Grey Highlands

Grey Highlands
Grey Highlands
Municipality (lower-tier)
	Municipality of Grey Highlands
	Grey Highlands Grey Highlands
	Coordinates: 44°20′N 80°30′W / 44.333°N 80.500°W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Grey
Formed	January 1, 2001
Government
• Mayor	Paul McQueen
• Deputy Mayor	Dane Nielsen
• Fed. riding	Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound
• Prov. riding	Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound
Area
• Land	879.03 km2 (339.40 sq mi)
Population (2021)
• Total	10,424
• Density	11.9/km2 (31/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal Code	N0C 1H0
Area codes	519, 226
Website	www.greyhighlands.ca

Grey Highlands is a municipality in the southeast corner of Grey County, Ontario, Canada.

It was formed on January 1, 2001, by the amalgamation of the Village of Markdale and the Townships of Artemesia, Euphrasia and Osprey,^[2] which included the unincorporated hamlets of Eugenia, Ceylon, Maxwell, Singhampton, Priceville, Kimberley, Badjeros, and Feversham. The former village of Flesherton is also located within the municipality and was amalgamated with Artemesia Township in 1998.

Geography

The dominant natural feature of the area is the Niagara Escarpment, which passes through the municipality and has several ancillary features:

the Bruce Trail, a popular hiking and multi-use trail, follows the brow of the Niagara Escarpment.
Beaver Valley, a steep-sided and broad valley, was created during the last ice age. The eastern side of the valley, as part of the Niagara Escarpment, was designated a UNESCO Biosphere reserve in 1990.^[3] The west side of the valley is home to a number of downhill ski slopes, including Beaver Valley Ski Club.
Eugenia Falls, where the Beaver River crosses the Niagara Escarpment, is the location of Grey County's only gold rush.^[4]

Communities

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Grey Highlands had a population of 10,424 living in 4,091 of its 5,337 total private dwellings, a change of 6.3% from its 2016 population of 9,804. With a land area of 879.03 km² (339.40 sq mi), it had a population density of 11.9/km² (30.7/sq mi) in 2021.^[1]

In the 2016 census, the municipality covered a land area of 882 square kilometres (341 sq mi) and had a population of 9,804. The municipality had a healthy population growth, and its average age (43 years old) is close to that of the provincial average (41 years old). The average household size was 2.5, and the average total income of all households is $94,000. The average after-tax income of households in the municipality was $77,000.^[5]

Historical census populations – Grey Highlands

Year	Pop.	±%
1996	8,620	—
2001	9,196	+6.7%
2006	9,480	+3.1%

Year	Pop.	±%
2011	9,520	+0.4%
2016	9,804	+3.0%
2021	10,424	+6.3%

Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes.
Source: Statistics Canada^[1]^[5]^[6]

Education

Elementary students (kindergarten to grade 8) are divided into three catchment areas:

MacPhail Memorial Elementary School serves the Flesherton area.
Osprey Central School serves the Maxwell and the Feversham areas.
Beavercrest Community School serves the Markdale and the surrounding areas.

All of those students go to Grey Highlands Secondary School in Flesherton for Grades 9 to 12.

References

1 2 3 4 "Grey Highlands (Code 3542015) Census Profile". 2021 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
↑ "Municipal restructuring activity summary table - Dataset - Ontario Data Catalogue". data.ontario.ca. Government of Ontario. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
↑ "List of Biosphere Reserves 2009" (PDF). UNESCO. 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
↑ "In 1852, when the country was very new and wild, somebody thought he had discovered gold in the rocks below the falls... One adventurous waggonmaker, from the County of York, happening to be in the region, made a rush with the rest to the diggings, and soon departed homeward, several days journey through woods and bushroads, with a backbreaking load in a bag... He got home, and before he slept kindled up his forge fire to melt down a little of the precious stuff.... The sulphurious fumes and horrible stench of the vile stuff choked him, and well nigh drove him out of the premises. He had carried home a backload of worthless iron pyrites!"Smith, William Wye (1866). Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Grey for 1865-66. Toronto: Global Steam Press.
1 2 "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Grey Highlands, Municipality". Statistics Canada. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
↑ "Grey Highlands census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-09.

External links

Official website

[SCref21-1] 1 2 3 4 "Grey Highlands (Code 3542015) Census Profile". 2021 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2026-03-16.

[restruct-2] "Municipal restructuring activity summary table - Dataset - Ontario Data Catalogue". data.ontario.ca. Government of Ontario. Retrieved 1 March 2026.

[3] "List of Biosphere Reserves 2009" (PDF). UNESCO. 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-01.

[4] "In 1852, when the country was very new and wild, somebody thought he had discovered gold in the rocks below the falls... One adventurous waggonmaker, from the County of York, happening to be in the region, made a rush with the rest to the diggings, and soon departed homeward, several days journey through woods and bushroads, with a backbreaking load in a bag... He got home, and before he slept kindled up his forge fire to melt down a little of the precious stuff.... The sulphurious fumes and horrible stench of the vile stuff choked him, and well nigh drove him out of the premises. He had carried home a backload of worthless iron pyrites!"Smith, William Wye (1866). Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Grey for 1865-66. Toronto: Global Steam Press.

[census2016-5] 1 2 "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Grey Highlands, Municipality". Statistics Canada. Retrieved June 13, 2019.

[census2011-6] "Grey Highlands census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-09.

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