Rural Wellington North

Rural Wellington North is the farm country of the township, about 52,200 hectares of fields, woodlots and wetlands around Mount Forest and Arthur. Highway 6 runs north and south through the middle, past the hamlets of Kenilworth and Riverstown, and Damascus and Conn sit on quieter roads to the east and north. In the south-east the Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area spreads over 5,780 hectares of wetland around Luther Lake, where more than 263 kinds of birds have been recorded. The West Luther Rail Trail crosses the countryside on a former railway line, and in autumn the woodlots along the sideroads turn red and gold.

The Garafraxa Road, now Highway 6, was built from Arthur toward Georgian Bay between 1840 and 1848, and settlers took up farms along it. Luther Dam, which formed Luther Lake, was built in 1954. On January 1, 1999, Arthur Township, West Luther Township, the village of Arthur and the town of Mount Forest joined as one township, named Wellington North that April.

The 2021 census counted about 4,990 homes in Wellington North. Leaving out Mount Forest and Arthur, the countryside and its hamlets had about 1,690 homes. About nineteen in twenty are single detached houses. About three in ten were built in 1960 or earlier and about a quarter between 1961 and 1980. About three in ten were built between 1981 and 2000, and about one in seven in 2001 or later.

Highway 6 runs through the township from Arthur to Mount Forest and on toward Owen Sound, with Guelph about 40 minutes south of Arthur. Highway 89 runs east and west through Mount Forest, and Wellington Road 109 runs east from Arthur toward Orangeville. Wellington Road 16 and the other county roads link the hamlets.

Luther Marsh has two marked trails, the East Launch Trail of about 6 km and the 11 km North Launch Trail from the dam, with boat launches, fishing and picnic tables at the main entrance, and it is one of the most important birding areas in Ontario. The West Luther Rail Trail, about 11 km long, is open for walking. The arenas, pools, parks and library branches of Mount Forest and Arthur are close by.

• Kenilworth Public School — JK to Grade 6. The public school for the centre of the countryside, including Kenilworth and Riverstown, on Sideroad 7 West.
• Arthur Public School — JK to Grade 8. The public school for the south and east of the countryside, including the area around Damascus, and the middle school for Kenilworth's area, in Arthur.
• Victoria Cross Public School — JK to Grade 8. The public school for the countryside around Mount Forest, and the middle school for Riverstown, in Mount Forest.
• Palmerston Public School — JK to Grade 8. The French immersion school for Wellington North, in Palmerston.
• Wellington Heights Secondary School — Grades 9 to 12. The public secondary school for Wellington North, in Mount Forest.
• St. John Catholic School — JK to Grade 8. The Catholic elementary school for the south of the countryside, in Arthur.
• St. Mary Catholic School — JK to Grade 8. The Catholic elementary school for the north of the countryside, including Riverstown, in Mount Forest.
• St. James Catholic High School — Grades 9 to 12. The Catholic secondary school for Wellington North, in Guelph.