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Live and work on cottage country's doorstepIt just keeps growing and growing and growing! Labelled one of the fastest growing cities in Ontario, with a population of more than 103,500, the City of Barrie has cause to boast. ARLENE GERBASI |
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 [ 2002-09-04 ] |
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he Royal Victoria Hospital, a state-of-the-art facility and one of Barrie's main employers, is looking to incorporate a cancer treatment centre.
The low cost of housing, tax breaks and rapid commercial growth are key factors enticing young families -- about 70% of the city's residents are under age 40 -- to call Barrie home.
Nestled on picturesque Kempenfelt Bay, a truly beautiful waterfront setting, Barrie offers its residents more than just a pretty place to live.
Mayor Jim Perri, a Barrie resident since 1966, has witnessed the transformation of a once sleepy, retirement community to Barrie's present-day rapidly expanding city.
"It's a very prosperous community with strong economic growth. Barrie draws people from North Bay to North York," Perri says.
Recognizing a growing community requires a city that grows along with it, the City of Barrie strives to meet the needs and demands of an ever increasing population. Area residents are privy to a bevy of educational, health, recreational and community services.
Barrie Public Library, a 40,000-sq.-ft. structure, offers members -- around 65% of Barrie's inhabitants -- access to reading material, the Internet, meeting rooms, governmental listings, entrepreneurial information and referral services to support groups, housing, health care, childcare programs and sports and recreational activities.
Royal Victoria Hospital, a state-of-the-art facility constructed in 1997 and one of Barrie's top employers, provides essential medical care. Looking to expand in the near future, Perri is working diligently to incorporate a cancer treatment centre within the existing structure.
Georgian College educates more than 5,000 full-time students, in areas of business, design and visual arts, engineering technology, health sciences and human services, and provides 25,000 adults with continuing education evening courses. Three additional student residences are currently under construction on campus.
"We have schools popping up like mushrooms," Perri says. "Three high schools and two elementary schools have been constructed within the last two years."
This brings Barrie's current number of elementary and secondary educational facilities to around 35, with plans to expand in the very near future.
Two community centres, one located at the northeast end, the other at the southwest end of Barrie, provide residents with two arenas, swimming pools and conference rooms.
Three indoor malls, Bayfield Mall, Georgian Mall and Kozlov Centre, and a variety of commercial plazas, satisfy the shopping needs of consumers with major retail chains and outlets.
Barrie residents have a myriad of options to choose from when looking for a form of recreation and entertainment: MacLaren Art Centre, a public art gallery with free admission; Gryphon Theatre, live theatre that also offers children's series; Barrie Molson Centre, which hosts a variety of concerts, trade shows and sporting events; Barrie Raceway, harness racing; Casino Rama, just outside Barrie, which fuels the dream of being the next big winner; The Huronia Symphony, providing performances at Georgian College Theatre, and Molson Park, an outdoor entertainment centre.
Ideally located, Barrie encourages sports year-round; swimming, tennis, baseball, soccer and hockey, more than 20 local golf courses, ice fishing and access to downhill and cross country skiing facilities.
Feel like a stroll through the park? Visit one of Barrie's 95 green spaces, eight of which are located on the waterfront, or choose from one of four public gardens. Plans are in the works to incorporate an "Art In The Park" program that will host both national and international artists' work.
Feel the sand beneath your feet at one of four beaches Barrie has to offer: Johnsons Beach, Minet's Point Beach, Tyndale Park Beach and Centennial Beach.
View the waterfront and watch the boats sail by at the City of Barrie public marina.
With access to Hwys. 401, 407, 400, 90, 27 and 11, Barrie offers both its residents and guests convenient travel routes.
Barrie offers all the amenities of a larger city, Perri says, yet still retains the feel of a small town.
(Arlene Gerbasi is a Toronto-based freelance writer who can be reached at agerbas1@aol.com.)
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