Where does the term “Life is Sweeter in Elmira” come from? I can’t verify it exactly but I will say that I believe it comes from the “Elmira Maple Syrup Festival”. I have lived in Elmira for about 9 years now and I can say that life is definitely sweeter here.
If you are looking for a place to settle down and raise a family, this is the place to be. Elmira is a small town of about 12,000 people according to census data in 2006 (source Wikipedia).
There are a variety of different home types and developments. If you are looking for new construction or resale houses Elmira has lots of choice. The average house price is somewhere around $290,000-300,000.
Elmira is only 10 minutes north of Waterloo and 15 Minutes to Guelph. So you are close to the big city.
In 2009 Grand River Transit started offering transit service from Waterloo’s Conestoga Mall via ST Jacobs to Elmira. This allows easy access to Waterloo for residents of Elmira and St Jacobs.
Elmira has a large selection of different amenities such as grocery stores, coffee shops, restaurants and other shopping. Everything you need is right here!
One of my most favourite things about Elmira is the walking trails. Elmira has lots of hiking trails. The Lions Lake Trail which is 7 km long and the Kissing bridge trail which is an abandoned railroad that travels from Millbank to Guelph for 45kms. If you like hiking, cycling or running then you will find these natural scenic trails very enjoyable.
One of the most notable things about Elmira is it’s love for hockey. Elmira is definitely a hockey town and our Junior B team is the Elmira Sugar Kings. In 2009, Elmira competed for the title of “Hockeyville”. Hockeyville was a contest that Kraft foods put on and the winner received a grand prize of $100,000. Elmira placed third and was awarded $25,000… Not too bad!!
Also In 2009, Woolwich township built a brand new recreation centre in Elmira with twin arenas, a community centre, a fitness centre, a walking track and a swimming pool.
Check out this video that I did a few months back:
Thanks for reading and I hope you get the opportunity to enjoy Elmira as much as I do!
This past Saturday we had the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival in Elmira. Each year this festival seems to attract more and more people. This year was no different. On Saturday the weather was perfect to host such a wonderful event. I live about half a kilometre away from the festivities and I could smell the aroma of pancakes from my house. My wife and I walked down to the main street which is Arthur St. They close off Arthur St for the day so that all of the vendors can setup their booths in the outdoor mall. They have every kind of vendor that you can imagine.
If you like food, then then you came to the right place. My personal favourites are the back bacon on a bun and the Lions Apple Fritters. Some of the more interesting eats were the pickle on a stick and deep fried Mars bars.
Some of the other events that people could participate in were:
You could enjoy the yummy pancakes. The line was pretty long so we passed on the pancakes this year
Mega Mutts dog show
Old MacDonalds farm
Sugar Bush tours
There are around 2000+ volunteers to support the event. Proceeds from the festival go to support local charities and non-profit organizations.
I did a little video to show the size of the crowd.
Sorry about the audio
Looks like the bus service to Elmira will contine for a while longer. Route 21 is starting to pickup momentum now and there was enough interest in the service to continue the pilot program for another year.
“It has been quite successful,” Neil Malcolm, a Waterloo regional transit planner, said of Grand River Transit’s first foray into the countryside.
Ridership doubled within an 8 month period. With a low of 158 riders in April and 315 riders in December. About 30% of the riders get picked up in downtowm Elmira. The most popular destinations are Conestogo Mall and the St Jacob’s farmers market on market day being the busiest.
Council is slated to decide the fate of the Elmira service in 2011. If the route becomes permanent, staff is recommending that its costs be covered by township residents, which is estimated to cost between $30 and $32 per household.
I can see that this service would benefit alot of residents here. I hope it survives the year and council approves it.
We are a full-time real estate team in Waterloo Region, Woolwich & Wellesley Townships. We enjoy assisting buyers and sellers with the purchase or sale of real estate in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira, Wellesley, Wilmot, Drayton and everywhere in between. If you would like us to help you with your home search, please check out our brand-newfree search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.
Please note, I wrote this blog post in 2010. The day the festival is on changes every year so make sure you check http://www.elmiramaplesyrup.com/ for more information.
What do you get when you have pancakes, maple syrup, apple fritters, back bacon on a bun, wagon rides, sugar bush tours and a street lined with people? You get one of my favourite times of year. You get the Elmira Maple Syrup festival or Sapfest. The Elmira Maple Syrup festival is the world’s largest one day consumption of maple syrup. This year Sapfest is taking place on March 27th, 2010.
The Elmira Maple Syrup Festival builds and strengthens community spirit through the involvement of a large number of area residents in the planning and operation of a one day festival. Participation in a fun filled day supported by 2000+ volunteers raises funds to support local charities and non-profit organizations. Since 1965, the Festival continues to promote our community, surrounding areas and local maple syrup producers.
