Prince Edward County is an island community located in Southern Ontario on a large irregular piece of land at the east end of Lake Ontario, just west of the head of the St. Lawrence River.
Prince Edward County has long been settled by Indigenous peoples and the county has significant archeological sites. These include the LeVescounte Mounds of the Point Peninsula Complex people, built about 2000 years ago.
The county was created by Upper Canada’s founding lieutenant-governor John Graves Simcoe on July 16, 1792. It was named after Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent (the fourth son of King George III) who was commander-in-chief of British North America.
Shortly after the American Revolution, the Crown made land grants to some of the earliest United Empire Loyalists to encourage their settlements in Ontario and provide compensation for property lost in the Thirteen Colonies. The county was originally composed of three townships named in honour of three of George III’s daughters.
In recent years, Prince Edward County has become one of the most popular vacation destination with a variety of activities that include dining, wineries and distilleries, theatre, and festivals of all kinds.
Good to know about Prince Edward County
- Prince Edward County has a population of 24,735
- Prince Edward County is an island community
- Popular attractions in Prince Edward County include festivals, water activities, skateboarding and BMXing, dining, birding, wineries, distilleries, hockey and sailing
- Home to beautiful Sandbanks Provincial Park that receives over 600,000 visitors annually
- Prince Edward County has elementary and secondary schools in the Public School Board and Catholic School Board.
Relevant Community Links
Visit the Hastings Prince Edward County Public Health website for more information about healthcare.
Learn more about the Prince Edward County Minor Hockey Association on their website.
