Photo: Balcer · CC BY 2.5Palmerston keeps its older homes: 40% from before 1961
Palmerston’s share is 2.3 times the typical 18%. 62 places on the heritage registers lie within 100 km of Palmerston, the nearest Former Elora Drill Shed, 44 km away. Look 44 km away, to Fergus, for the nearest place of the highest designation. Records name 5 people born in Palmerston before 1914; the first is Claude C. Robinson.
Within 100 km of Palmerston, the oldest record dates from 1814
Places as far as 100 km from Palmerston, not in it, dated by the first construction year on their records.
57 dated places within 100 km make up the record. 21 are older than 1867. The earliest is Glengarry Landing in Springwater, begun in 1814.
The highest designation, 27 times, within 100 km of Palmerston
By designation: 23 National Historic Sites, 19 provincial or municipal listings and 9 heritage railway stations. Former Elora Drill Shed in Fergus is the nearest, 44 km away. 62 places lie within 100 km.
The 12 nearest, within 100 km
| Former Elora Drill ShedNational Historic Site · 1865–1866 · 44 km away, in Fergus |
| Wellington County House of Industry and RefugeNational Historic Site · 1876–1878 · 45 km away, in Fergus |
| West Montrose Covered BridgeDesignated heritage property (part IV) · 1881 · 48 km away, in Elmira |
| Brubacher HouseDesignated heritage property (part IV) · 1850 · 55 km away, in Waterloo |
| Huether HotelDesignated heritage property (part IV) · 56 km away, in Waterloo |
| Elizabeth Ziegler Public SchoolDesignated heritage property (part IV) · 1931 · 57 km away, in Waterloo |
| Erb-Kumpf HouseDesignated heritage property (part IV) · 57 km away, in Waterloo |
| Castle KilbrideNational Historic Site · 1877–1879 · 58 km away, in New Hamburg |
| WoodsideNational Historic Site · 1853–1854 · 59 km away, in Bridgeport East |
| Former Canadian National Railways (VIA Rail) Station, Kitchener, OntarioHeritage Railway Station · 1897–1898 · 59 km away, in Mt. Hope Huron Park |
| Waterloo County GaolDesignated heritage property (part IV) · 1853 · 59 km away, in Central Frederick |
| Federal BuildingRecognized Federal Heritage Building · 1937–1939 · 59 km away, in City Commercial Core |
7% of Palmerston’s homes are from 2016 to 2021 (4.1% is typical)
Over half of the homes in Palmerston were already standing by 1981. Few of Palmerston’s homes date from 1961 to 1980: 20%, the norm 27%. 19% of Palmerston’s homes were built from 1981 to 2000, close to the typical town’s 23%.
2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.
Before 1914, Palmerston gave 5 lives to the record
By Wikipedia’s reach, Claude C. Robinson leads, with 3 articles. Marvin Howe closes the list, born in 1906. The first on the line is Claude C. Robinson (1881). Longest lived was Claude C. Robinson, 95 years in all (1976).
Everyone born in Palmerston → Born before 1914 (the page’s periods: Confederation to the First World War). Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s Wikipedia article.
How Palmerston compares with 16 towns its size
Towns of 10,000 to 10,100 residents, by places on the registers.
Just these have more: Amherst and Kitimat. The typical town its size has 0. 14 of them have none.
Palmerston and its neighbours
| Town | People | Places | Highest | Oldest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmerston | 10,029 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Howick | 4,517 | 0 | 0 | — |
Palmerston in brief
The 2021 Census dates 40% of Palmerston’s homes before 1961, against 18% in the typical town. Its people of the past include Claude C. Robinson (1881), Marvin Howe (1906) and Andrew James Macauley (1887). Most towns its size have more historic places: the typical one has 0.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The grade. This page gives no grade; history doesn’t count toward a Canadian town’s letter.
- The federal register. Federal places come from Parks Canada’s directory, which counts National Historic Sites, federal heritage buildings, stations and lighthouses; their statements are the register’s own.
- People and events. Persons of national historic significance come with no location; a town gets one only by birthplace (name and both life years agreeing) or by one of its own places that bears the name and whose record tells the story. Events, which can’t be tied, are left out.
- Provincial and municipal lists. Only Wikidata gives open access to listings on provincial and municipal registers outside Québec; without an article such a place is counted but not paged.
- The tiers. The highest designations are National Historic Sites, Classified Federal Heritage Buildings and Québec’s classements; then come the other federal designations; then provincial and local listings.
- Protection. Federal recognition isn’t a planning control: buildings the federal government owns follow its heritage policy, while others are protected only by a provincial or municipal designation.
Questions about Palmerston’s history
How many historic places does Palmerston have on the registers?
None inside Palmerston yet. The nearest, Former Elora Drill Shed, carries the highest designation, 44 km away in Fergus.
How old are the homes in Palmerston?
The 2021 Census dates 40% of its homes before 1961 (18% in the typical town).
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).
Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (homes by period of construction). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).