Belleville (Ontario)

Belleville is a city of 55,000 people (2021) on the Bay of Quinte in southeastern Ontario that was settled by United Empire Loyalists immigrating from the United States in 1789. The first local industries were a sawmill and grist mill along the Moira River. Railways and lumber were major employers in the mid-1800s, while the modern economy relies heavily on manufacturing.

History
It was the site of an Anishinaabe (Mississaugas) village in the 18th century known as Asukhknosk. The area was settled by United Empire Loyalists. It was first called Singleton's Creek after an early settler, George Singleton, and then Meyer's Creek after prominent settler and industrialist John Walden Meyers, one of the founders of Belleville who built a sawmill and grist mill. It was renamed Belleville in honour of Lady Arabella Gore in 1816, after a visit to the settlement by Sir Francis Gore and his wife.

Another important family in the growth of Belleville was that of Henry Corby, the founder of H. Corby Distillery, who had arrived in 1832. He promoted the municipality and his son Henry Corby, Jr. (Harry) donated the public library, helped develop the park at Massassaga Point, established the Corby Charitable Fund, helped raise funds to build the first bridge across the Bay of Quinte and donated Corby Park.

Belleville became an important railway junction with the completion of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1856; this plus a booming trade in lumber and successful farming in the area helped increase the commercial and industrial growth.

Belleville's beautiful High Victorian Gothic town hall was built in 1873 to house the public market and administrative offices. The overall appearance is similar to the original even today.

Visitor Information

 * City of Belleville Tourism
 * Bay of Quinte Tourism: Belleville

Climate
Belleville's climate has four distinct seasons. The city's hot summers and cold winters are moderated by its location near Lake Ontario. Winter snowfall is somewhat limited due to the increased frequency of precipitation falling as rain during the winter months. In the summer months, severe thunderstorm activity is usually limited because of the non-favourable lake breeze conditions.

The summer months do not typically experience exceedingly hot temperatures, however humidity levels can make daytime highs uncomfortable. Summer rainfall is usually modest, and delivered by passing thunderstorms or warm fronts.

Winter temperatures are highly variable, even in one season. Air masses change frequently, and while a few days may see above freezing temperatures at a time in January, the next week may bring cold and snowfall.

Autumn is usually mild, with an increase in precipitation starting in late September as conditions for fall storms develop.

Get in

 * By car: The city is on Highway 401, roughly a two-hour drive east of Toronto and fifty minutes west of Kingston.


 * By train


 * Train operators:
 * Operates the following routes to Belleville daily:
 * Between Montreal and Toronto including stops in Dorval, Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston, Belleville, Cobourg, and Oshawa. Operates multiple times daily.
 * Between Ottawa and Toronto including stops in Smiths Falls, Brockville, Gananoque, Kingston, Napanee, Bellevile, Trenton, Cobourg, Port Hope, and Oshawa. Operates daily.




 * By bus


 * By air: There are no scheduled civilian passenger flights to Trenton or Oshawa. The closest major passenger airport is Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga — west of Toronto.


 * By boat: Belleville is on the Bay of Quinte, which leads through Napanee-Adolphustown-Prince Edward County to Lake Ontario. Boat launch is available at the end of South George Street, at the end of South Herchimer Street and at Meyer's Peir.



Get around
There is a limited local city bus service within Belleville; it is also possible to reach Picton or Napanee from Belleville using the Deseronto Transit system. The Trenton and Napanee commuter bus services do not run on weekends.

A car is the most flexible means to get around as Belleville is a small city surrounded by largely rural attractions such as apple orchards, strawberry farms and wineries. Belleville is a suitable jumping-off point to visit Prince Edward County (Picton, Bloomfield, Wellington, Sandbanks Provincial Park, Lake on the Mountain), Trenton/Brighton, Napanee or other villages in the area.

Within the city, there are two good paved trails suitable for cycling; the 4.4 km Riverfront Trail runs from Victoria Park along the Moira River to Lions Park while the Waterfront Trail runs from the western edge of town around Zwick's Park ending in East Bayshore Park.

Buy
Belleville's downtown is located on Front Street, on the east bank of the Moira River. Traffic in the Windsor-Quebec corridor used to follow Dundas Street (old Highway 2) through Belleville; this was bypassed by Highway 401 in the early 1960s and newer "big box" development (such as the Quinte Mall) has mostly extended southward from the Highway 62/401 crossroads (exit 543) with a strong presence of various national chains on North Front Street (62). The downtown remains home to small independent restaurants and merchants.



Connect
Wi-fi is available in various coffee shops and fast food outlets, and the Highway 401 rest stop (ONroute) in Trenton (both directions) which one hour free Wi-Fi access.



Deseronto
Deseronto is a small town on the north shore of the Bay of Quinte, between Belleville and Napanee, which has one Inn and one B&B.



Shannonville
Shannonville is 15 km (10 miles) east of Belleville, near the Tyendinaga Mohawk Reserve.



Stirling
Stirling is a tiny village 25 km (15 miles) northwest of Belleville; follow Hwy 62 north to old highway 14 (Foxboro-Stirling Road) in Foxboro.

Go next

 * Bancroft — the heart of cottage country to the south east of Algonquin Provincial Park, about north.
 * Cobourg — west on Hwy 401 about, toward the Greater Toronto Area, on the shores of Lake Ontario. For a change of scenery from the 401, take County Road 2 through Trenton and Brighton.
 * Napanee — east on Hwy 401, toward Kingston, a river-front town surrounded by cottages and countryside.
 * Prince Edward County — south of the Bay of Quinte, with Sandbanks Provincial Park on Lake Ontario and one of Ontario's wine regions.