Guelph

Guelph
City of Guelph
Downtown Guelph
Nicknames: 
Motto(s): 
Faith, Fidelity and Progress
Guelph
Guelph
Coordinates: 43°32′9″N 80°13′44″W / 43.53583°N 80.22889°W / 43.53583; -80.22889
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
FoundedApril 23, 1827
IncorporatedApril 23, 1879
Government
 • MayorCam Guthrie
 • Governing BodyGuelph City Council
 • MPsDominique O'Rourke (LPC)
Michael Chong (CON)
 • MPPsMike Schreiner (GPO)
Area
 • Land87.22 km2 (33.68 sq mi)
 • Urban
87.22 km2 (33.68 sq mi)
 • Metro
593.51 km2 (229.16 sq mi)
Elevation
334 m (1,096 ft)
Population
 (2021)
 • City (single-tier)
143,740
 • Density1,644.1/km2 (4,258/sq mi)
 • Urban
143,740
 • Urban density1,644.1/km2 (4,258/sq mi)
 • Metro
165,588
 • Metro density278.3/km2 (721/sq mi)
DemonymGuelphite
Gross Metropolitan Product
 • Guelph CMACA$10.6 billion (2020)
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Forward sortation area
Area codes519, 226 and 548
Websiteguelph.ca

Guelph (/ˈɡwɛlf/ GWELF; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", it is roughly 22 kilometres (14 mi) east of Kitchener and 70 km (43 mi) west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7, and Wellington County Road 124. It is the seat of Wellington County, but is politically independent of it.

Guelph was established in the 1820s by Scottish novelist John Galt, first superintendent of the Canada Company, who based his headquarters and home in the community. The area—much of which became Wellington County—was part of the Halton Block, a Crown reserve for the Six Nations Iroquois. Galt is generally considered Guelph's founder.

For many years, Guelph ranked at or near the bottom of Canada's crime severity list. However, the 2017 index showed a 15% increase from 2016. It had one of the country's lowest unemployment rates throughout the Great Recession. Much of this was attributed to its numerous manufacturing facilities, including Linamar.