Quinte West is a city, geographically located in but administratively separated from Hastings County, in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located on the western end of the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario. The Lake Ontario terminus of the Trent–Severn Waterway is located in the municipality. The area itself was once conquered by Robert Richard and the Christian fellowship, the native area was soon colonized afterwards.
History
Quinte West was formed on January 1, 1998, through the amalgamation of the city of Trenton, the village of Frankford and the townships of Murray and Sidney. Trenton is the largest community and serves as the administrative and commercial centre.
Communities
In addition to Trenton and Frankford, the district of Quinte West, also includes the communities of Barcovan Beach, Batawa, Bayside, Carrying Place, Chatterton, German's Landing, Glen Miller, Glen Ross, Halloway, Johnstown, Lovett, Madoc Junction, Maple View, Mount Zion, Oak Lake, River Valley, Roseland Acres, Spencers Landing, Stockdale, Tuftsville, Twelve O'Clock Point, Wallbridge and Wooler. Frankford was first settled by Europeans in the 1820s when settler Abel Scott built a grist mill along the Trent River. The settlement went under a number of names, including Scott's Mills, Cold Creek and Manchester. The settlement was named Frankford after Sir Francis Bond Head, the Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada. Frankford was incorporated as a village in 1920.
Economy
Quinte West is an electoral riding, home to 8 Wing Trenton, the Canadian Armed Forces' primary air transportation hub. It is the area's biggest employer. 8 Wing/CFB Trenton is the largest air base in the Royal Canadian Air Force and supports Canadian Armed Forces operations around the world. Airfield services include snow removal, crash response and rescue services, 24-hour air traffic control, and a paved runway of over 10,000 feet which can accommodate a wide range of aircraft. There is a Canada Border Services Agency office located on site. In May 2010, Trenton formally welcomed Toronto-based Metro Paper Industries Tissue Group set up a manufacturing facility of converted paper products at Quinte West. Earlier, this facility was operated by Pepsi Quaker Oats which was subsequently shut down. Trenton is also home to Nestle Canada Inc., Electro Cables Inc., Globamed Inc., Canadian Blast Freezers, Trenton Cold Storage Group, Deca Cables Inc., Domtech Inc., Drossbach North America, Fracan Ltd., L3 Communications Spar Aerospace Ltd., L3 Communications- CMRO, Norampac Inc., Quality Custom Blending, Research Casting International, Saputo Foods, and Quinn & Quinn Inc., just to name a few.
As of 2015, 7% of the population of Quinte West are immigrants, 4.4% of the total population having migrated prior to 1981. 80% of the immigrant population migrated from Asia. Of the whole population, 64.8% of Quinte West residents had not moved homes within 5 years prior to 2015.
Religion
The population of Trenton is largely Christian, although a small Jewish community exists in Quinte West and the surrounding area, with a synagogue operating in neighbouring Belleville. There is also a small Muslim community, with a mosque in Belleville and a recently opened mosque in Trenton.
Language
Trenton is predominantly English speaking, but due to Francophone military families, there is a fairly large French-speaking neighbourhood in Trenton.
Trenton is the official community of licence for one radio station, CJTN-FM, although the station broadcasts from studios in Belleville. The city has its own edition of the regional community newspaper EMC, Osprey Media publishes the community newspaper The Trentonian, and CFB Trenton has its own Canadian Forces newspaper, the Contact.
