Every small town has a story. We've mapped 984 of them.

people of small towns

You know their names. You've never been to their towns.

235 notable Canadians. The small towns that shaped them.

235+

profiles

984

Towns

200+

years of history

Alex Chicken · Moose Factory Bobby Orr · Parry Sound Roberta Bondar · Sault Ste. Marie L.M. Montgomery · Cavendish Joni Mitchell · Fort Macleod David Suzuki · Vancouver Wayne Gretzky · Brantford Buffy Sainte-Marie · Piapot Stompin’ Tom · Skinners Pond k.d. lang · Consort

What small towns mean to the people who grew up there

In their own words

Written for 1000 Towns of Canada

picture of david suzuki
ESSAY FOR 1000TOWNS

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We lost something, a strong sense of community and connection to place.

David Suzuki

   Scientist & TV Host

   Leamington, Ontario
picture of brett wilson
Personal address to 1000towns

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Wonderful place to raise the family in the 1950s — fond memories about Battleford and all things prairie.

W. Brett Wilson

   Dragons’ Den Panelist

   Battleford, Saskatchewan
Yann Martel
Personal address to 1000towns

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I’ve lived in small places, big places, centric places, eccentric places. I see the blessing and the curse in all of them.

Yann Martell

  Life of Pi Author

   Port Hope, Ontario

235 Profiles and Counting

From small towns across Canada

Celebrities, entrepreneurs, artists, athletes — the people who call small-town Canada home.

Fay Wray | King Kong’s Lady
📍 Cardston, Alberta
Fay Wray | King Kong’s Lady
From Cardston, Alberta Vina Fay Wray was an actress most noted for playing the female lead in the 1933 film King Kong as Ann Darrow.…
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Rusty Crawford | Hockey Legend
📍 Cardinal, Ontario
Rusty Crawford | Hockey Legend
From Cardinal, Ontario Samuel Russell Crawford was a professional hockey forward and a two-time Stanley Cup champion, winning the trophy with the Bulldogs in 1913…
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Robert William Boyle | Sonar Inventor
📍 Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador
Robert William Boyle | Sonar Inventor
From Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador Robert William Boyle was a physicist and one of the most important early pioneers in the development of sonar. Born…
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Ernest Thompson Seton | Pioneer of Boy Scouts
📍 Carberry, Manitoba
Ernest Thompson Seton | Pioneer of Boy Scouts
From Carberry, Manitoba & Lindsay, Ontario Ernest Thompson Seton was an author, wildlife artist, founder of the Woodcraft Indians in 1902 (renamed Woodcraft League of…
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Walter William LaChance | Architect
📍 Brockville, Ontario
Walter William LaChance | Architect
From Brockville, Ontario Walter William LaChance was an architect best known for his designs of rural schools. Born in 1870 in Brockville, Ontario Died in…
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Doug Mohns | Hockey Player
📍 Capreol, Ontario
Doug Mohns | Hockey Player
From Capreol, Ontario Douglas Allen “Diesel” Mohns played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1953–54 until 1974–75. Mohns twice won the most coveted…
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Timothy Findley | Novelist
📍 Cannington, Ontario
Timothy Findley | Novelist
From Cannington & Stratford, Ontario Timothy Irving Frederick Findley was a novelist and playwright. He wrote a memoir, From Stone Orchard, about his experiences living…
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Patsy Gallant | Singer
📍 Campbellton, New Brunswick
Patsy Gallant | Singer
From Campbellton, New Brunswick Patsy Gallant is a pop singer and musical theatre actress. Of Acadian ancestry, she has recorded and performed in both English…
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Eddie Hayward | Kentucky Derby Winner
📍 Brighton, Ontario
Eddie Hayward | Kentucky Derby Winner
From Brighton, Ontario Edward “Eddie” C. Hayward was a trainer in American Thoroughbred horse racing best known for winning the 1953 Kentucky Derby. His colt…
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Stephen Angulalik | Trader
📍 Cambridge Bay, Nunavut
Stephen Angulalik | Trader
From Cambridge Bay, Nunavut Stephen Angulalik was an internationally known Ahiarmiut Inuit from northern Canada notable as a Kitikmeot fur trader and trading post operator…
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Byron Edmund Walker | Banker, Patron of the Arts
📍 Caledonia, Ontario
Byron Edmund Walker | Banker, Patron of the Arts
From Caledonia, Ontario Sir Byron Edmund Walker was a banker, philanthropist, and patron of the arts. He was the president of the Canadian Bank of…
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Joshua Kutryk | Astronaut
📍 Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta
Joshua Kutryk | Astronaut
From Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta & Bagotville, Quebec Joshua Kutryk was named Canada’s newest astronaut as the country marked its 150th birthday. Born in 1982 in…
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♥ There’s a small town in all of us

Even if you’ve never lived in a small town, you’ve been shaped by one — through a grandparent’s stories, a childhood visit, or a place that just felt like home. We’d love to hear your story.

#TheSmallTownInMe

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