An illustrated profile of the history, people, industries, culture, schools and leisure activities of Georgetown, Ontario, Canada, the typical small community where I grew up.
If it's so typical, though, what was Orson Welles doing there? And Michael Douglas? And Richard Burton? You'll have to read on: The answer's in the "Arts and Culture" folder.

Actually Georgetown isn't even a town anymore. Though just as encircled by farmland as it ever was, in 1974 it became part of the Town of Halton Hills, the invention of a provincial regional reorganisation that amalgamated Georgetown and Acton with their satellite villages and hamlets of Ballinafad, Churchill, Glen Williams, Limehouse, Norval, Stewarttown and Terra Cotta, as well as the permeating rural township of Esquesing.
Halton Hills has a population of nearly 50,000 and covers 285 square kilometres.

But Georgetown is still pretty much Georgetown, for decades a sleeper hub for city workers willing (and usually eager) to commute to a smalltown environment.
It prides itself on both its own history and the attractions nearby, among these a portion of the 800-kilometre-long Niagara Escarpment, a World Biosphere Reserve; the pretty decent hiking opportunities of the Bruce Trail; the lovely Credit River valley; and the booming neo-rustic charms of village teashops and "pick-your-own" fruit and vegetable farms.

One of the few Georgetowns in North America not named for a president or a king, this one got its name from George Kennedy, a War of 1812 veteran who joined his four brothers in settling territory purchased by the government from the natives and subsequently surveyed by his brother Charles.
If there was any kind of a European settlement here before they came along, it was apparently called Hungry Hollow, though no one seems sure today exactly where that was. Some residents refer to a spot in the valley that separates old Georgetown from the recently developed Georgetown South, but that area is unlikely to have had much to do with the Kennedys' ambitions.

In the fall of 1819, George, Morris, Charles, Samuel and John Kennedy, later joined by brother-in-law Benajah Williams, began farming in the area, and George soon decided that the abundant water supply here was perfect for milling. He opened a sawmill, a grist mill, a woollen mill and a foundry. There were still only a handful of families in the community in 1837 when another band of brothers came along and really got things moving. They were the Barber boys.

Photo sources and more information:

Official site of the Town of Halton Hills
The excellent resources of the Esquesing Historical Society
The Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce
Terrific community news and nostalgia at Georgtown Online
An affectionate look at the old days at the Tackaberry Times
Georgetown's comprehensive Wikipedia entry.

EDIT JAN 21-07: Thanks to first-time poster Gtown, the location of the Georgetown Independent newspaper has been corrected and that of the Barber Dynamo is at least considerably more accurate than it was before. Much appreciated, fellow Georgetowner!
EDIT SEPT 21-07: The placemark indicating Kingsbury Technologies (Canada) Inc has been moved to an adjacent building thanks to a heads-up from GE Community member who actually works there, konstantin2007. My thanks to him.

Below, downtown Georgetown, from dirt road to a bit of bustle, all fondly recalled today in murals decorating the shop exteriors.