Clarington (Ontario)

Clarington is a municipality of 92,000 people (2016) in the Durham region of the Greater Toronto Area. It is directly to the east of Oshawa, and a partially-rural area.

Understand
It was incorporated in 1973 as the Town of Newcastle with the merging of the town of Bowmanville and the townships of Clarke and Darlington. In 1994, the town was renamed Clarington, a portmanteau of the names of the two former townships.

Most residents commute for work in Durham Region or Toronto. Major employers in Clarington include the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, General Motors Canada, and several medium to large-sized manufacturing businesses.

Communities
The municipality consists of several major urban communities:
 * Bowmanville
 * Courtice
 * Newcastle
 * Orono

Climate
Unlike many other locations on similar latitudes on the eastern half of the North American continent the winters are relatively mild, with cold extremes being moderated by the proximity to Lake Ontario. In spite of this the average low is around −10 °C (14 °F) in January. Summers are normally moderately warm with averages of around 26 °C (79 °F) during the day but with nights cooling off rapidly to fall below 15 °C (59 °F) on many occasions.

By rail
VIA (intercity) and GO Transit (commuter) trains stop in nearby Oshawa.

By car
By freeway, the six-lane Ontario highway 401 connects Clarington to the rest of the Windsor-Quebec corridor.

For Bowmanville, exit Hwy 401 at the Liberty Street Exit.

For Newcastle, exit Hwy 401 at the Mill Street Exit (Exit 440), or exit Hwy 35/115 at the Hwy 2 exit.

By bus
Megabus (Coach Canada) express stops in Whitby (Ontario), a west-end Oshawa suburb, on their way from Montréal to Toronto; you must then cross Oshawa to get back to Clarington.

From the Oshawa railway station, GO Transit Route 88 offers service to Bowmanville and Newcastle on its way to Peterborough.

By plane
The closest major airports serve Toronto, with Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada's largest airport just west of Toronto. From Clarington, this means having to cross all of Oshawa and Toronto, which is time-consuming in peak traffic hours.

See

 * The original Massey Tractor factory on King Avenue east of Mill Street in Newcastle. This building was the original production facility for a company (Massey-Ferguson) that would go on to become one of the largest manufacturers of farm machinery in the world. A portion of the original facility is still standing, and has been converted into luxury loft apartments.
 * The Newcastle Town Hall, at the intersection of Mill Street and King Avenue. This beautiful, classic public building in the 'art nouveau' style is a local landmark, and was donated to the community by the Massey family.

Go next

 * Ajax