North AmericaCanadaOntario
Kenora
Ontario, Canada · North America
About Kenora
Kenora sits on the route: 1 hours from Vermilion Bay.
Kenora is in Ontario, Canada, with about 15,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Vermilion Bay, about 80 km away.
Kenora (), previously named Rat Portage (French: Portage-aux-Rats), is a city situated on the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada, close to the Manitoba boundary, and about 208 km (129 mi) east of Winnipeg by the Trans-Canada Highway. It is the seat of Kenora District.
The history of the name extends beyond the timeRead more
of French settlers arriving in the region. The name Rat Portage had its origin in the Ojibwe name Wazhashk-Onigam, which, roughly translated, means portage to the country of the muskrats. A shortened and somewhat corrupted version, Rat Portage, was adopted by the Hudson's Bay Company in naming their post, then located on Old Fort Island on the Winnipeg River. When the post was moved to the mainland and a town grew up around it, the name Rat Portage was assumed by the community.
The town of Rat Portage was renamed in 1905 by using the first two letters of itself and the neighbouring towns of Keewatin and Norman to form the present-day City of Kenora. In 2001, the towns of Kenora (including Norman) and Keewatin as well as the Township of Jaffray Melick amalgamated under the Municipal Act.
Kenora is the administrative headquarters of the Anishinabe of Wauzhushk Onigum, Obashkaandagaang Bay, and Washagamis Bay First Nations band governments.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Kenora?
Kenora is in Ontario, Canada, about 80 km from Vermilion Bay.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 15,096
- Continent
- North America
- Country
- Canada
- Region
- Ontario
- Timezone
- America/Winnipeg
- Coordinates
- 49.7674, -94.4899
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Canada
CAA roadside assistance: 1-800-222-4357. Winter tyres mandatory in Quebec December–March.
Full driving guide for CanadaTags
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