 ESSEX COUNTY is Canada's southernmost county - at the same latitude as northern California - and it is one of the most agriculturally productive counties in the country. Located as it is on a peninsula of land that virtually juts out into the Midwest United States, it is also one of Canada's busiest entry points and tourist areas. So the nicknames for the area, "Sun Parlor of Canada" and "Garden Gateway to Canada" are quite appropriate. ESSEX COUNTY was first settled by French colonists over two hundred years ago and has a long history as a farming and manufacturing area. The County of Essex has a population of over 166,000 and an overall area of 1720.00 km². It is projected that Essex County will attain a population of 196,305 by the year 2016. ESSEX COUNTY'S agricultural output is greater than that of any one of the four Atlantic provinces and amounts to a gross farm value of $237,796,000. Although agriculture is the fifth largest employment sector in the County (7%), it accounts for 14% of the Gross Domestic Product in the region. The two principal field crops are corn and soybeans. There is also a substantial fruit and vegetable industry, much of it greenhouse production. Essex County is known to have the largest concentration of green house production in North America, outside of California. The bulk of the farm products are processed in the area's distilleries and food processing factories. One hundred years ago the area's manufacturing industry was based almost entirely on farm products and other local resources. With the turn of the century, Windsor developed, as did Detroit, as an automobile production centre. The manufacturing economy has since grown and diversified so that the region is one of Canada's most important industrial areas. Manufacturing (i.e. automotive) employs 28% of the County's labour force. Second in importance, in relation to employment, is the education, health and social service sector which accounts for over 15% of the labour force. Another mainstay of the ESSEX COUNTY economy is tourism. The area's many historic and scenic attractions together with its 402 kilometres of shoreline - much of it sandy beaches - and sunny climate, make it an attractive place to visit. Some of the better known attractions include the Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary, Colasanti's Tropical Gardens and Point Pelee National Park. Expenditures by approximately 9 million tourists in Essex County in 1998 totalled over $795 million. Manufacturing, tourism, agriculture - and the service businesses that keep these basic industries operating - are the four foundation stones on which ESSEX COUNTY'S economy is based. The diversity and strength of this economy has provided ESSEX COUNTY with stability and prosperity. And the long-term trends - increasing rationalization in manufacturing more leisure time and substantial growth of service industries - point toward sustained growth for ESSEX COUNTY in the future. |