Perth is a town in eastern Ontario, Canada (pop. 6,003 in 2001). It is located on the Tay River , 83 km southwest of Ottawa, and is the seat of Lanark County.

The town was established as a military settlement in 1816, shortly after the War of 1812. Many of the first settlers were military veterans on half pay ,others were immigrants from Scotland or Ireland.Many of the Scottish immigrants were stonemasons; their work can be seen in many area buildings and in the locks of the Rideau Canal.

Near the town is the home of world show jumping champion Ian Millar and Millar Brooke Farm where his great horse Big Ben (1976-1999) is buried. Currently, the town plans to erect a bronze life-sized statue of the horse who was a national icon.

This town was the site of the last fatal duel in the province. Robert Lyon, a law student, was killed on June 13 1833 after an argument with a former friend, John Wilson. Wilson was charged with murder but acquitted.

An interesting feature of the downtown core, is the Crystal Palace, constructed from the remnants of the glass street enclosures that used to be on Rideau Street in nearby Ottawa. This building on the Tay Basin, is the location of the very popular Perth Farmers' Market.

The heritage downtown core of today's Perth now boasts of over 70 unique stores, boutiques, specialty shops and restaurants for the visitor looking for alternatives to the big city shopping malls controlled by global multimationals. Most of these operate out of the century old stone buildings in town. PDF versions of the visitors guide is available for printing at: Your Quick Guide to the Merchants of Downtown Perth GIS Map of Perth

According to the 2001 Statistics Canada Census:

• % Change (1996-2001): 1.7
• Dwellings: 2,953
• Area (sq. km.): 10.36
• Density (persons per sq. km.): 579.2

Read More about Perth Ontario

• all-about-perth.com - Past, Present, Future ... this is our story
• Official site
• Heritage Perth Town Site