Real Talk!

Recently, I was asked to describe “my” area… and I hesitated… actually, I halted.

Fabian and I are members of both the Renfrew Real Estate Association and the Bancroft and District Real Estate Board. While we are licensed to work in Ontario, we principally cover quite a bit of central Ontario. "My" area is huge.

Known as Eastern areas 7 & 8, the territory spans from the eastern edges of Haliburton, Huntsville and Lindsay and south toward Belleville, Peterborough and near Kingston, then west to near Pembroke and Renfrew.

How does one succinctly define such a vast expanse of landscape and culture? There are so many lovely towns, villages and hamlets… including:

Arden
Aroch
Arnprior
Bancroft
Bannockburn
Bangor
Baptiste
Barry’s Bay
Beachburg
Bon Echo
Bonnechere
Boulter
Brudenell
Calabogie
Cardiff
Carlow
Cloyne
Cobden
Coe Hill
Combermere
Cormac
Dacre
Deacon
Denbigh
Eganville
Eldorado
Faraday
Foymount
Glen Alda
Griffith
Golden Lake
Gooderham
Haliburton
Harcourt
Hardwood Lake
Herman
Highland Grove
Irondale
Killaloe
L’Amable
Lake Dore
Lake St Peter
Letterkenny
Little Ireland
Madawaska
Madoc
Maple Leaf
Maynooth
Mayo
McArthurs Mills
Millbridge
Murphy’s Corners
Northbrook
Ompah
Ormsby
Packenham
Palmer Rapids
Paudash
Plevna
Purdy
Quadeville
Queensborough
Round Lake
Renfrew
Schutt
Slabtown
Snow Road
St Ola
Tory Hill
Tweed
Vennacher
Weslemkoon
Whitney
Wilberforce
Wilno
Wollaston

Whether you travel by hiking, boat, canoe, kayak, bicycle, motorcycle, automobile, airplane or any other form of transport- there is a never-ending list of things “to do” and places “to see” throughout our region.

A varied and eclectic cultural and historical heritage includes our native peoples, pioneers, the voyageurs and fur-traders, timber merchants, miners, old-time gangsters and fine immigrants of many nationalities. Throughout the countryside, one can still see the imprint of these by-gone eras.

Currently, the area is home to people from throughout the world. The pristine beauty has attracted some here, others cherish the clean water and air, and still others, are drawn to the potential healing properties of the abundant minerals located in the region. There are practically as many reasons for loving the pure, Ontario wilderness as there are visitors.

Thousands of rivers and lakes teem with fish and the landscape is rich with wildlife. Towering trees stretch into evening skies where stars flood every velvet night and the horizon is often illuminated by the spectacular Northern Lights.

From the air, the view is mostly blue: testimony to the number of waterways and lakes throughout the region. The landscape- like a quilt- has sections of hills and valleys, forest, lush wetland, sand, rock and well-tended century farmlands.

Old-fashioned general stores, studios and workshops with works from local artists and artisans, serious galleries and local produce markets dot the map. Each village and hamlet has a story to tell and special sites of natural beauty. The larger towns, like Bancroft and Barry’s Bay, have all amenities, including hospitals, restaurants and good shopping.