Clarence-Rockland

Clarence-Rockland is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell on the Ottawa River. Clarence-Rockland, located immediately to the east of Ottawa, was formed on January 1, 1998, through the amalgamation of the Town of Rockland with Clarence Township.^[2]

Clarence-Rockland
City (lower-tier)
City of Clarence-Rockland Cité de Clarence-Rockland
Clarence-Rockland Show map of United Counties of Prescott and Russell Clarence-Rockland Show map of Southern Ontario
Coordinates: 45°29′17″N 75°12′54″W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Prescott and Russell
Settled	1840s
Incorporation	January 1998
Government
• Type	City
• Mayor	Mario Zanth
• Federal riding	Prescott—Russell—Cumberland
• Prov. riding	Glengarry—Prescott—Russell
Area [1]
• Land	297.47 km2 (114.85 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	26,505
• Density	89.1/km2 (231/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Area code	613 / 343
Website	www.clarence-rockland.com

The geographic Township of Clarence was established in 1798 and named after Prince William Henry, Duke of Clarence.^[3] Communities were established in the township since the early 1840s.^[4] In July 1853, the Township Municipality of Clarence was created when it separated from the United Township of Russell, Cambridge and Clarence.^[5] Rockland was incorporated as a town in 1908.^[6]

Communities

Town hall in Rockland

The city includes the communities of Bourget, Cheney, Clarence, Clarence Creek, Hammond, Rockland, and Saint-Pascal-Baylon. The city administrative offices are located in Rockland, which is the largest community in the region.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Clarence-Rockland had a population of 26,505 living in 10,095 of its 10,316 total private dwellings, a change of 8.1% from its 2016 population of 24,512. With a land area of 297.47 km² (114.85 sq mi), it had a population density of 89.1/km² (230.8/sq mi) in 2021.^[1]

Canada census – Clarence-Rockland community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	26,505 (+8.1% from 2016)	24,512 (5.7% from 2011)	23,185 (11.5% from 2006)
Land area	297.47 km2 (114.85 sq mi)	297.71 km2 (114.95 sq mi)	297.86 km2 (115.00 sq mi)
Population density	89.1/km2 (231/sq mi)	82.3/km2 (213/sq mi)	77.8/km2 (202/sq mi)
Median age	43.2 (M: 42.4, F: 44.0)	42.2 (M: 41.8, F: 42.7)	40.2 (M: 39.9, F: 40.5)
Private dwellings	10,316 (total)  10,095 (occupied)	9,537 (total)	8796 (total)
Median household income	$106,000	$88,823	$82,898

References: 2021^[7] 2016^[8] 2011^[9]

Historical census populations – Clarence-Rockland

Year	Pop.	±%
2001	19,612	—
2006	20,790	+6.0%
2011	23,185	+11.5%
2016	24,512	+5.7%
2021	26,505	+8.1%
Source: Statistics Canada[1]

Historical census populations – Clarence Township

Year Pop. ±% 1871 2,666 —     1881 4,411 +65.5% 1891 4,779 +8.3% 1901 6,085 +27.3% 1911 5,463 −10.2% 1921 5,307 −2.9%	Year Pop. ±% 1931 4,904 −7.6% 1941 4,630 −5.6% 1951 4,497 −2.9% 1956 4,605 +2.4% 1961 4,727 +2.6% 1966 4,057 −14.2%	Year Pop. ±% 1971 4,589 +13.1% 1976 5,782 +26.0% 1981 6,518 +12.7% 1986 7,516 +15.3% 1991 8,982 +19.5% 1996 10,563 +17.6%
Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes (Rockland Town annexed part of Clarence in 1963). Source: Statistics Canada[10][11]

Historical census populations – Rockland Town

Year Pop. ±% 1891 1,465 —     1901 1,998 +36.4% 1911 3,397 +70.0% 1921 3,496 +2.9% 1931 2,118 −39.4% 1941 2,040 −3.7%	Year Pop. ±% 1951 2,348 +15.1% 1956 2,757 +17.4% 1961 3,037 +10.2% 1966 3,513 +15.7% 1971 3,649 +3.9% 1976 3,930 +7.7%	Year Pop. ±% 1981 3,961 +0.8% 1986 4,894 +23.6% 1991 6,771 +38.4% 1996 8,070 +19.2%
Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes (Rockland Town annexed part of Clarence in 1963). Source: Statistics Canada[10][11]

Languages

Mother tongue (2021):^[1]

• French as first language: 57.0 %
• English as first language: 34.0 %
• English and French as first language: 4.1 %
• Other as first language: 4.2 %

Public transportation

Thurso-Clarence/Rockland electric cable ferry, Ecolos

Clarence-Rockland Transpo provided a public transportation service to residents of the city; part of the Rural Partners Transit Service. This service consisted of bus routes 530 and 535, ran by Leduc Bus Lines. These routes connected many of the communities within Clarence-Rockland and Ottawa. Both routes have been indefinitely suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic due to safety concerns and low demand.^[12]

Notable people

• William Cameron Edwards

See also

• List of townships in Ontario
• List of francophone communities in Ontario