Where does Northern Ontario begin??

If you are a bred and born Torontonian, or a new resident living in Toronto you may at different times try to define where "Northern Ontario" really begins and, "Southern Ontario" ends. At a recent luncheon, a new Toronto resident informed me that she drove "a way up north to Barrie". This is where perception and reality sometimesdiverge as the City of Barrie billboard on Highway 400, indicated that Barrie is in Southern Ontario. There is continued controversy over the location of "Muskoka". For political purposes, or financial funding Muskoka was placed in Northern Ontario, and is now being re-located to Southern Ontario by the new Liberal McGuinty government.
Barrie Ontario, being located on one of the closest to Toronto, outdoor recreation lakes, Lake Simcoe, is still considered by many to be in Ontario's cottage country. At the same time many will tell you it is "the fastest growing city in Southern Ontario". When one sees the signs Highway 400 and Highway eleven merging just north of Barrie one must ask is this really the Gateway to Northern Ontario, or Ontario's Cottage Country.

Is Ontario's Cottage Country and Northern Ontario one and the same??

For more On Northern Ontario go to www.400eleven.com/northernontario.html