Cornwall has experienced near-stagnant growth, with a population increase of 0.7 per cent between 2001 and 2006, compared with Ontario's 6.6 per cent, according to census data.
The surrounding rural areas of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry counties posted a similarly small increase of 0.8 per cent.
"Cornwall has suffered, and is suffering, probably because of its past of being, historically, a mill town with a lot of odour. And that developed over 75 years, and it's hard to change that," said Terry Landon, a former chair of the Real Estate Council of Ontario and a co-founder of RE/MAX Cornwall Realty.
Although the closure of several manufacturing plants eliminated the odour, some clients still hold a misconception of the area, Mr. Landon said. "There is no doubt that question is asked. We have to go through this education process to convince people to come to Cornwall to see for themselves," he said.
