Arnprior City Map Poster

About Arnprior

Arnprior is the largest town in Renfrew County, and was once a major lumber centre. It is also home to the head offices of Borealis Infrastructure, a division of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS), which invests in public infrastructure projects across Canada. The company manages several hydroelectric generating stations on provincial rivers that flow through Renfrew County. Arnprior's nickname is "The Hydro City". History [ edit ] Arnprior was first settled by Europeans around 1826 when Scottish settlers arrived from Perthshire via Lanark County.[4] They were attracted to this area because of its resemblance to their native glens,[5] as well as its abundance of timber for logging and firewood.[6] In 1828 or possibly earlier, John McDonald came up from Dundas with his family and built a sawmill at what would become Arnprior on land granted him by Lieutenant Governor Sir Francis Bond Head[7][8][9].