Of the several islands that make up Frontenac Islands, only three (Wolfe Island, Howe Island, and Simcoe Island ranked in descending order of year-round resident population) have substantial permanent resident populations, and regularly scheduled or on-demand marine ferry service provides year-round vehicle and emergency services access to those islands. The other islands are accessible only by private boat to privately owned docks. Some of these islands have substantial numbers of homes and cottages, but are generally not populated during the winter months when ice build-up in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River make boat access difficult or impossible. Only Wolfe Island has a recognizable concentrated settlement: the village of
Marysville, with around 400 inhabitants. The rest of the population is dispersed, mostly in lot groupings on or near the island shoreline, but with some housing found along the interior roads on either farm properties or on smaller non-farming lot severances. In the nineteenth century, the islands had much larger populations. Small population clusters were also found in the Port Alexandria, Port Metcalf and Scotch Settlement areas, all on Wolfe Island. These communities are now no more than names on the map. Note: There were no "villages" at Port Alexandria, Port Metcalf or the Scotch Settlement. The Scotch Settlement was a farming area encompassing approximately 3,000 acres which was settled in the 1820s by Scottish clansmen moving west from
Glengarry county. == Demographics ==