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

   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.

Emily Stowe | First Female Doctor
📍 Norwich, Ontario
Emily Stowe | First Female Doctor
From Norwich, Ontario Dr. Emily Howard Stowe was the first female doctor to practice in Canada and an activist for women’s rights and suffrage. Born in…
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Eric Nagler | Children’s Entertainer
📍 Shelburne, Ontario
Eric Nagler | Children’s Entertainer
From Shelburne, Ontario Eric Nagler is a musician and television entertainer known primarily for his work on Canadian children’s television series The Elephant Show and…
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Eric Peterson | Actor
📍 Indian Head, Saskatchewan
Eric Peterson | Actor
From Indian Head, Saskatchewan Eric Neal Peterson is a stage/television actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian series – Street Legal, Corner Gas…
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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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Evangeline Lilly | Actress
📍 Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta
Evangeline Lilly | Actress
From Fort Saskatchewan to Hollywood — star of Lost and the Marvel universe, raised in small-town Alberta before the world found her.
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Farley Mowat | Writer, Environmentalist
📍 Port Hope, Ontario
Farley Mowat | Writer, Environmentalist
From: Port Hope, Ontario Farley McGill Mowat is one of Canada’s most widely read authors. His works were translated into 52 languages, and he sold…
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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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Félix Leclerc | Chansonnier
📍 La Tuque, Québec
Félix Leclerc | Chansonnier
From La Tuque, Québec Félix Eugène Leclerc, writer, poet, playwright and songwriter, is an icon in Quebec, known to many as the originator of the…
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Floyd Curry | Hockey Right Winger
📍 Chapleau, Ontario
Floyd Curry | Hockey Right Winger
From Chapleau, Ontario Floyd “Busher” Curry won four Stanley Cups with Montreal Canadiens. Born in 1925 in Chapleau, Ontario Died in 2006 in Montreal, Quebec…
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Frances Ford Seymour | Jane Fonda’s Mother
📍 Brockville, Ontario
Frances Ford Seymour | Jane Fonda’s Mother
From Brockville, Ontario Frances Ford Seymour was a socialite, the second wife of actor Henry Fonda, and the mother of actors Jane Fonda and Peter…
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Frank McKenna | Premier of New Brunswick
📍 Sussex, New Brunswick
Frank McKenna | Premier of New Brunswick
From Sussex & Chatham, New Brunswick For a decade (1987–1997) Francis Joseph “Frank” McKenna was Premier of New Brunswick, having earned three consecutive majority governments.…
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Franklin Carmichael | The Group of Seven
📍 Orillia, Ontario
Franklin Carmichael | The Group of Seven
From Orillia ON Franklin Carmichael was a Canadian artist, the youngest original member of the Group of Seven. Born in 1890 in Orillia, Ontario Died…
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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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