Every small town has a story. We've mapped984of 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

Bobby Orr Bobby Orr Β· Parry Sound W. Brett Wilson W. Brett Wilson Β· Battleford Yann Martell Yann Martell Β· Port Hope Tom Thomson Tom Thomson Β· Owen Sound Joni Mitchell Joni Mitchell Β· Fort Macleod David Suzuki David Suzuki Β· Leamington Wayne Gretzky Wayne Gretzky Β· Brantford Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell Β· Brantford Stompin Tom Stompin’ Tom Β· Skinners Pond Farley Mowat Farley Mowat Β· Port Hope

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

Β  Β Scientist & TV Host

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

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

W. Brett Wilson

Β  Β Dragons’ Den Panelist

Β  Β 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

Β  Life of Pi Author

Β  Β Port Hope, Ontario

235 Profiles and Counting

From small towns across Canada

Celebrities, entrepreneurs, artists, athletes β€” the people who call small-town Canada home.

Sidney Crosby | Hockey Player
πŸ“ Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia
Sidney Crosby | Hockey Player
Born and raised in Cole Harbour β€” three Stanley Cups, two Olympic golds, and a hockey school back home every summer where it all started.
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Sir Charles Tupper | Father of Confederation
πŸ“ Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Sir Charles Tupper | Father of Confederation
Father of Confederation, sixth Prime Minister, and a Wolfville boy who led Nova Scotia into a new country.
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Sir Donald Mann | Railway Baron
πŸ“ Acton, Ontario
Sir Donald Mann | Railway Baron
From Acton, Canada West (Ontario) Sir Donald Mann was a self-made Canadian railway baron, builder and entrepreneur. Born in 1853 in Acton, Canada West (Ontario)…
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Sir William Osler | Father of Modern Medicine
πŸ“ Bond Head, Ontario
Sir William Osler | Father of Modern Medicine
From Bond Head, Ontario Sir William Osler was a physician and one of the four founding professors of Johns Hopkins Hospital. Born in 1849 in…
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Stephen Angulalik | Trader
πŸ“ 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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Stephen Leacock | Humorist
πŸ“ Sutton, Ontario
Stephen Leacock | Humorist
From Sutton, Orillia ON Stephen P. H Butler Leacock was the best-known English-speaking humorist in the world between the years 1915 and 1925. Born in…
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Stompin’ Tom Connors | Iconic Singer
πŸ“ Timmins, Ontario
Stompin’ Tom Connors | Iconic Singer
From Timmins & Ballinafad, Ontario (part of the town Erin, Ontario) One of the iconic figures in Canadian music, Charles Thomas “Stompin’ Tom” Connors was…
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Susan Aglukark | Inuk Singer
πŸ“ Churchill, Manitoba
Susan Aglukark | Inuk Singer
From Churchill, Manitoba Susan Aglukark is an Inuk musician whose blend of Inuit folk music traditions with country and pop songwriting has made her a…
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Susanna Moodie | Author
πŸ“ Lakefield, Ontario
Susanna Moodie | Author
From Lakefield, Ontario Susanna Moodie, nΓ©e Strickland, sister of Catharine Parr Traill, was an author who wrote about her experiences as a settler in Canada,…
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Tanya Tagaq | Throat Singer
πŸ“ Cambridge Bay, Nunavut
Tanya Tagaq | Throat Singer
From Cambridge Bay, Nunavut Inuit throat singer and artist Tanya Tagaq won the Polaris Prize for best Canadian album in 2014, for Animism. Born in…
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Theo Tams | Canadian Idol Winner
πŸ“ Coaldale, Alberta
Theo Tams | Canadian Idol Winner
From Lethbridge &Β Coaldale, Alberta Theo Tams is a singer and the winner 2008 Canadian Idol (sixth season of the CTV). Born in 1985 in Lethbridge,…
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Thomas Chandler Haliburton | Author
πŸ“ Windsor, Nova Scotia
Thomas Chandler Haliburton | Author
From Windsor, Nova Scotia Thomas Chandler Haliburton is a writer best known as the creator of Sam Slick, a resourceful Yankee clock peddler and cracker-barrel…
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β™₯ 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 β€” 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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