Founded at the intersection of many well established trails and waterways, Fort Hope was built in 1848 by the Hudson Bay Company. Fort Hope or Block House housed the first store, post office and local authority in the region.

Incorporated as the Village of Hope on April 6, 1929, the population just a few years later in 1931 was 374. By 1941, the Village had grown to 515. The status of Town was granted on January 1, 1965 and by 1966 the population had grown to a booming 2,948.

On December 7, 1992, the surrounding communities of Silver Creek, Kawkawa Lake, Lake of the Woods and the old Town of Hope became amalgamated into the District of Hope. The population was estimated at 7,118 in 1996.