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First town hall

Trenton is the primary city in the southeastern Ontario municipality of Quinte West. Adjacent to (and just west of) Belleville, it is home of Canada's largest air force base.

Understand

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History

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The Trent River was known to the Mississauga First Nation as Sangichiwigewonk, or 'fast flowing.' It was named by European settlers after the River Trent in England.

French explorer Samuel de Champlain followed the Trent passing through Trenton in 1615. The area around the mouth of the Trent River was first settled by Europeans in the 1780s. Assorted settlements and town plots in the area went under a number of names, until the Village of Trenton was incorporated in 1853. Trenton grew thanks to its port location and the area's lumber industry. During the First World War, the town was home to a major munitions plant owned by the British Chemical Company. This facility was built in 1915 to manufacture artillery, rifle, and small arms ammunition. Three weeks before the Armistice, an explosion levelled the plant. Remains of the old plant can still be found today.

Trenton was also an important film production centre. In 1917, a film studio was built in the town and a number of productions were filmed there. The advent of talkies and 16mm film made the equipment at the film plant obsolete and the facility closed in 1934.

The construction of a RCAF Station Trenton, a major Royal Canadian Air Force base just east of Trenton, started in 1929 and continued through the 1930s. This provided a major economic boost to the area through the Great Depression, the Second World War and later. Today it is Canada's largest air force base; the final flight path for fallen Canadian soldiers led from Afghanistan to Trenton by air, then followed the "Highway of Heroes" from Trenton to Toronto.

In 1998, Trenton was amalgamated with the Village of Frankford and the Townships of Murray and Sidney to form the City of Quinte West. Trenton is the largest community within the municipality.

Visitor Information

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  • City of Quinte West Tourism
  • 1 Quinte West Chamber of Commerce - Visitor Information Centre, 97 Front St, ☏ +1 613-392-7635, toll-free: +1-866-485-2841. Summer 9AM-5PM, Winter closed Sa Su. (updated Feb 2023)
  • 2 Trent Severn Waterway Visitor Kiosk, 155 B Trenton-Frankford Rd (Lock 1). Late May to early September. (updated Feb 2023)

Get in

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By car

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The city is on a section of Highway 401 designated the "Highway of Heroes" and is about two hours east of Toronto and one hour west of Kingston. The former Ontario Highway 2 passes through the base and the city's downtown; Trenton is also the western terminus of the Loyalist Parkway (former Ontario Highway 33) which leads to Prince Edward County.

By boat

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Trenton serves as a terminus on the Trent-Severn Waterway, a national historic site and canal system that today serves recreational boating, connecting to Georgian Bay in Simcoe County via Peterborough (Ontario), Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, and Orillia.

By train

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See also: Rail travel in Canada

By bus

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While Trenton's location at part of the Windsor-Quebec corridor places it on key lines served by many intercity bus routes. Most runs are express services which do not stop in the city. Slightly better service is available in nearby Belleville.

Scheduled passenger services are provided on a limited basis by:

Get around

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Map
Map of Trenton (Ontario)

The best way to get around Quinte West is by automobile. There are also four local transit routes and service to Loyalist College in Belleville. Some parts of town are only served hourly. Buses run until the early evening, and there is no service on Sundays. On-demand routes provided by County Transit travel as far as Picton.

See

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Do

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  • Trenton Golf Club, 292 King St, ☏ +1 613-392-9568. Nine-hole golf course. 
  • Trenton is a hot spot for sport fishing. Popular freshwater fish in the Bay of Quinte and the Trent River include walleye (pickerel), bass, pike, perch, and mudcat. During particular times of the year, salmon and rainbow trout can be caught in the Trent River and in cold-water streams in the area.
  • Each year at the beginning of May, the Kiwanis Club of Trenton holds the Kiwanis Walleye World Fishing Derby, attracting sport fishermen from around North America (more than 5,000 in 2018) with major prizes for tagged fish and heaviest weighed walleye and Northern pike.

Buy

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  • Front Street Farmers' Market, Front Street along Trent River waterfront. May-Nov: Th Sa 7AM-2PM. 
  • The city's downtown business district is centred around Dundas Street (old Highway 2).

Various signed routes proclaim the region to be part of the "Apple Route" (extending westward), the "Arts Trail" (extending eastward through Hastings County) or the "Wine Route" (extending southeast into Prince Edward County). Apples and strawberries may be gathered in-season at various farms and orchards in the region.

Eat

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Drink

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  • The Celtic Pub, 58 King St. Daily 11AM-2AM. (updated Jul 2018)
  • The Port Bistro Pub, 21 Front St, ☏ +1 613-955-1409. Tu-Th 4-10PM, F Sa noon-11PM, Su noon-9PM. Gastropub with weekly live music. (updated Jul 2018)
  • Wild Card Brewing Co, 38 Gotha St. Local craft brewery close to the Trent River. Pet friendly (dogs must be kept on a leash). 

Sleep

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Connect

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  • ONroute, Ontario Highway 401. Rest stops in each direction offer one hour free Wi-Fi to motorists. 

Nearby

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Brighton

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  • Brighton Applefest, On main street and King Edward Park. Annual weekend festival, late September, various locations. BBQ, dog show, children's village, dances, street fair, car show, arts and crafts show, dinners, Sunday parade. 
  • Presqu'ile Provincial Park, 1 Bayshore Rd, Brighton, ☏ +1 613-475-4324. Waterfront park with Ontario's second-oldest operating lighthouse and original lighthouse keeper's cottage. 
  • Proctor House Museum, 96 Yonge St., Brighton, ☏ +1 613-475-2144. Local 1850s merchant's home with wishing well, barn and carriage house. 

Go next

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Routes through Trenton
Toronto ← Cobourg ←  W  E  → Belleville → Montreal / Ottawa
Toronto ← Cobourg ←  W  E  → Belleville → Kingston
Trent-Severn Waterway ←  N  E  → Prince Edward County → ferry → Kingston


This city travel guide to Trenton is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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