The seat of government of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay.

[6] An Ontario historical plaque explains that a First Nations Band, led by Chief Newash had a reserve in the area totalling about 11,000 acres (45 km2; 4,500 ha).

In 1842, they established the village of Newash which initially contained fourteen log houses, a school and a barn; the population was served by Wesleyan Methodist missionaries.

[12] Louis' Steakhouse, a popular upscale restaurant just outside town, was opened by the Gavaris family in the 1980s in a historic building which changed hands several times before being demolished in 2016.

[14] It was originally a home (built in 1881), but became a brothel from 1907 to 1915,[15] where the madam would stand in its castle-like tower and watch the port for a ship to come in, and she would ready her prostitutes to excite the sailors.

Bishop is also one of the few to have tangled with Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron) and survived, forcing the German pilot to retreat in a damaged aircraft.

The town was also the home of National Hockey League (NHL) Hall of Fame goaltender Harry Lumley and the artist Tom Thomson (buried in the nearby village of Leith).

Surgeon Norman Bethune, an avowed communist and pioneer of public medicine who gained notoriety in his innovative medical work with the Chinese army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, is an alumnus of the Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute.

Thomas William Holmes, another Victoria Cross winner, was also from Owen Sound, and the city's armoury bears his name.

[18] Owen Sound has been recently recognized as a good retirement community due to its cultural, sports and natural amenities.

The campus currently offers 14 full-time programs, including its Great Lakes International Marine Training and Research Centre.

As home port of the Owen Sound Transportation Company, the inner harbour is where car ferry MS Chi-Cheemaun, which operates from Tobermory to South Baymouth, is docked during the winter months.

The Canadian National Railway subdivision connected Guelph and Owen Sound via Palmerston, this line was discontinued in the 1990s.

Aircraft flying to Owen Sound may land at the Major-General Richard Rohmer Meaford International Airport (CYOS).

[44] The city is one of two (the other being Barrie) that are home to The Grey and Simcoe Foresters Primary Reserve Infantry regiment, as well as various cadet corps.

[46] Some of the largest rainbow trout in the world have been caught in Owen Sound, and annual fishing derbies draw large participation from all over North America.

In 1960, the County of Grey moved the courthouse and land registry to another location at the edge of present-day Owen Sound, Ontario.

At that time, March 11, 1960, the County of Grey and the City of Owen Sound signed a two-part agreement that was subsequently passed into bylaw.

Part two of the agreement requires the City of Owen Sound to purchase the jail portion when the County of Grey no longer needs it for its own use.

The County of Grey and the City of Owen Sound escaped the latter part of the 1960 agreement to purchase the property by signing a 5-year renewable lease with the Province of Ontario and have profited greatly ever since.

The County of Grey receives a monthly payment (approximately $12,000 as of 2011) for which they have no obligation to maintain the property; the City of Owen Sound kept the police services in the old courthouse until 1987/88 and then leased it to an arts council.

The jail was finally transferred firstly to the County of Grey (as the landlord) then to the City of Owen Sound, per the March 1960 agreement, in November 2014, after it was de-commissioned.