Collingwood is well known as a tourist destination, for its skiing in the winter, and limestone caves along the Niagara Escarpment in the summer.

The land in the area was first inhabited by the Iroquoian-speaking Petun nation, which built a string of villages in the vicinity of the nearby Niagara Escarpment.

White settlers and freed Black slaves arrived in the area in the 1840s and brought with them their religion and culture.

The area had several other names associated with it, including Hurontario (because it lies at the end of Hurontario Street, which runs from Lake Huron — of which Georgian Bay is a part — south to Lake Ontario), Nottawa, and Hens-and-Chickens Harbour (because of one large and four small islands in the bay).

The shipyards produced lake freighters and during World War II contributed to the production of corvettes for the Royal Canadian Navy.

The creation of government incentive programs and a fully-serviced industrial park made it possible for Collingwood to attract eleven new manufacturing firms to the town by 1971.

Eight additional manufacturing companies had located in the town by 1983, which made Collingwood the largest industrial employer in the region.

Petitions have been submitted to the town by residents of a new housing development located across the road in an effort to force Collingwood Ethanol to reduce the amount of odour and noise that they are causing during the times when they are in full production.

The town is also a short distance from Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, a destination that received the title of Biosphere Reserve in 2004.

Local media include the CollingwoodToday.ca News site and Collingwood-Wasaga Connection community newspapers, and radio station CKCB-FM.

In the summer months, there are warm to hot humid conditions with frequent lake breezes to cool things off.

[18] The Creative Simcoe Street name is used by local media,[26] businesses[27] and tourism groups[28] however, the neighbourhood is not formally recognized by the Town.

[35] The first hockey rink in Collingwood was located on the west side of Pine Street in 1883, with public skates every Tuesday night.

Collingwood joined Barrie and Bradford in a Simcoe County league in 1894 and was granted a team in the newly formed Ontario Hockey Association in 1895.

Collingwood has hosted training sessions with Team Canada, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.

[36] Source:[37] Media related to Collingwood, Ontario at Wikimedia Commons 1 Separated municipalities but remain a census subdivision of the county