North Perth is a lower-tier municipality in Ontario, Canada. Its name is based on its location in the northern portion of Perth County. The main community in North Perth is Listowel. Other communities include Atwood, Monkton, Elma and Wallace township. The municipality was incorporated in 1998, and is heavily agricultural. As of the 2016 Census, the township had a population of 13,130 in a land area of 493.14 square kilometres. There were 5,098 occupied private dwellings. History Town of Listowel Settler John Binning arrived in 1852 and was the first to create a permanent residence in the area originally named Mapleton. The name was changed to Listowel when a post office was established in 1856. The new name was chosen by a government official and refers to Listowel, Ireland. The majority of early settlers were of Protestant Irish origin (Ulster Scots Planters, or English Planters). Listowel was incorporated as a town in 1874. It is located at the intersection of Highway 86 and Highway 23. Its population was 7,530 at the Canada 2016 Census in a land area of 6.65 square kilometres; at the time there were 3,159 occupied dwellings. Township of Elma The Township of Elma was incorporated in 1857. It was named after Lady Elma Bruce, the daughter of Canada's newly arrived Governor General James Bruce better known as Lord Elgin. The earliest recorded settler in the area was John Grant in 1853. Township of Wallace Wallace was incorporated in 1858 and included the villages of Gowanstown and Kurtzville. It lies along the northern boundary of the current Municipality of Perth North and is bordered by Perth Lines 86 and 93, and Perth Road 140. Municipal Restructuring As part of provincial initiatives in the late 1990s, the Government of Ontario pursued a policy of municipal amalgamations. On June 26, 1997, an order from the Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs for the amalgamation of Wallace Township, Elma Township and the Town of Listowel into the Town of North Perth received Royal assent. The amalgamation came into effect on January 1, 1998. Ontario Provincial Police currently provides law enforcement services in the community through its North Perth Detachment in Listowel. Geography Communities The township comprises the communities of Atwood, Britton, Donegal, Gowanstown, Kurtzville, Listowel, Monkton, Newry, Teviotdale, Trowbridge and Wallace. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, North Perth had a population of living in of