Renfrew, Ont, Town, pop 7942 (2001c), 8125 (1996c), 8134 (1991c), area 12.77 km2, inc 1895, is located on the Bonnechere River, 100 km west of Ottawa. The first settlers were timber squatters; Scottish settlers followed, the most prominent being John Lorne McDougall, the first store owner and later a member of Parliament, whose mill (1855) is now a museum. About 1848 the site received its present name, for Renfrewshire, Scotland, ancestral home of the Stuarts, a Scottish royal family.
In 1850 Sir Francis Hincks offered free water sites to those who would build mills, and a boom followed. The town was first prominent for lumber, butter making and textiles. Renfrew is now primarily a service centre complemented by some light manufacturing. Residents also find employment at a magnesium mine and processing facility at Haley Station.
Financed by wealthy contractor and industrialist, Ambrose J. O'Brien, the famed Renfrew Millionaires came into being and ruled hockey in the early 20th century. They competed for the Stanley Cup in 1910. The Renfrew Fair has been held each fall since 1953.