The primary industry of the township is farming, with limited beef, dairy, sheep and horse farming. It is also home to the Melancthon EcoPower Centre wind farm.
The township was founded in 1853 as a part of Grey County and transferred to Dufferin County in 1881. Township council currently comprises Mayor Darren White, Deputy Mayor James McLean, and three councillors.
Communities
The township of Melancthon comprises a number of villages and hamlets, including the following communities: Auguston, Corbetton, Horning's Mills, Masonville, Mayburne, Melancthon, Ostrander, Redickville, Riverview, Shrigley, and Wrigglesworth Corner.
[2][3][1] Population in 2001 was 2,739 when boundary adjustments in 2006 were taken into account
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Melancthon had a population of 3,132 living in 1,035 of its 1,104 total private dwellings, a change of 4.1% from its 2016 population of 3,008. With a land area of 310.39 km2 (119.84 sq mi), it had a population density of 10.1/km2 (26.1/sq mi) in 2021.[4]