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Quinte is the place to be!
Quinte is a place close to our hearts and we get excited whenever we tell people about it. For the city dweller looking to move into a quieter area that still has everything, Quinte is the place to be!
Where is it?
Stretching along eastern Lake Ontario from Brighton to Napanee, dipping south into the isle of Prince Edward County and reaching north up the Trent River Valley, the region takes its name from the prominent Bay that buffers much of its Great Lake shoreline. The cities of Belleville (population 46,000), and Quinte West (including Trenton, Frankford and surrounding townships, population (45,000), are the urban hubs of the region, serving a total population of 155,000.
Top Ranking!
Quinte's consistent top ranking in the Quality of Life Index is the first clue that this is a place with a lot to offer. Located midway between Toronto and Montreal along Highway 401 (and the VIA Rail corridor), the region's cities and towns are also within easy reach of Kingston, Ottawa and the U.S. border. Yet Quinte is far enough beyond urban sprawl to have a look and character all its own. Shaped by its dramatic Loyalist history and a rolling leafy landscape that is never far from water, Quinte remains an honest, sincere place, a place with the kind of heart and soul that is disappearing from the bedroom communities of Southern Ontario.
Affordable Housing
On the practical side , Quinte is an affordable spot . With an average resale price of only $152,000 in 2005, real estate is a bargain by just about any Canadian standard. Housing stock of all kinds is plentiful, and waterfront property throughout the area is still a realistic residential option.
Living Costs
The everyday cost of living in centers such as Belleville, Trenton or Picton is similarly appealing. On these streets, it's still possible to spend a nickel -- in the parking meter! That is, of course, if there's any charge at all. And with most services within easy walking, biking or driving distance (and full-service transit in the larger communities), gas tanks are a lot less thirsty. Recent refugees from the world of cross-town commuting revel in the freedom of "five-minutes-and-we're-there"!
Five Minutes Away
Medical appointment? Just five minutes away. Supermarket? Five minutes. Coffee shop, health club, library, walking trail, tennis court, post office? Five minutes. And , most amazing of all: sailing, motor-boating, and some of the best fishing in North America? Just five glorious minutes away.
Retiring Early?
For early retirees who aren't ready to spend all of their time on the golf course (though there are 16+ courses to choose from), Quinte offers business and employment opportunities in a local economy that draws strength from its diversity. Historically a farming, lumbering, milling, mining and railroad centre, the region's present day financial foundations are built on a healthy base of agriculture, institutions, services, retail business, tourism and industry. Powerhouse corporations such as Nortel and Procter & Gamble are among those taking advantage of Quinte's strategic location.
Wine and More
The fact that a local wine industry is steadily developing in Quinte's Prince Edward County is a good indication of the area's temperate climate. Winters are relatively mild, and windows, opened in April to catch an early summer's breeze, are often not shut until October. Villages like Cherry Valley, and businesses such as Appledoorn Farms, The Apple Basket Inn and the Apple Box Boutique reflect the area's fruit-growing heritage. Visit Campbells Orchards and say hi to Wibur(resident pot bellied pig) and have a slice of fresh baked pie in the Tea Room. There are days in autumn when the smell of freshly pressed apple cider seems to hang sweetly over the land, and the roadside stands and Farmers' Markets groan with ripe abundance.
Arts and Culture
The land of poet Al Purdy and pioneer writer Susanna Moodie, Quinte has undergone an arts and cultural awakening in recent years. Two finely-restored vintage theatres in Picton and Stirling have added summer-long festivals to a performance schedule that includes Pinnacle Playhouse in Belleville and the Quinte Symphony Orchestra.
The Quinte Ballet School, one of Canada's finest professional dance schools, regularly showcases the talentof its brilliant young students. Folk music aficionados will feel at home at the Acoustic Edge Coffeehouse in Belleville, or the Millpond Coffee House in Stirling. And while the area is well-served by first-run movie houses (even a genuine drive-in in the County!), more discerning cinephiles can join the Quinte Film Alternative, the Great Napanee Film Society or Cinefest Picton for a steady diet of top Canadian and international films.
We now have a beautiful theatre in downtown Belleville called The Empire Theatre for Performing Arts, Which is attracting national and international talent.
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Local Area Links
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Hockey Afficianados take Note!
Scramble for Leafs or Senators tickets if you wish, but the hometown Belleville Bulls, Ontario Hockey League Champions in 1999, play some fast, heart-revving hockey in the city's Olympic-size Quinte Sports Centre.
Hiking and Biking
Anyone who has discovered the simple joys of hiking and biking will be pleased to learn that the Ontario Waterfront Trail already extends through Quinte West and into Prince Edward County. And for walkers, joggers and roller bladers of all ages, Belleville's paved Bayshore Trail straddling the lower edge of the city has become a fresh-air, year-round gathering place. As soon as a planned extension of the popular path along the downtown banks of the Moira River is completed, trail enthusiasts are expected to surge northward to the Village of Tweed to connect with the Trans-Canada Trail.
Quality of Life
Country roads, city parks, woodland sanctuaries, sandy beaches, sheltered coves and crashing waves; galleries, cafes, art studios, craft shops, unique bookstores, a local community college and a nearby university; clubs, associations, communities of faith: make your own quality of life wish-list -- and consider Quinte.
Demographics
POPULATION | 155,000 |
average house price | $152,000 |
average daytime temperature July | 26 C |
average daytime temperature January | -2 C |
average annual rainfall | 71 cm |
average annual snowfall | 170 cm |
average annual hours of sunshine | 2,000+ |
gardening zone | 5 B |
local airport | yes |
universities | 1 |
hospitals | 3 |
parks | 66 |
retail outlets | 1,050 |
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