Leamington (Ontario)

Leamington is a municipality of about 30,000 people (2021) in Essex County, Ontario, and the southern-most city in Canada.

Understand
Leamington lies on the 42nd northern parallel, the same latitude as Chicago, Boston, the northern border of California, Rome, and Zaragoza. It borders Point Pelee National Park and Lake Erie. The climate is milder than cities further north, like Toronto.

It is billed as the "Tomato Capital of Canada". In 1908, the H. J. Heinz company came to Leamington, bringing many jobs to the area and contributing to Leamington's growth. The factory operated until 2014 and employed 740 people. Tomato juice and tomato paste maker Highbury Canco still employs a few hundred at the former Heinz facility, which still processes much of Leamington's local tomato crop.

History
The community was named after Royal Leamington Spa in England, after having been called "Gainesville" or "Gainesborough" for local mill owner William Gaines, and before that, Wilkinson Corners.

It was a crossroads hamlet with about 300 residents, and was known for its lumber products rather than its tomatoes. There were several docks, and fish were plentiful in Lake Erie, so much so that sturgeon could be speared from the shore, and fish was the cheapest food available. Leamington once had many tobacco farms, but now they are virtually nonexistent.

Visitor Information

 * Municipality of Leamington

Marinas

 * Leamington Marina 249 Sherk St. Loran Coordinates: North 420 100/West 823 600, +1 519-326-0834

By bus
LTW Transit connects Leamington to Windsor.

By car

 * Leamington is 50 km southeast of Windsor (Ontario) along Highway 3.

By plane

 * Leamington Airport (TC-LID: CLM2) is an general aviation airstrip with no scheduled flights, 2.5 nautical miles (5 km) east of Leamington. The closest scheduled service is in Windsor.

Get around
If arriving by ferry, some rental agencies will pick you up and deliver you to the dock. Ask first.

Birding
Leamington is on the north shore of Lake Erie and is home to Point Pelee National Park, a major site for migrating birds especially in the autumn. As such, it plays host to many birdwatchers from Canada, the United States, and all around the world. The region is also known for the migration of monarch butterflies, which congregate in the fall at Point Pelee before making their way across Lake Erie on their route to winter quarters in central Mexico.

Another important natural area near Leamington is the wetland at Hillman Marsh, 6 km east of the town.

Connect
Free Wi-Fi is available at the Marina,



Go next

 * Kingsville — west.
 * Pelee Island — the southernmost populated place in Canada.
 * Sandusky,Ohio — connected by ferry, and home of Cedar Point Amusement Park.
 * Windsor — northwest, a mid-sized and diverse city, across the river from Detroit.