Guelph was founded as a planned town in 1827 by John GALT, a Scottish novelist, who was superintendent of the CANADA COMPANY, a land company based in London, England. Galt effectively used the concept of planning towns in advance of general settlement in order to stimulate sales of agricultural land. To this end he laid out an imaginative town plan, with streets radiating from a focal point, based on American precedents such as Buffalo, NY. The original design is still discernible in the present business core. Galt chose the town's name to honour Britain's royal family, the Hanoverians, who were descended from the Guelfs, one of the great political factions in late medieval Germany and Italy. Guelph was first incorporated as a village in 1851 and soon after as a town (1856).

The water power potential at the town site attracted a number of large mills during the 19th century; the most important of these were owned by William Allan and James Goldie. From the 1860s, several local industries established a worldwide reputation based on technological innovation; these included the Raymond Sewing Machine Co and the Bell Organ Co.

The economic base of the community has continued to be diversified manufacturing, which employs about 25% of the local workforce. Main manufacturing sectors include transportation equipment, machinery and fabricated metal, wood, electrical and chemical products. 1988 saw the re-establishment of a 19th century business, Sleeman Breweries, that is now one of Canada's major regional breweries.

The city has been a pioneer in the trend to municipal ownership of utilities. In the 1880s it built its own railway, the Guelph Junction, which it still owns. After the turn of the 20th century, led by its major businessmen through the Board of Trade, the city took over the water, gas, electricity and streetcar systems.

The UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH was established in 1964, but it represents an amalgamation of several colleges whose traditions go back more than a century. The Ontario Agricultural College was founded in 1874 on a 200 ha experimental farm south of the townsite. It has been an important force in agricultural research throughout the world. Among its noted graduates is the economist John Kenneth GALBRAITH. A second college, the Macdonald Institute, was built in 1903, at the instigation of Adelaide HOODLESS, to teach household science (see HOME ECONOMICS). In 1922 the Ontario Veterinary College was moved to the Guelph campus. The present university's full spectrum of programs attracts about 12 000 undergraduates; its research has won international recognition in a wide variety of fields, especially for helping to solve the complex agricultural problems of developing countries.

Much of the city's 19th-century townscape still exists. The wide use of a warm-hued, locally quarried limestone, easily worked by stone carvers, has given a visual unity to much of the community. This is especially evident on major downtown streets such as Wyndham, where architects used almost continuous cornice heights and consistent window spacings with neighbouring buildings. Particularly significant structures include the Renaissance Revival-style City Hall (1856), designed by William THOMAS, and Joseph Connolly's Church of Our Lady (1876-88), which still dominates the city.

The population of Guelph has always been highly British in ethnic origin, with those of English background dominating (92% British, 1880; 87%, 1921). More recently (1996), 82% of the population identified British as being part or all of their ethnic background. Over one-quarter of the population identified themselves as being wholly or in part Canadian. Other significant groups include those of German, Italian and French descent. Those listed as "visible minorities" by the census accounted for 8%, led by those of South Asian origins.

The city and district are home to a number of well-known artists, such as Ken DANBY. Major support for artistic activity is provided by the new Macdonald-Stewart Art Gallery on the university campus. Guelph's cultural heritage, however, is primarily musical. Edward JOHNSON (1878-1959), the world-famous operatic tenor and manager of New York's Metropolitan Opera, was born and educated here. His tradition is carried on by the Edward Johnson Music Foundation, which annually sponsors the highly acclaimed Guelph Spring Festival, a 2-week presentation of concerts, operas, films and plays. This kind of cultural activity has been greatly enhanced by the building of a new performing arts facility, the River Run Centre.

The house where John MCCRAE, the author of the poem In Flanders Field, was born is a national historic site and has been converted into a museum. Guelph Civic Museum traces the development of Guelph since the city's founding.