Chelmsford, Ontario

Chelmsford is a community in the Ontario city of Greater Sudbury.

Founded in 1868, Chelmsford started out as an outpost on the Trans Canada Railway. As with many communities in Northern Ontario, logging and fur trapping were the first industries. Having depleted the lumber in the early 1900's, Chelmsford turned to mining and agriculture to support the town's economy. Errington mine and Nickel Offset mine were two of the largest mines in Chelmsford and both closed in the 1930's.

Today, Chelmsford has no major industries and is mostly a residential community. Although there are still some farms producing mostly potatoes, small fruits and corn, it is mostly supported by the mining activities in the nearby communities of Onaping Falls and Copper Cliff.

From 1973 to 2000, Chelmsford was part of the town of Rayside-Balfour, in the Regional Municipality of Sudbury. On January 1, 2001, the Regional Municipality was dissolved into the single-tier City of Greater Sudbury. The community is majority francophone. It is the birthplace of Stef Paquette, popular francophone singer-songwriter.

Education

Chelmsford is home to two amazing athletes: Brad Brunt and Justin Sutherland