St. Jacobs, Ontario
| St. Jacobs | |
|---|---|
| — Unincorporated community — | |
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 St. Jacobs
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| Coordinates: 43°32′5″N 80°33′14″W / 43.53472°N 80.55389°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Regional municipality | Waterloo |
| Township | Woolwich |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Forward sortation area | N0B 2N0 |
| Area code(s) | 519 and 226 |
| NTS Map | 040P10 |
| GNBC Code | FECGS |
The community of St. Jacobs is located in southwest Ontario, just north of Waterloo in Woolwich Township, Waterloo Region. It is a popular location for tourism,[1] due to its Mennonite heritage and retail focus. The Conestogo River, which powered the village's original gristmill, runs through the village.
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Tourism and business
Three kilometres south of the town centre is the St. Jacobs Farmers' Market, another popular tourist draw. Fresh farm products are sold from across the area, plus many vendors have discount clothing, toys, candy, and other wares. A factory outlet mall is located adjacent to the market site. The market, town and surrounding countryside are marketed as St Jacobs Country.
St. Jacobs is also the headquarters of Home Hardware. This national chain of over 1000 independent hardware retail stores located across Canada was founded in the village in 1963.
History
Officially named in 1852, St. Jacobs was first known as "Jakobstettel" which means "Jacob's Village" or "James's Village". The St. was added to the name simply to make it sound more pleasing and the pluralization was in honour of the combined efforts of Jacob C. Snider (1791–1865) and his son, Jacob C. Snider, Jr. (1822–1857), founders of the village. The younger Jacob lost his life in the Desjardins Canal train disaster at age 35.
Trails and recreation
The Millrace Footpath, a recreational trail that forms part of the Trans Canada Trail, runs along the Conestogo River from the Village of St. Jacobs to dam further up the river. The trail offers many scenic views of the river and of the millrace constructed in the 1860s that used to power the village's gristmill. The trail has a length of 2.5 km and can be used year-round. The village also has an arena and community centre, as well as a newly renovated library built in 1934, thanks to a private donation from Miss Lola Snider. There are also numerous parks and green spaces.
Famous natives
- Darryl Sittler, NHL former player
References
- ^ Hohol, Frances (1984). Communities in transition: Elmira and St. Jacobs, Ontario: A study of resident and retailer attitudes toward tourism (M.A. thesis) Wilfrid Laurier University
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: St. Jacobs, Ontario |
- St. Jacobs Country
- Region of Waterloo Library, St. Jacobs Branch
- St. Jacobs at Geographical Names of Canada
Coordinates: 43°32′05″N 80°33′14″W / 43.53472°N 80.55389°W