Urban Settlement

How cities devour their neighbours

As urban centres grow, they swallow up their rural neighbours. Originally, what is now Belleville was surveyed as Thurlow and Sidney townships with Sidney Street being the "town line" between the townships. The Baldwin Act of 1849 established the limits of the original Town of Belleville on either side of the Moira River. It was bounded by Sidney Street on the west, College Street on the north, Bleecker Avenue on the east and the bay on the south. A two-block slice of land was acquired from Thurlow Township on the east side in 1874. In 1924, somebody built a house on the east side of Macdonald Avenue and wished to be included in the city. Another small piece was added on the west side in 1930, by the bay, to accommodate the construction of a water treatment plant. Other parcels were added in 1947 and 1948. Three larger acquisitions of land were added in 1959. A "quieting order" was issued in 1977 to resolve a dispute over municipal boundaries in the Bay of Quinte between Prince Edward County and Hastings County. It was established down the middle of the bay to, among other things, prevent duck hunters from Prince Edward County from hunting in Belleville waters.

A larger section of Thurlow, the Bell Creek area, was acquired in 1986. In January, 1998, all of Thurlow was amalgamated with the City of Belleville as Thurlow Ward, while Sidney Township became part of Quinte West. Portions of Sidney were acquired in 2000 and 2003 to allow Belleville to reach Wallbridge-Loyalist Road.