in architecture. On January 1, 2001, the original town amalgamated with Hope Township to form the Municipality of Port Hope and Hope, which was renamed to its current name in November of that same year. Prior to amalgamation, the town's census population was listed as 11,718 while the township's was 3,877. The 2017 horror movie It and its 2019 sequel It Chapter Two were both filmed in Port Hope, which portrayed the fictional town of Derry, Maine. Radiation and cleanup Port Hope is known for having the largest volume of historic low-level radioactive wastes in Canada. These wastes were initially created by Eldorado Mining and Refining Limited and its private sector predecessors, resulting from the refining of radium from pitchblende. Radium was used in radioluminescent paint (such as aircraft dials), and in early treatments for cancer. During World War II, the Eldorado plant produced exponentially more uranium oxides, which the United States used in the Manhattan Project that created the first nuclear weapons. This plant, now under the ownership of Cameco, continues to produce uranium fuel for nuclear power plants. In 2002, a large amount of contaminated soil was removed from beachfront areas. More recently, a testing program began of over 5,000 properties, with a plan to remove and store contaminated soil that had been used as landfill. Over a billion dollars is expected to be spent on the soil remediation project, the largest such cleanup in Canadian history. Geography Communities Besides the town proper of Port Hope, the municipality of Port Hope comprises a number of villages and hamlets, including Campbellcroft, Canton, Dale, Davidson's Corners (partially), Decker Hollow (ghost town), Elizabethville, Garden Hill, Knoxville, Morrish, Osaca, Perrytown, Port Britain, Rossmount (partially), Tinkerville, Thomstown, Welcome, Wesleyville, and Zion. Climate Port Hope has a humid continental climate (Dfb) with warm summers and cold winters. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Port Hope had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Mother tongue spoken: English as first language: 94.7% French as first language: 1.0% English and French as first language: 0% Other as first language: 4.3% Economy Downtown Port Hope offers shopping and a historic main street. Port Hope is served by a Via Rail station. It has a medical centre,