Dorchester, Ontario


Dorchester applied first to the township, the name honours Sir Guy Carleton, Lord Dorchester. It was changed from Dorchester Station on May 3, 1961. Dorchester is the residential and commercial core of the municipality of Thames Centre, in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, a few kilometres directly east of the city of London. According to the Canada 2016 Census, the town has a population of 3,911.
The local arena underwent a $10 million expansion and opened on November 2, 2010. This expansion added a second NHL-sized ice pad, a gymnasium, and many other facilities to go along with upgrades to the existing part. It is now home to the Dorchester Dolphins Junior C hockey team. Much of the funding raised was done by local events such as Raise the Roof and TC Rocks, an outdoor concert.
Inspired by the 1989 movie "Field of Dreams", Thames Centre is currently constructing a new outdoor recreation centre complex at 3245 Hamilton Rd. The new recreation centre will have a baseball diamond, three full size soccer pitches, two mini-pitches, a pond, and a proposed clubhouse. The total cost is an estimated $200,000. In the master plan, the municipality wishes to make the recreation centre recognizing the need for children, youths, adults, masters, and the disabled.

Geography

There are four schools in Dorchester. As with most of the schools in the areas surrounding London, they are part of either the Thames Valley District School Board or the London District Catholic School Board.
Dorchester has a community newspaper, The Signpost.