LaSalle is a town in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. It is a bedroom community of the City of Windsor and part of the Windsor Census Metropolitan Area, and is located south of that city. LaSalle, along with Windsor, is the oldest French settlement area in Southwestern Ontario, and the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in Canada west of the Quebec border. The town was named for explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.
LaSalle | |
|---|---|
| Town of LaSalle | |
 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  LaSalle  LaSalle | |
| Coordinates: 42°13′N 83°04′W / 42.217°N 83.067°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| County | Essex |
| Incorporated | 1991 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Crystal Meloche |
| • Member of Parliament | Chris Lewis (CPC) |
| • Provincial Representative | Anthony Leardi (PC) |
| Area | |
| • Land | 65.35 km2 (25.23 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Total | 32,721 |
| • Density | 500.7/km2 (1,297/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| Forward sortation area | |
| Area code(s) | 519, 226, and 548 |
| Website | www.lasalle.ca |
The current Town of Lasalle was originally incorporated as the Township of Sandwich West in 1861. A portion of the township incorporated as the Town of Lasalle in 1924, but was dissolved in 1959 and rejoined Sandwich West. In 1991, the Township changed its status to that of a Town and was renamed Lasalle. It is the second most populous municipality within Essex County after the Municipality of Lakeshore. The town's land area includes Fighting Island in the Detroit River at its western side. Fighting Island is privately owned by BASF, the world's largest chemical company.
Town features
editOne of LaSalle's biggest events is the annual Strawberry Festival[3] which takes place on the first weekend in June. The annual LaSalle Craft Beer Festival, put on by the Corporation of the Town of LaSalle, is another annual event that features different types of beer, from popular brands to smaller microbreweries.[4]
In LaSalle, there are two secondary schools: Sandwich Secondary School and St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic Secondary School. Elementary schools include Sacred Heart Elementary School, Legacy Oak Trail Public School, LaSalle Public School, Sandwich West Public School, École Monseigneur Augustin Caron, and Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School.
LaSalle also has a bicycle trail network called the LaSalle Trail, which links up to neighbouring Windsor Trail network, allowing people to ride from Sandwich Secondary School to Windsor's Riverfront Trail. The town has expressed intention to connect LaSalle (and indirectly, Windsor) to the Chrysler Canada Greenway by constructing a link to the Trans Canada Trail near Oldcastle.[citation needed]
LaSalle's Brunet Park has a 2.6 km loop trail, and is generally considered an easy route which takes an average of 28 minutes to complete. With 40 km of paved trails in LaSalle, you can walk, jog or ride your bicycle throughout the town. There are 16 signs along the trails, with facts about LaSalle, Ontario and/or Canada.[5]
The town also features the Vollmer Culture and Recreation Complex, home to the LaSalle Vipers, of the GOJHL and the LaSalle Sabres, of the OMHA. It is also home to the LaSalle Stompers, of the Ontario Soccer Association. The complex has multiple rooms for hosting of events, 2 arenas, an Olympic-sized pool and slide, outdoor skate park, splash pad, soccer fields, and baseball diamonds.
LaSalle Landing
editLaSalle is currently revitalizing their waterfront with an initiative called the LaSalle Landing. This project will include an event centre, a retention pond, sport zone, water fountain, skate trail, boat launch and multiple new bridges.[6] This project is projected to cost 48.5 million dollars.[7] LaSalle will be using $4 500 000 from the Federal Gas Tax and $500 000 from the Pedestrian Safety Reserve to help pay for the project. LaSalle has taken on $12 000 000 of debt after being denied a grant through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.[8]
Communities
editBesides the urban area proper of LaSalle itself, the town of LaSalle comprises a number of villages and hamlets, including Delisle's Corners, Heritage Estates, Lukerville, Oliver and River Canard.
Demographics
editIn the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, LaSalle had a population of 32,721 living in 11,644 of its 11,922 total private dwellings, a change of 8.4% from its 2016 population of 30,180. With a land area of 64.96 km2 (25.08 sq mi), it had a population density of 503.7/km2 (1,304.6/sq mi) in 2021.[10]
| 2021 | 2016 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 32,721 (+8.4% from 2016) | 30,180 (5.4% from 2011) | 28,643 (3.6% from 2006) |
| Land area | 64.96 km2 (25.08 sq mi) | 65.35 km2 (25.23 sq mi) | 65.30 km2 (25.21 sq mi) |
| Population density | 503.7/km2 (1,305/sq mi) | 461.8/km2 (1,196/sq mi) | 438.6/km2 (1,136/sq mi) |
| Median age | 44.0 (M: 42.8, F: 44.8) | 40.5 (M: 40.0, F: 41.0) | |
| Private dwellings | 11,922 (total) 11,644 (occupied) | 10,793 (total) | 10,103 (total) |
| Median household income | $119,000 |
Notable people
edit- Jeff Burrows - member of rock band The Tea Party; grew up in LaSalle
- Stuart Chatwood - member of rock band The Tea Party; grew up in LaSalle
- Pete Craig - former MLB player
- Andy Delmore - former NHL player
- Jesse Divnich - Industry personality in video games; grew up in LaSalle
- David Finch - comic book artist[16]
- Richie Hawtin - electronic musician; grew up in LaSalle
- Zack Kassian - NHL player
- Paul Lucier - Senator
- Jeff Martin - member of rock band The Tea Party; grew up in LaSalle
- Kylie Masse - competitive swimmer; a world champion and a world record holder in the 100 m backstroke; grew up in LaSalle[17]
- Dalton Prout - former NHL player
- Amanda Reason - former world record holder and Olympic swimmer
- Marc Reaume- former NHL player[18]
- Derek Wilkinson - former NHL player
- Luke Willson - former NFL tight end, Super Bowl Champion
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "LaSalle census profile". 2016 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ^ "LaSalle census profile". 2021 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "LaSalle Strawberry Festival". Town of LaSalle. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ "2018 LaSalle Craft Beer Festival". Town of LaSalle. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ "Parks and Trails". March 27, 2024.
- ^ "LaSalle Small Coast Waterfront Experience". May 4, 2023.
- ^ "LaSalle moves to $24M Phase 2 of waterfront development without federal and provincial funding".
- ^ "LaSalle moves to $24M Phase 2 of waterfront development without federal and provincial funding".
- ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Ontario". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- ^ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
- ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
- ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
- ^ "David Finch". ComicVine. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ "Kylie Masse". Canadian Olympic Team. April 10, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ "NHL Players from LaSalle, Ontario - Regular Season Stats". Quant Hockey.