Some ativities are the Sugar Bush tours, Mega Mutts dog show, Pancake flipping contest and much much more. For the complete schedule please visit 2010 Schedule.
Check out this map of of the activities available.
Elmira Ontario in the Township of Woolwich is a terrific place to live. Elmira is only about 10 minutes north of Waterloo and 20 minutes east of Guelph so you get the best of both worlds. Small town living with easy access to the big city. If you are thinking of moving to Elmira but would like to learn a little bit more about this wonderful town, take a look at the following video.
Transcript of video
Hi There, I am Warren McNeil from Team McNeil at Re/Max Twin City Realty
If you are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city but still need access to a city nearby, then Elmira Ontario is for you. Elmira is a small town in Woolwich Township which is 10 minutes North of Waterloo and 20 minutes east of Guelph. The population of Elmira is around 12,000 people according to census data from 2006.
Elmira is best known for it’s hockey team the Elmira Sugar Kings and the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival which takes place in April. But there’s more! This year the Syrup festival will take place on March 27, 2010.
- Elmira is close to all amenities. Within town, You are only about 5 minutes away from grocery stores, local shops, coffee shops and restaurants. Elmira even has a 24 hour grocery store!
- Elmira has lots of hiking trails. The Lions Lake Trail which is 7 km long and the Kissing bridge trail which is an abandoned railroad that travels from Millbank to Guelph. for 45kms. If you like hiking, cycling or running then you will find these natural scenic trails very enjoyable.
- Woolwich and Elmira have two newspapers that provide local information about the township and Elmira. They are the Woolwich Observer and the Elmira Independent. Want to know more about Elmira and Woolwich Township, contact us and we’ll send you copies of these newpapers.
- In 2009 Grand River Transit started offering bus service to and from Waterloo’s Conestogo Mall via St Jacobs to Elmira. This is convenient for local residents who wanted to go back and forth to Waterloo each day.
- As I mentioned earlier, Elmira is famous for their local Junior B hockey team, the Elmira Sugar Kings. In 2009 Woolwich placed 3rd in the Kraft Hockeyville contest and was awarded $25,000. If you are a hockey enthusiast, then Elmira is definitely the place to be.
- Also In 2009, Woolwich township built a brand new recreation centre in Elmira with twin arenas, a community centre, a fitness centre, a walking track and a swimming pool.
- One of my favourite things about Elmira is the World reknowned Elmira Maple Syrup Festival which takes place in Early April. This single one day event attracts around 60,000 people. Isn’t that amazing?
- Since Elmira is so close to Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph you get the best of both worlds. Smalltownliving with easy access to the city. In 10 short minutes, you are close to a huge farmers market, lots of shopping, a movie theatre.
- With regards to housing, prices are between 130,000 up to 650,000 for high-end homes. The average house price for a singe- detached home is around 292,000. Prices are similar to Waterloo.
Well I hope you found the information here useful today and if you would like to find out more information about housing for sale in Elmira and Woolwich Township or would like an information package about the area, please contact us at www.elmirealestate.ca
We are a full-time real estate team in Waterloo Region, Woolwich & Wellesley Townships. We enjoy assisting buyers and sellers with the purchase or sale of real estate in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira, Wellesley, Wilmot, Drayton and everywhere in between. If you would like us to help you with your home search, please check out our brand-newfree search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.
Elmira native and best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell(Wikipedia) is coming home for a pair of fundraisers to support the Woolwich Councelling Centre . WCC an agency that serves the Woolwich, Wellesley and surrounding areas.
The following information about Malcolm Gladwell is from his blog.
I’m a writer for the New Yorker magazine, and the author of two books, “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference” and “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.” I was born in England, and raised in southwestern Ontario in Canada. Now I live in New York City.
My great claim to fame is that I’m from the town where they invented the BlackBerry. My family also believes (with some justification) that we are distantly related to Colin Powell. I invite you to look closely at the photograph above and draw your own conclusions.
Here are some of the books that he has written:
What the Dog Saw
Outliers
Blink
Tipping Point
I will be attending the event at Floradale Mennonite Church with Melanie and some friends. This should be a terrific evening and I am really looking forward to it.
We are a full-time real estate team in Waterloo Region, Woolwich & Wellesley Townships. We enjoy assisting buyers and sellers with the purchase or sale of real estate in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira, Wellesley, Wilmot, Drayton and everywhere in between. If you would like us to help you with your home search, please check out our brand-newfree search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.
from the “Elmira Maple Syrup Festival”. I have lived in Elmira for about 9 years now and I can say that life is definitely sweeter here.
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