Harriston

Harriston sits at the headwaters of the Maitland River, where Highway 9 meets Highways 23 and 89. Elora Street is the main street, with the Crown Harriston, a cinema of 1949 that is now a cultural centre, and the Harriston Town Hall Theatre, home of the Grey Wellington Theatre Guild. The Carnegie library of 1908 holds the Minto Arts Council gallery on its third floor. The Harriston Greenway Trail follows the Maitland River through six parks, and Tannery Park has murals and flower beds by the water. In summer the farmers' market runs from June to August, and every September the Harriston-Minto Fall Fair comes to town.

The first settlers arrived in 1845, and the Crown opened the land for sale in 1854. That year Archibald Harrison, a Toronto farmer, received land on the Maitland River, and the town is named after him; his brothers built the first sawmill in 1854 and the first grist mill in 1856. The Wellington, Grey and Bruce Railway reached Harriston in 1871, and it became a village in 1872 and a town in 1878, known for making farm implements. In 1999 it joined the Town of Minto.

The 2021 census counted about 730 homes in Harriston. About three in four are single detached houses, and about one in seven are in apartment buildings under five storeys. Semi-detached houses make up most of the rest. About half of the homes were built in 1960 or earlier and about a quarter between 1961 and 1980. About one in eight were built between 1981 and 2000, and about one in eight in 2001 or later.

Highway 89 runs east to Mount Forest, about 17 km away, and Highway 23 runs south through Palmerston, about 12 km, to Listowel, about 24 km. Highway 9 runs west to Clifford, about 11 km. Guelph is about 67 km by road, a drive of about 55 minutes. The White's Junction Trail follows a former railway line from just south of Harriston to Palmerston.

The Harriston-Minto Community Complex holds the Harriston Arena, with its auditorium, and the Harriston ball diamond, and the Harriston Kinsmen Pool is open from June to August. The Harriston Greenway Trail links six community parks along the Maitland River, starting at IODE Park on John Street, and Tannery Park has historic murals and gardens. The Harriston branch of the Wellington County Library is at 88 Mill Street. The Crown Harriston and the Harriston Town Hall Theatre host films, plays and dance.

• Minto-Clifford Public School — JK to Grade 8. The public school for Harriston and Clifford, on Highway 89 at the east side of Harriston.
• Palmerston Public School — JK to Grade 8. The French immersion school for the Town of Minto, in Palmerston.
• Norwell District Secondary School — Grades 9 to 12. The public secondary school for Harriston, in Palmerston, with French immersion.
• St. Mary Catholic School — JK to Grade 8. The Catholic elementary school for Harriston, in Mount Forest.
• St. James Catholic High School — Grades 9 to 12. The Catholic secondary school for Harriston, in Guelph.