Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County. It is part of the Huronia/Wendat region of Central Ontario. Situated at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, and the main town of the southern Georgian Bay area. In the summer months, the area's population grows to over 100,000 with seasonal visitors to more than 8,000 cottages, resort hotels, provincial and national parks in the surrounding municipalities of Penetanguishene, Tiny and Tay. The town of Midland was founded when, in 1871, the Midland Railway of Canada selected the sparsely populated community of Mundy's Bay as the new terminus of the Midland railway. At that time the Midland railway ran from Port Hope to Beaverton. The town site was surveyed in 1872–3 and the line to the town was completed by 1879. Settlers, attracted by the convenience of rail service, soon began to move into the area.