Guelph ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly 28 km (17 mi) east of Kitchener and 100 km (62 mi) west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wellington County Road 124. It is the seat of Wellington County, but is politically independent of it. The city is built on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

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Historic sites

• Downtown Guelph: Several downtown streets are lined with Victorian era buildings, which are now well over a century old. Many of Guelph's historically designated properties are in or near the downtown area. The old City Hall on Carden St., built between 1856 and 1857, is a National Historic Site of Canada; this structure is an example of mid-19th century Renaissance Revival architecture.This building, as well as its Annex built circa 1865, are also historically designated by the province. Other historically designated buildings in the area include the Winter Fair Building, the County Jail and Governor's Residence and the Guelph Armoury. The Old Quebec Street Mall was a street built in the 1800s that was enclosed and covered; that work was completed in 1984 and the street has become an indoor shopping mall.

 

Guelph Civic Museum

• The Guelph Civic Museum has been located on "Catholic Hill" (Norfolk St. and Cork St.) adjacent to the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate since 2012, moving to this location from a nationally designated historic site at 6 Dublin St. South. The museum has a collection of pictures, films and other antique materials related to the historical development of the City of Guelph.

• Among the oldest of the city's neighbourhoods, settled by affluent citizens, the St. George's Park area features heritage homes and mansions in the highest part of Guelph. Much of the city's elite lived on the hill running up Grange Street and many of the homes have been renovated.

• The Exhibition Park neighbourhood, containing the oldest park in Guelph, is an area that was settled in the 1870s and still contains many Victorian style heritage homes.

• The Brooklyn and College Hill area south of the Speed River is the city's only district that was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.

• St. Patrick's Ward (The Ward) with many old buildings, originally contained both manufacturing facilities and modest homes. Many newcomers from Europe, particularly Italy, settled here after 185o0.

• Allan's Mill

 

Heffernan Street Footbridge

• Heffernan Street Footbridge: Spanning the Speed River behind St. George's Anglican Church, this structure was built in 1913, and replaced an earlier steel bridge. The footbridge was designated a heritage site and was restored/reconstructed in 1991 to more closely resemble the original design

• Goldie Mill ruins: Once owned by the Goldie family, an important name in the early Waterloo Region, the mill was operated from 1866 until 1953 when a fire destroyed it. For some years, it served as a venue for outdoor public and private events but the area around the buildings was closed to the public in June 2017 due to soil contamination and sinkholes. Restoration of the ruins was underway in 2019, authorized by the owner, the Grand River Conservation Authority; the site to re-open to the public on 18 February 2021.

 

National Historic Sites

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Nationally designated sites in the city include:

• Old City Hall, a formal, classical civic building; built in 1856–57.

• McCrae House, home of John McCrae, author of "In Flanders Fields", built in 1858.

• Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate, a Roman Catholic church designed by Joseph Connolly, located downtown, is a local landmark and a National Historic Site. The church was built over a number of years, specifically 1876 to 1888

 

Outdoor attractions

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Most of the natural attractions of Guelph are located beside the two rivers which pass inside the city, Speed River and Eramosa River.

• Guelph Lake

• University of Guelph Arboretum

• Riverside Park, located beside the Speed River at the north of Guelph

• York Road Park

• Hanlon Creek Park (Preservation Park)

• Royal City Park and Wellington Street nature sites

 

Festivals

• Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival

• Guelph Pride and Winter Pride

• Guelph and District Multicultural Festival

• Hillside Festival

• Two Rivers Festival

• John Galt Day

• Guelph Jazz Festival

• Guelph Ribfest

• Guelph Festival of Moving Media

• Guelph Film Festival

• Vegfest Guelph

 

Arts facilities

• The Art Gallery of Guelph, formerly Macdonald Stewart Art Centre

• The Bookshelf Ebar Art Space

• Ed Video Media Arts Centre

• River Run Centre

• Guelph Youth Music Centr

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The Sleeman Centre is a sports and entertainment venue in Guelph. The large, modern facility allows for a variety of events such as concerts, sporting and family events, trade shows and conferences, and it is home to the local hockey team, the Guelph Storm.

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Music

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From a Bell Organ factory to the opera singer Edward Johnson, Guelph has been a source of musical contribution. Today, Guelph has a thriving indie rock scene, which has spawned some of Canada's more well-known indie bands, many of which are highlighted in the annual Kazoo Festival. Guelph is also home to the Hillside Festival, a hugely popular music

festival held at nearby Guelph Lake during the summer, as well as the Guelph Jazz Festival.

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Guelph is also home to the Guelph Symphony Orchestra, and two yearly classical music festivals. The Kiwanis Music Festival of Guelph showcases students from Guelph and surrounding areas, while the Guelph Musicfest offers performances by local professional classical musicians.

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