Port Rowan is a town in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Lake Erie, adjacent to Long Point. The lakeside community has a population of fewer than 1500 people and sports a number of traditional small businesses such as Twin's Ice Cream Parlour, which has been operating in the town for decades.
Walking through Port Rowan is simple provided that caution is taken around traffic. The streets can get busy at times but the amount of traffic is light compared to cities like Hamilton, Kitchener, or London. Recommended activities include walking, hiking, running, and cycling. While most of the streets have sidewalks, people are safer to walk in a single line. Walking in this community is possible on a year-round basis and most of the streets are gravel unlike Delhi or Langton where the streets are asphalt.
Port Rowan is the home of Robert F. Hill, a film director, screenwriter and actor who worked in Hollywood from the 1910s to the 1960s; specializing in silent films.
History
Port Rowan's earliest known inhabitants, from around the year 1000 until approximately 300–350 years later, were the Algonquin nation. They were noted flint-workers and evidence of the skill in crafting arrowheads is still to be found in open worked field areas surrounding the hamlet. The next wave of inhabitants were the Attawandaron nation, the Neutrals, who occupied the region from about 1350 until their absorption by the Iroquois in the year 1651. The last significant native nation to occupy the area was the Mississaugas.
Key buildings, including John Backhouse`s mill, that date back to the 18th century, remain in existence today. During the War of 1812 American soldiers burned all the mills on Lake Erie`s north shore, from the St Clair River to the Grand River, except for the Backhouse mill, and one other. According to Ron Brown, in ″The Lake Erie Shore: Ontario's Forgotten South Coast″, Backhouse`s mill was skipped due to powerful connections within the USA.
The South Norfolk Railway reached Port Rowan in 1886. It was acquired by the Canadian National Railway, which operated it until 1965.
By the mid-1960s, Port Rowan was noted for its close proximity to hunting, fishing, and recreation. However, the practicing dentist of that time choose to retire after serving the community since the 1930s. As a result, approximately 6000 people were in dire need of a dentist.
In 1970 New Democratic Party MPP Morton Shulman asserted that Port Rowan was the destination of secret meetings of mafia leaders.
In 2001, Haldimand-Norfolk was dissolved into two separate single-tier counties. Port Rowan became part of the newly formed County of Norfolk.
In 2017, Port Rowan was officially named the birdhouse capital of Canada.
Demographics
The majority of Port Rowan's residents between 70–79 years of age as of 2016; meaning that most Port Rowan residents stopped being members of the active work force around 2006 and lack the computerized skills needed for many of today's jobs. Most of the residents were born in Canada, but there are 25 individuals who were born in the United States of America and nearly 200 people born in Europe. English is the most commonly spoken language there; although other languages are spoken by a fair amount of the residents. Females slightly outnumber males in this town; there are only 85 children and 400 adolescents and working-age adults.
Only 275 people who live in Port Rowan are gainfully employed while 10 people are unemployed and seeking work. There are 790 people in this community who are either retired, homemakers, or disabled to an extent that they can't work for a living.
Attractions
For more than 30 years, Port Rowan hosted Bayfest which is an annual Labour Day celebration. The celebration was originally known as the Tomato Fest. Bayfest typically lasts for three days each year. The celebration usually features a parade, vendors, and fireworks.
Franni's Attic is one of the top five places to visit in Port Rowan; offering a variety of antiques, furniture, and hardware that ranges from average to excellent levels of quality. Expect to spend at least 180 minutes browsing through the store's historical treasures.