Though structured as a single-tier municipality, Kawartha Lakes is the size of a typical Ontario county and is mostly rural.

The Kawartha Lakes area is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, Huron-Wendat and more recently, the Haudenosaunee peoples.

Kawartha is an anglicization of Ka-wa-tha (from Ka-wa-tae-gum-maug or Gaa-waategamaag), which was coined in 1895 by Martha Whetung of the Curve Lake First Nations.

The word was later changed by tourism promoters to Kawartha, meaning "bright waters and happy lands.

The city was created in 2001, during the ruling provincial Progressive Conservative party's "Common Sense Revolution".

Through provincial legislation, the former Victoria County and its constituent municipalities were amalgamated into one entity named the City of Kawartha Lakes.

This act was implemented by the Victoria County Restructuring Commission, led by commissioner Harry Kitchen.

[5] Despite a general opposition from residents of the area, the provincial government pushed forward with the amalgamation,[6][7] which officially came into effect on January 1, 2001.

[20] The mayor and councillors are elected for four-year terms, as mandated by the Government of Ontario for all municipalities in the province.

Five locks, Bobcaygeon 32, Lindsay 33, Fenelon Falls 34, Rosedale 35, and Kirkfield 36 are part of the Trent-Severn National Historic site and operated by Parks Canada.

[26] On June 21, 2015 a pilot project rural bus route serving part of City of Kawartha Lakes ended service.

[28] The last Canadian National Railway (CN) train to run through City of Kawartha Lakes was on the Lindsay - Uxbridge line which ceased operation in 1990.

189 with Budd Car VIA 6104 from Havelock to Toronto Union Station over Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) lines on January 14, 1990.