Guelph was incorporated as a city in 1879 with a Special Act of the Ontario legislature.
At this time, Guelph became politically separated from Wellington County and was no longer represented on the Wellington County Council.
At separation, the population was about 10,000.
During the inauguration, Mayor George Howard first used the term "Royal City".
The only "royals" to actually visit were John Campbell, the Marquis of Lorne, and his wife was Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, one of Queen Victoria's daughters.

Construction of the Church of Our Lady Immaculate, known as the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate since late 2014, was already underway but would not be completed until 1883. (
The twin towers were not added until 1926.)

A few years later, George Sleeman Sr.
founded an electric radial railway, the Guelph Railway Company, an important part of the history of Guelph Transit.
Only five miles of track had been laid by 1895, but the line was extended in 1902; the radial railway eventually reached Toronto, as the Ontario Hydro Electric Railways - Guelph District (owned by Ontario Hydro).
In addition to carrying passengers, the cars carted coal to heat the Ontario Agricultural College.

By 1886, telephones were quite common in the city.
An April news article described the situation as follows. "
Telephones are rapidly being introduced into private homes, where they prove a great convenience.
Ladies order their groceries, consult their medical advisers, call their husbands home from the club and gossip with their friends by telephone."

In 1903 the City purchased the Guelph Light & Power Company, and four years later created the Board of Light and Heat Commissioners.
Guelph was one of 13 municipalities that helped to create the provincial entity that became Ontario Hydro.

The Canadian Communist Party began as an illegal organization in a rural barn near Guelph on May 28 and 29, 1921.

Guelph was the home of North America's first cable TV system.
Fredrick T. Metcalf created MacLean Hunter Television (now part of Rogers Communications) and their first broadcast was Queen Elizabeth's Coronation in 1953.
Other news-making items include the fact that the jockstrap was invented here, in 1922, by the Guelph Elastic Hosiery Company and that the man who invented five pin bowling in 1909, Tom Ryan, was originally from Guelph.
Other noteworthy items: the city's covered bridge (now part of a walking trail), built by the Timber Framers' Guild in 1992, is one of only two of its type in Ontario, using wooden pins to hold it together.
Note too that the Yukon Gold potato was first bred at the University of Guelph in 1966; it became available on the market in 1981.

Guelph's police force had Canada's first municipal motorcycle patrol.
Chief Ted Lamb brought back an army motorcycle he used during the First World War.
Motorcycles were faster and more efficient than walking.

Guelph has several buildings on the National Historic Sites of Canada register: the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate, McCrae House and Old City Hall.
 The city is home to the University of Guelph, established in 1964, and Sleeman Breweries Ltd.. The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), the oldest part of the University of Guelph, began in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto.
According to Maclean's, the current University of Guelph, founded in 1964, "grew out of three founding colleges: the Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the Ontario Veterinary College (1862) and the Macdonald Institute (1903)".
Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute (GCVI), established in the 1840s, is one of the province's oldest high schools.
 The Former Canadian National Railways (VIA Rail/GO Transit) Station at 79 Carden Street was listed in 1992.

In 2017, Scientology Canada announced it would move its Canadian headquarters to Guelph.
Some residents protested the plan.
The facility was opened in the autumn of the year at 40 Baker Street.

A redevelopment plan for Downtown Guelph had been discussed by Council since 2007  and was finalized as the 2018 Baker District redevel
Guelph was incorporated as a city in 1879 with a Special Act of the Ontario legislature. At this time, Guelph became politically separated from Wellington County and was no longer represented on the Wellington County Council. At separation, the population was about 10,000. During the inauguration, Mayor George Howard first used the term "Royal City". The only "royals" to actually visit were John Campbell, the Marquis of Lorne, and his wife was Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, one of Queen Victoria's daughters.
Construction of the Church of Our Lady Immaculate, known as the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate since late 2014, was already underway but would not be completed until 1883. (The twin towers were not added until 1926.)
A few years later, George Sleeman Sr. founded an electric radial railway, the Guelph Railway Company, an important part of the history of Guelph Transit. Only five miles of track had been laid by 1895, but the line was extended in 1902; the radial railway eventually reached Toronto, as the Ontario Hydro Electric Railways - Guelph District (owned by Ontario Hydro). In addition to carrying passengers, the cars carted coal to heat the Ontario Agricultural College.
By 1886, telephones were quite common in the city. An April news article described the situation as follows. "Telephones are rapidly being introduced into private homes, where they prove a great convenience. Ladies order their groceries, consult their medical advisers, call their husbands home from the club and gossip with their friends by telephone."
In 1903 the City purchased the Guelph Light & Power Company, and four years later created the Board of Light and Heat Commissioners. Guelph was one of 13 municipalities that helped to create the provincial entity that became Ontario Hydro.
The Canadian Communist Party began as an illegal organization in a rural barn near Guelph on May 28 and 29, 1921.
Guelph was the home of North America's first cable TV system. Fredrick T. Metcalf created MacLean Hunter Television (now part of Rogers Communications) and their first broadcast was Queen Elizabeth's Coronation in 1953. Other news-making items include the fact that the jockstrap was invented here, in 1922, by the Guelph Elastic Hosiery Company and that the man who invented five pin bowling in 1909, Tom Ryan, was originally from Guelph. Other noteworthy items: the city's covered bridge (now part of a walking trail), built by the Timber Framers' Guild in 1992, is one of only two of its type in Ontario, using wooden pins to hold it together. Note too that the Yukon Gold potato was first bred at the University of Guelph in 1966; it became available on the market in 1981.
Guelph's police force had Canada's first municipal motorcycle patrol. Chief Ted Lamb brought back an army motorcycle he used during the First World War. Motorcycles were faster and more efficient than walking.
Guelph has several buildings on the National Historic Sites of Canada register: the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate, McCrae House and Old City Hall.  The city is home to the University of Guelph, established in 1964, and Sleeman Breweries Ltd.. The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), the oldest part of the University of Guelph, began in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. According to Maclean's, the current University of Guelph, founded in 1964, "grew out of three founding colleges: the Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the Ontario Veterinary College (1862) and the Macdonald Institute (1903)". Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute (GCVI), established in the 1840s, is one of the province's oldest high schools.  The Former Canadian National Railways (VIA Rail/GO Transit) Station at 79 Carden Street was listed in 1992.
In 2017, Scientology Canada announced it would move its Canadian headquarters to Guelph. Some residents protested the plan. The facility was opened in the autumn of the year at 40 Baker Street.
A redevelopment plan for Downtown Guelph had been discussed by Council since 2007  and was finalized as the 2018 Baker District redevel
Guelph