Springwater, Ontario

Springwater
—  Township  —
Elmvale
Springwater Location of Springwater, Ontario
Coordinates: 44°26′N 79°44′W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Simcoe
Settled
Formed	1994
Government
• Mayor	Linda Collins
• MPs	Kellie Leitch
• MPPs	Jim Wilson
Area
• Land	536.23 km2 (207.04 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	18,223
• Density	34.0/km2 (88/sq mi)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code FSA	L0L
Area code(s)	705
Website	www.springwater.ca

Springwater is a township in central Ontario, Canada, in Simcoe County near Barrie. It is the County seat of Simcoe.

Springwater was formed in 1994 through the amalgamation of Flos and Vespra Townships, together with the Village of Elmvale and a portion of the former Township of Medonte.

Communities

Anten Mills is centred on the intersection of Horseshoe Valley Road West (formally County Road 22) and Wilson Drive (formally the 7th Concession of Vespra), 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) northwest of Barrie. The community derived its name from a well known mill operating in the area in the late 1800s. The first syllables of this firm's name, Anderson & Tennant, after its owners Charles Anderson and a Mr. Tennant, were merged to create the word Anten. Most of the workforce living in Anten Mills are employed in nearby Barrie. The area surrounding Anten Mills is predominantly either farm or crown land, however golf courses, ski resorts and hiking trails also dot the landscape. A further 25 km northwest of Anten Mills is Wasaga Beach, a popular summer tourist attraction. Country music star Jason McCoy grew up in Anten Mills.

Crown Hill is located at the municipal boundaries of Springwater and Oro-Medonte, just outside the northern city limits of Barrie. Prior to the provincial highway downloadings of 1997, Highway 11 left its expressway route through Oro-Medonte at Crown Hill, transferring onto Penetanguishene Road for the remainder of its southerly route into Barrie and Toronto. Highway 11 now continues past the Penetanguishene Road interchange along the former route of Highway 400A, ending at Highway 400 1.1 kilometres further southwest.

Midhurst is the largest population centre in the township. It is home to the Barrie Baycats of the Intercounty Baseball League. A tree nursery existed here that supplied trees for the province.

Minesing is a community near the Nottawasaga River on Highway 26, northwest of Barrie. The community is home to two major events every year, one in the late winter called Mini-fest, and a slo-pitch tournament that falls on labour day weekend. The community is the birthplace of Hockey Hall of Famer Frank Foyston. Minesing is home to a small school called Minesing Central Public School. The nearby Minesing Wetlands is an internationally recognized wetland of significant biological importance.

The township also contains the communities of Allenwood, Apto, Crossland, Dalston, Elmvale, Fergusonvale, Grenfel, Hendrie, Hillsdale, Langman, Midhurst Station, New Flos, Orr Lake, Phelpston, Sandy Beach, Saurin, Snow Valley, Strongville and Vigo, as well as the ghost town of Edenvale.

Government

The current mayor of Springwater is Linda Collins.

External links

• Township of Springwater
• Township of Springwater, Ontario - Midhurst community profile notes