The Evolution of the City of Timmins: A Single-Industry Community

The purpose of the thesis was to historically trace the development of a single-industry community, Timmins, Ontario. Five time periods were studied beginning with the incorporation of the Town of Timmins in 1912 and ending with the time period 1973 to 1977.Three aspects of economic development were used to analyze the growth of Timmins. The economic base of the town was analyzed in order to gain a better understanding of the sources of income and employment because these two elements in turn influenced demographic factors and the development of other sectors of the Timmins economy. The second aspect was a study of the demographic characteristics of the community. The third aspect of economic development was transportation and communication. These were studied to determine whether they were adequate to serve Timmins in light of its isolated location and whether the existence of these transportation and communication facilities aided or deterred to total development of Timmins.The possibility of developing visible secondary industry in Timmins was analyzed using seven essential industrial location factors. Also, four models for urban growth were examined to indicate whether they were applicable to Timmins during the various time periods.The thesis effectively traced the development of Timmins and indicated the effect that the three aspects of economic development had on the total growth of the community. Timmins’ viability was dependent upon the fluctuations in the strength of its economic base and this specified the need for more diversification. The problems associated with diversification are clearly illustrated throughout this thesis.Finally, by the end of 1977, it was found that Timmins had developed within the constraints of a northern location and in accordance with the prosperity of the primary sector. The evolution of Timmins from a frontier town to a regional center resulted from the growth of the mining industry in the region.