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East Gwillimbury |
The Town of East Gwillimbury dates to the late 1790s, when Governor
John Graves Simcoe named it in honour of his wife, whose maiden name
was Gwillim. At the time, he was looking for an overland route from
York (present-day Toronto) to Lake Huron which, in the event of war
with the United States, would serve as an alternate to the easily
interdicted Lake Ontario-Lake Erie route.
Yonge
Street was the result. Its northern terminus was at Holland Landing,
from which vessels traversed the Holland River and Lake Simcoe to
Barrie, where roads completed the journey west. Until trains arrived at
mid-century and supplanted water transport, this route was a major
commercial artery and Holland Landing became the major port on Lake
Simcoe.
The earliest settlers of East Gwillimbury were United Empire Loyalists
and Quakers who were no longer welcome in the United States in the
aftermath of the Revolutionary War. It was through their efforts that
Mount Albert, Queensville, and Holland Landing were founded. Sharon
(originally called Hope) is unique in that it was founded by an
off-shoot sect of Quakers, known as the Children of Peace, whose
influence remains highly visible thanks to the stunning Sharon Temple.
It’s interesting to note that despite the well-known pacifism of East
Gwillimbury’s Quaker settlers, the region was at the heart of William
Lyon Mackenzie’s ill-fated 1837 Rebellion. Many locals were
disenchanted by the province’s corrupt government and joined Mackenzie
and Holland Landing resident turned revolutionary, Gabriel Lount, in a
march down Yonge Street. The rebellion was quickly crushed, though it
did lead to reform.
After the rebellion and its brush with infamy, East Gwillimbury
reverted to its quiet, agricultural ways. It remained that way until
the 1970s, when the rise of suburbia shook the town from its placid
slumber.
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East Gwillimbury Today |
While East Gwillimbury retains the characteristics of its agricultural
roots, it’s now a modern and growing community which successfully
balances urban and rural. That, and an advantageous geographic location
just north of Canada’s largest city, make in an ideal place to live and
work.
East Gwillimbury encompasses 238 square
kilometres (almost 92 square miles), and has among the lowest
population densities in York Region. The growing areas of Holland
Landing, Sharon, Queensville and Mount Albert offer all the facilities
of modern urban areas, but are surrounded by endless miles of
picturesque farmland and wildspace.
After a rapid spike in the 1970s and early 1980s, population growth has
leveled off at a sustainable and healthy 6% over the last 20 years.
Today, 21,500 people call East Gwillimbury home, and this number is
expected to reach 51,300 in 2021.
Currently, 40% of the population resides in Holland Landing, but
planners intend for Queensville to be the centre of growth and to
eventually supplant Holland Landing as the heart of the town. In time,
Queensville will be home to 20,000 people, and be a modern community
with new residential areas, schools, a full-range of public facilities,
and a university to service upper York Region. Industrial growth will
centre upon a 500 hectare industrial development site, and the new town
centre will include a full range of commercial uses.
The growth of East Gwillimbury rests upon an excellent transportation
network. Metropolitan Toronto is accessible in half an hour via Highway
404, while Highway 400 is also close via Highway 9 and affords a link
to west-central Toronto in about an hour’s time.
Inter-city commuter rail and bus service is provided by GO Transit out
of the Green Lane Terminal on the northern outskirts of Newmarket.
Public transportation is available in Holland Landing and Sharon
through York Region Transit, which connects residents with the GO
Terminal and Upper Canada Mall.
East Gwillimbury hosts a number of notable attractions. Foremost among
them is the Sharon Temple, a national Historic Site, and Rogers
Reservoir, with its abandoned canal lock. There are also numerous
historic buildings in its principal villages, while the rolling hills
are home to many fine golf courses, and the marinas nestled along the
placid shores of the Holland River offer ready access to Lake Simcoe.
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