St. Thomas (Ontario)

St. Thomas is a city of about 39,000 people (2016) near London in Southwestern Ontario.

History
Europeans settled in the area in 1810. St. Thomas was named after Thomas Talbot who helped promote the development of this region during the early 19th century. The founder of the settlement that became St. Thomas was Capt. Daniel Rapelje, descendant of a Walloon family settled in New Amsterdam, now New York City, at its inception in the 17th century. In 1820, Rapelje, divided his land into town lots suitable for a village. Rapelje owned the New England Mill, and donated two acres of land for the building of Old St. Thomas Church.

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, several railways were constructed through the city, and St. Thomas became an important railway junction. 26 railways have passed through the city since the first railway was completed in 1856. In the 1950s and 1960s, with the decline of the railway as a mode of transportation, other industries began to locate in the city, principally primary and secondary automotive manufacturing.

In 1824, Charles Duncombe and John Rolph established the first medical school in Upper Canada, in St. Thomas, under the patronage of Colonel Thomas Talbot. Duncombe's house now forms part of the Elgin Military Museum complex.

St. Thomas' late 19th- early 20th-century architecture includes the Elgin County Court House, Wellington Street public school, Balaclava St. School, Elmdale School and its city hall, most designated heritage properties and all designed by former resident Neil R. Darrach.

By car
St. Thomas is accessible via provincial Highway 3 and Highway 4, the latter of which provides access to London, Highway 401 and Highway 402.

By plane
The city is served by the St. Thomas Municipal Airport (YQS), just east in the Municipality of Central Elgin. There are no scheduled flights, the airport is used for general aviation only.

By bus
St. Thomas Transit provides paratransit, and 6 routes of conventional bus service through the Central Transfer Point at 1063 Talbot St (Wal-mart). M-F 7:15AM-6:45PM, and Sa 9:15 AM-6:45PM. There is no transit service on Sundays or statutory holidays. The cash fare (exact change) is $2.75 (July 2018).

By taxi

 * Red Line Taxi,
 * Cox Cabs Ltd,
 * Dockside Cabs,

See