specializing in digital media and information technology, and as the home of the technology forum Canada 3.0 and various technology companies.
Arts and culture Stratford Festival
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival began in 1953 when, on July 13, actor Alec Guinness spoke the first lines of the first play produced by the festival.J. Alan B. Somerset. 1991. The Stratford Festival Story, 1st edition. Greenwood Press. Tom Patterson. 1987. First Stage. McClelland and Stewart.
The performances during the first four seasons took place in a concrete amphitheatre covered by giant canvas tent on the banks of the River Avon. The first of many years of Stratford Shakespeare Festival production history started with a six-week season, opening on 13 July 1953, with Richard III and then All's Well That Ends Well both starring Alec Guinness. The 1954 season ran for nine weeks and included Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and two Shakespeare plays, Measure for Measure and The Taming of the Shrew. Young actors during the first four seasons included several who went on to great success in subsequent years, Douglas Campbell, Timothy Findley, Don Harron, William Hutt and Douglas Rain.
The new Festival Theatre was dedicated on 30 June 1957, with seating for over 1,800 people; none are more than 65 feet from the thrust stage. Over the years, additional theatrical venues were added: the Avon Theatre, the Tom Patterson Theatre (originally Shakespeare 3 Company) and the Studio Theatre. The annual festival now draws hundreds of thousands of theatre goers and tourists to the area each year. Acclaimed actors including Alec Guinness, Christopher Plummer, Dame Maggie Smith, William Hutt, Martha Henry and William Shatner have performed at the festival. The Canadian novelist and playwright Timothy Findley performed in the first season, and had an ongoing relationship with the festival, eventually moving to Stratford in 1997.
From 1956 to 1961 and 1971 to 1976, the Stratford Festival also staged the separate Stratford Film Festival, which was credited as one of the first North American film festivals ever to schedule international films.J. A. B. Somerset and James Lindroth, The Stratford Festival Story: A Catalogue-index to the Stratford, Ontario, Festival, 1953-1990. Greenwood Press, 1991. . That festival collapsed after the 1976 launch of the Festival of Festivals, now known as the Toronto International Film Festival, impacted both the Stratford Film Festival's funding and its audience."Stratford closes film festival". The Globe and Mail, June 7, 1976.
Music The Stratford Summer Music Festival has been held for seven seasons and features indoor and outdoor performances by international, classical, and world music artists as well as young Canadian performers around downtown Stratford.
The Stratford Concert Band, a local wind ensemble, was founded as the Grand Trunk Railway Employees Band, and renamed the Canadian National Railway Employees' Band in 1907. The band performs free outdoor concerts at the Kiwanis Pavilion Bandshell in Upper Queen's Park throughout the summer.
Pride and the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community Stratford is home to year-round 2SLGBTQIA+ programming and events.
Since 2018, Stratford has been home to pride festivities during the month of June (for Pride Month). Planned and implemented by Stratford-Perth Pride, pride month in Stratford typically includes a pride parade, drag show, family-friendly pride in the park event, and flag raisings. In November 2021, Stratford-Perth Pride launched its first annual Trans Pride Week - a week of celebrations honouring the trans and nonbinary community.
Stratford is also home to the Stratford Pride Community Centre (SPCC). The SPCC is a physical space located in downtown Stratford for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to visit during drop-in hours and attend social events. The SPCC also hosts Stratford's Winter Pride event which takes place in February of each year.