Barrie, city, seat (1837) of Simcoe county, southeastern Ontario, Canada. It lies along Kempenfelt Bay, an arm of Lake Simcoe, 55 miles (90 km) north-northwest of Toronto. In 1812 a storehouse was probably built on the site, which during the War of 1812 was the landing and starting point of the Nine-Mile-Portage (a military supply route to the upper Great Lakes). A permanent settlement was established in 1828, named for Commodore Robert Barrie, commander of a naval squadron at Kingston, Ontario. The early economy was based on agriculture and lumbering. Allandale village to the south was annexed in 1897.
Barrie is now a summer and winter resort, with an economy based on services and diversified manufacturing. Its attractions include Centennial Park and, immediately to the north, the Simcoe County Museum and Archives and Springwater Provincial Park. Georgian College of Applied Arts and Technology was founded in Barrie in 1967. Canadian Forces Base Borden is a few miles west. Inc. town, 1851; city, 1959. Pop. (2011) 136,063; metro. area, 187,013; (2021) 147,829; metro. area, 212,856.