Omemee is a community within the city of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, Canada, formerly known as Victoria County. The community had a population of 1,247 in the Canada 2011 Census. It is located between the city of Peterborough and the community of Lindsay. Lindsay is the largest population centre in the city of Kawartha Lakes, and serves as the administrative centre as it did with Victoria County.
The community that grew up around William Cottingham's mills on the Pigeon River was first called Williamstown and then Metcalfe. In 1857 the community was renamed Omemee, for the Omemee tribe, which once hunted in the area. The word means pigeon in the Mississauga language, and is traditionally spelled âÂÂomiimiiâÂÂ.
The construction of the Port Hope, Lindsay and Beaverton Railway in 1857 (when the town also acquired a post office) fostered the growth of the community, which became a thriving shipping point for timber and grain.
Until the 1860s, Omemee competed with Lindsay as the largest town in Victoria County. At its zenith in the late 1800s, Omemee had a grist mill, two sawmills, a tannery, a foundry, a shingle mill, a cloth mill, three churches, four hotels, an elementary and secondary school, and a newspaper.
As OntarioâÂÂs economy shifted away from agriculture and surrounding towns grew, the industrial section of Omemee declined until, 100 years later, only the Regal Stationery Company remained (the factory has since closed). Today, OmemeeâÂÂs economy is supported by the townâÂÂs population as well as seasonal residents and retirement communities in the surrounding area.
In late 2014, OmemeeâÂÂs Youngtown museum closed for good and shipped its content to neighbouring town Lindsay for display.
In August 2016, Omemee was featured on Canadian comedian Jonny HarrisâÂÂs CBC Still Standing program. Filmed at Thanksgiving the year prior, in the town's city hall, the episode focused on Neil Young and his childhood friend, taking rifle shooting lessons from the town doctor and going adventure diving in a swimming pool.
Omemee has two public schools: Lady Eaton Elementary (kindergarten to grade 3), and Scott Young (c. 1969 grades 4 to 8). Scott Young Public School (c. 1993) was named after Scott Young, a journalist and author of many books, and father of musician Neil Young.
In 2015 due to enrollment decline in Scott Young Middle school, âÂÂto the point where both schools were below 50 per cent Ministry of Education identified capacityâÂÂ, the Trillium Lakelands District School Board moved the overflow of grade 4âÂÂs from Lady Eaton over to Scott Young. Then in late 2016 it was announced that Lady Eaton Elementary school will close for good in June 2018.
Though Lady Eaton is to be closed, there are plans to keep the daycare open to the public: âÂÂthe board [can] work with the Omemee ChildrenâÂÂs Centre in the hopes of moving the daycare to Scott YoungâÂÂ.
The ghost town of Omemee, North Dakota, was named after the Ontario Omemee, as the former's first post master hailed from the latter.
In 1970, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released DéjàVu with a recording of the song "Helpless". The song refers to Omemee, Neil Young's hometown: âÂÂThere is a town in north Ontario ... All my changes were thereâÂÂ.