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The History of Rayside-Balfour

The story of Rayside-Balfour and the city around it.

Rayside-Balfour (1996 census population 16,050) was a town in Ontario, Canada, which existed from 1973 to 2000. It is now part of the city of Greater Sudbury. The town was created as part of the Regional Municipality of Sudbury and took its name from the townships of Rayside and Balfour, which fell within the boundaries of the new town; prior to the town's creation in 1973, Rayside and Balfour were separately incorporated as township municipalities. Although the Regional Municipality of Sudbury was a very important centre of Franco-Ontarian population and culture, Rayside-Balfour was the only town in the regional municipality which had a majority francophone population. It remains as such still today.

Bell Homestead National Historic Site

Alexander Graham Bell made the world's first long-distance telephone call from his father's homestead in Tutela Heights, just minutes from West Brant. The Bell Homestead National Historic Site preserves the farmhouse and coach house where Bell conducted his early telephone experiments in the 1870s. Open seasonally for tours.

Timeline

2001
On January 1, 2001, the town and the Regional Municipality were dissolved and amalgamated into the city of Greater Sudbury.
2006
In 2006, there was interest in the deamalgamation of the former town of Rayside-Balfour from the City of Greater Sudbury.
2011
In the Canada 2011 Census, the entire main populated core of Rayside-Balfour was counted as part of the population centre (or urban area) of Sudbury, with no separate population statistics published for the Rayside-Balfour area alone.
2016
For the Canada 2016 Census, Chelmsford and Azilda were removed from the Sudbury population centre and designated as separate population centres, with Azilda having a population of 4,663 and Chelmsford 6,215.

Photos

Azilda (Greater Sudbury), Ontario, Canada
Azilda (Greater Sudbury), Ontario, Canada
Chelmsford (Greater Sudbury), Ontario, Canada
Chelmsford (Greater Sudbury), Ontario, Canada
Rayside-Balfour Welcome Sign
Rayside-Balfour Welcome Sign

Full History

On January 1, 2001, the town and the Regional Municipality were dissolved and amalgamated into the city of Greater Sudbury. The Rayside-Balfour area is now divided between Wards 3 and 4 on Greater Sudbury City Council. In 2006, there was interest in the deamalgamation of the former town of Rayside-Balfour from the City of Greater Sudbury. However, since any referendum on the matter would require the consent of the provincial government, such a move is unlikely to take place. In the Canada 2011 Census, the entire main populated core of Rayside-Balfour was counted as part of the population centre (or urban area) of Sudbury, with no separate population statistics published for the Rayside-Balfour area alone. However, the four census tracts corresponding to the former Rayside-Balfour had a total population of 14,557. For the Canada 2016 Census, Chelmsford and Azilda were removed from the Sudbury population centre and designated as separate population centres, with Azilda having a population of 4,663 and Chelmsford 6,215. The latest population trends show an increase in Azilda, while Chelmsford's population remains relatively stable.

Source: Wikipedia