Belleville is located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in southeastern Ontario between the cities of Quinte West to the west and Napanee to the east. These cities are connected by both Ontario’s Highway 2 and the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway (Highway 401); The city is also served by Highway 37, running north–south from Belleville towards Tweed to the east of the Moira River; and Highway 62 (once Highway 14 south of 401), northwards towards Madoc, and southward to Prince Edward County over the Bay Bridge.

Belleville is located in a transitional zone which may be considered part of the Central Ontario or Eastern Ontario regions by different sources. Officially, Belleville is properly considered part of the Central Ontario region as it is located west of the St. Lawrence River‘s starting point, but the city is popularly considered part of Eastern Ontario as it shares the eastern region’s area code 613 and K postal code.

Neighbourhoods

In addition to the Belleville city centre, the city of Belleville also comprises a number of villages and hamlets, including the following communities: Bayshore, Cannifton, Corbyville, Foxboro, Frink Centre, Gilead, Halloway, Honeywell Corners, Latta, Loyalist, Philipston, Plainfield, Pointe Anne, Roslin (partially), Thrasher’s Corners, Thurlow, Thurlow South and Zion Hill.

Demographics

Belleville is the largest urban centre in a much larger market area generally known as the Quinte Region. According to the 2020 World Population Review,^[21] the population of Belleville is 50,716, a 2.6% increase from 2011. The population density is 205.1 people per square km. The median age is 44.7 years old, a bit higher than the national median at 41.2 years old. There are 22,744 private dwellings with an occupancy rate of 95.6%. The median value of a dwelling in Belleville is $229,630 which is a fair bit lower than the national average at $341,556. The median household income (after-taxes) in Belleville is $53,365, somewhat lower than the national average at $61,348.

Sports

The Belleville Senators play in the American Hockey League (AHL) and began play in the 2017–18 season as the top minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League‘s Ottawa Senators.^[23] They play at the CAA Arena, formally Yardmen Arena, located on 265 Cannifton Road.

Belleville Bulls played in the Ontario Hockey League from 1981 to 2015. The team was then sold and relocated to Hamilton, Ontario. Belleville was also previously home to two senior hockey teams, the Belleville Macs and the Belleville McFarlands. Belleville is also home the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club, which challenged for the America’s Cup in 1881. Belleville also sports minor hockey league teams such as the Belleville Bearcats (female) and the Belleville Jr. Bulls (male).

The Belleville McFarlands were a men’s senior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association Senior division from 1956 to 1961. The McFarlands were Allan Cup champions in 1958, defeating the Kelowna Packers four games to three, and the World Championship in 1959. The team name was revived by a later team in the Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League from 2003 to 2006, known as the Belleville Macs

Shannonville Motorsport Park has hosted rounds of the Canadian Touring Car Championship, the Canadian Superbike Championship and the CASC Ontario Region championships.

Government

Local government is represented by Belleville City Council with a mayor and eight councillors. There are two city wards with Ward 1 (Belleville) represented by six councillors and Ward 2 (Thurlow) by two councillors. Ward 1 consists of the historic city and Ward 2 was created in 1998 with the amalgamation of Township of Thurlow. City Council sits at Belleville City Hall.

Education

Post-secondary

The Academy of Learning College is a local college located on the east end of Belleville.

Loyalist College is a local public community college located on the border of Belleville and Quinte West on Wallbridge Loyalist Road.

Public schools

The public school system is served by the Hastings & Prince Edward District School Board. The Catholic School system is served by the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board.

Secondary schools:

• Centennial Secondary School
• Eastside Secondary School
• Bayside Secondary School (Quinte West)

Elementary schools:

• Susanna Moodie Elementary School
• Parkdale Public Elementary School
• Queen Elizabeth Elementary School
• Prince of Wales Elementary School
• Harry J. Clarke Elementary School (French immersion)
• Queen Victoria Elementary School
• Sir John A Macdonald School
• Prince Charles Elementary School
• Foxboro Public School
• Bayside Elementary School] (French immersion}
• Harmony Public School

Separate schools

The following are Belleville area schools managed by the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board.

Secondary schools:

• Nicholson Catholic College
• St. Theresa Catholic Secondary School

Elementary schools:

• Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School
• St Michael’s Catholic School (French immersion)
• St Joseph’s Catholic School
• Georges Vanier Catholic School
• Holy Rosary Catholic School

Provincial demonstration schools

• Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf
• Sagonaska School

Private schools

• Academy of Learning College
• Quinte Ballet School of Canada
• Quinte Christian High School
• Belleville Christian School
• Belleville Montessori School
• Albert College

 

This page uses material from the Wikipedia article “Belleville Ontario, Canada”, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0