Elora, Ontario

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Elora redirects here. For the Spyro the Dragon character, see Elora (Spyro character).

Image:GPLed Grand River.png Elora is a village in Ontario, Canada, with a population of 4,546 (2001 census). It has not officially existed since amalgamation, and is currently part of the Township of Centre Wellington, itself a part of Wellington County.

Elora was founded in 1832 by Captain William Gilkison, a British officer recently returned from India. The town's name was inspired by the Ellora Caves near Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Elora is famous for its historic architecture, its artistic community, and its geographically significant Elora Gorge.

The town is situated on the Grand River, approximately 20 kilometres north of Guelph, and 20 kilometres northeast of Kitchener-Waterloo. Its coordinates are 43° 40" 59' N - 80° 25" 59' W.

The spectacular Elora Gorge is at the western edge of the village, adjacent to the Elora Gorge Conservation Area. At the eastern end of the village is the Elora Quarry Conservation area, a scenic former limestone quarry which is now a popular swimming area. Both of these conservation areas are under the authority of the Grand River Conservation Authority. Many films have been filmed at the quarry and at the gorge including Angel Eyes starring Jennifer Lopez.

Elora is also a noted tourist attraction, with a famous waterfall overlooked by an old mill, numerous small shops and art galleries. The Gorge Cinema, a quaint old movie theater, is Canada's oldest continually running repertoire theater. The Elora Mill is Ontario's only remaining five story mill and has been renovated as a prestigious Inn and restaurant. The town makes a terminus to Ontario's scenic 47km Elora Cataract Trailway to its East, and is just 10km from the Trans Canada Trail to its Southwest.

In 2000 a proposal was made to bring a racetrack with slot machines to Elora. The race track became the subject of much debate. The Centre Wellington Citizens Coalition was formed in opposition to the race track, primarily due to the inclusion of gambling facilities. A 4-3 decision to approve the opening was made by town council. It came down to a 3-3 decision and the mayor at the time George Pinkney, voted in favour of it. In 2002, the Grand River Raceway opened in Elora, with 200 slot machines.

In 2001, inspired by David Earle and spearheaded by Toni Ellis, a group of citizens organized to develop a century school, whose headmaster had been at one time David Boyle, into an arts and cultural center. After much hard work on the part of organizers and volunteers,The Elora Centre for the Arts has opened and has become an important part of Elora's traditional aesthetic heritage. A.J. Casson, Harold Town, and Corbett Gray were all admirers of Elora.

Image:Davidstreetbridge.JPGIn 2002 the Township of Centre Wellington announced that for safety reasons it would be necessary to demolish the historically important David Street Bridge. Concerned about the preservation of Elora's culturally significant architecture, artist Jim Reed and gallery owner David Neelin formed the group Elora Heritage. They received over 1,000 names on a petition and assisted by long time resident activist Don Harris, they met with representatives from town council as well as the provincial and federal governments. It became apparent that the bridge was beyond preservation; however council agreed to preserve the pier and build a replica bridge. The replica bridge presented numerous engineering challenges and its successful construction was met with acclaim. The Township of Centre Wellington was also lauded for being responsive to its citizens in this matter.

The town is closely linked with nearby Fergus, Salem, and other communities in the area, which share a significant museum and active historical society listed below. The two towns host several annual musical festivals. Elora lies in an area with many old-order Mennonite farmers.

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