The Town of Essex is a safe, healthy and liveable community. The Town offers exceptional economic development advantages rooted in its strategic location, robust agricultural sector and growing industrial base. The Town is well-connected via major highways and rail lines, ensuring seamless transportation of goods. Essex is also home to a skilled and diverse workforce, complemented by supportive municipal policies that foster innovation and entrepreneurship. With affordable land, a strong sense of community and a commitment to sustainable growth, Essex provides an ideal environment for businesses to thrive and expand.
Location
Invest and grow
Tourism and recreation
The Town of Essex is centrally located in Essex County. Given its position, the Town has easy access to many Essex County destinations through prime agricultural land all the way to the shores of Lake Erie.
The Town has easy access to:
- Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway
- Highway 401
- Highway 3
- Ambassador Bridge and the Gordie Howe International Bridge, connecting to the United States interstate highway system
The Town’s urban centres thrive with the contributions of small business owners. Whether you’re an artist or an entrepreneur, a woodworker or a culinary master, there’s a place for you in the community.
The Town of Essex, recognizes that business is the foundation of economic development and plays a key role in a growing and prosperous community.
For more information, contact the Town of Essex Economic Development Office.
Financial incentives
The Town of Essex offers various financial incentives to investors including several Community Improvement Plans that provides municipal funding incentives to property owners to stimulate physical improvements to commercial buildings, new business activities and residential accommodation in the downtown or qualifying project area.
Business Improvement Associations
The Town has two active business associations that support local entrepreneurs and helps to encourage business development including the Essex Centre BIA and the Harrow and Colchester South Chamber of Commerce.
Farm to table
The Town of Essex is uniquely positioned on the 42nd parallel, a circle of latitude shared with northern California and central Italy. Home to many wineries, visitors can look forward to fresh local food to pair with the region’s outstanding and award-winning wines.

Enjoy an active lifestyle
Essex offers a growing number of bike trails and is part of the scenic Waterfront Trail, a 3,600 km trail connecting people along the Great Lakes waterfront.