King City, Ontario
Encyclopedia
King City is an affluent, unincorporated village in King Township
, Ontario
, Canada
, located just north of Toronto
. It is the largest community in King Township, with 1,629 dwellings and a population of 4,902.
(as are the streams from as far west as Bolton
and as far east as Stouffville
).
Situated on the southern slope of the central portion of the sensitive Oak Ridges Moraine
watershed, numerous disputes about planning and development have occurred municipally. Over the past decade, the central issue has been the controversial Big Pipe, a sewerage system connecting to the much larger Durham-York Sewage System (see Politics for further discussion).
Flourishing in the countryside setting are numerous stables and other farms on the 147.938 km² of land area occupied by the township.
The provincially-significant King-Vaughan Wetland Complex consists of 23 individual wetlands (83% swamp, 17% marsh). It is composed of clay
, loam
and silt
soil
s on a site that is palustrine
(69%) or isolated (31%). Vegetation
found on this wetland includes tall shrubs (34%), deciduous
trees (28%), dead trees and shrubs (19%), and narrow-leaved emergents (12%); additionally, robust emergents and free-floating plants are found in small agglomorations.
King Forest is a 60-hectare
forest with steep valleys containing the narrow flood plain of the East Humber River. The valley walls are of dry-mesic nature, supporting Eastern White Cedar, Eastern Hemlock
and Sugar Maple
. It is a regenerating forest containing 85 ground-cover species. The flood plain consists primarily of Eastern White Cedar, Sugar Maple and some White Ash
, though 26 species do thrive in the area.
The King City Wetland Complex contains eight wetland
s (77% swamp, 23% marsh) over 49 hectares. It is a palustrine formation composed 70% of clay, loam or silt soils, and 30% organic soils. It has varied vegetation, including tall shrubs (40%), deciduous trees (37%), robust emergents
(14%), narrow-leaved emergents (4%) and submergent vegetation
(4%).
Also, the King-Vaughan Forest straddles King City and portions of Vaughan
. It is similar to the King Forest, composed of forest areas on steep valley walls containing the flood plain of the Humber River. The dominant species on the valley walls are Sugar Maple and Eastern Hemlock, which are strongly regenerative in the forest. On the flood plain, a greater variety of species may be observed. Immature stands of Manitoba Maple and Eastern White Cedar, poplars and American Elm
can be found here, as can an extensive Hawthorn
scrubland.
and Temperanceville
. Ward 5 includes the western part of King City to Highway 400.
In previous elections, wards covering King City have voted to elect councillors against the Big Pipe project. Results for the rest of King Township were mixed. The most recent township election in 2003 elected a council favourable to the Big Pipe.
In 2001, York Region wrested control of King Township's sewage collection system. The Township's council at the time opposed the Big Pipe link, and brought the issue to court. Control of the system was returned to King Township after the 2003 municipal elections, which resulted in a pro-Pipe council, so that the township could request grants for the project from provincial and federal sources.
Proponents of the link cite health concerns about the aging septic systems in the town, and the occasional spill, as reasons to link to the Durham-York system. Opponents instead claim that the health issues of the current septic systems have been embellished, and that the new link will result in poorly controlled growth in the community, and hence urban sprawl.
The Big Pipe project (King City Sanitary Servicing Project) began construction in early 2005, jointly funded by King Township and York Region. It is expected that federal or provincial funds will also be provided for this project. However, homeowners will have to make the required connection to the system at their own expense. The primary trunk is due for completion in the summer of 2005; residential and business connections to the system will occur starting in late 2005.
A by-law was passed in April 2005 that made it mandatory for residents to connect to the new sewer system. Installation of the near $50 million project is funded through tax receipts, which includes system linkage for public facilities such as municipal offices and the library. Home-owners are responsible for the connection costs, and have been offered three payment scenarios:
This cost includes only the provision of a sewerage connection at the property line. In addition, homeowners are required to install piping from the home to the sewerage connection at their expense, either via a connection routed around the home, digging a connection underneath a basement floor, or via boring a connection underneath the home. Decommissioning and infilling septic tanks is also mandatory. Total costs for the connection and infilling may range from $4,000 to $12,000.
use King Road to reach Highway 400. Delivery trucks destined for Aurora
and Richmond Hill
also make use of King Road as a bypass.
Also, the Township borders on Peel Region, which has promoted the extension of Highway 427 from its current terminus at Highway 7 north to the Bradford Bypass. This extension would border the Township, raising concerns about noise pollution
in the rural area.
Also, King City has been a location for at least six movies:
King City is also the location of Shift, an outdoor sculpture by Richard Serra
built between 1970 and 1972. The sculpture was commissioned by Roger Davidson, and is being considered for protection under the Ontario Heritage Act
by the Township of King Heritage Committee. The work is located on land just south of the village, for which the township has received development proposals by its owner Great Gulf Group.
King Campus is located in King City; it is the only post-secondary education facility in King Township, and one of its major employers.
Like the rest of Ontario, King City has access to two public education systems: the regional boards are the York Catholic District School Board
and the York Region District School Board
.
King City Secondary School
is a public school that serves students from all King Township. With a student body of approximately 1100, course offerings are moderate but varied. The school features a full-size 400m outdoor track and a soccer pitch.
Within the public school system, King City Public School
serves the community. Holy Name Catholic School offers education within the Catholic separate school system.
Additionally, the community is served by a number of private institutions:
Traditionally, King City has been a Protestant community, but Roman Catholicism has a nearly equal number of followers (statistics for the whole Township of King are used). Protestants make up 41%
of the population, whereas Roman Catholics represent 39% of residents. Both of these religions outnumber the remaining faiths in practice within King City, namely those who identify themselves as Christian Orthodox (1%), Muslim
(0.5%), Jewish
(0.5%), Hindu
(0.5%), or Sikh
(0.5%). Approximately 17% of the population has no religious affiliation.
King City is home to five churches and a shrine:
A vibrant youth sports culture exists in King City; leagues for girls and boys hockey, tennis, soccer, and baseball http://york.cioc.ca/details.asp?RSN=11522&Number=42 exist, and a number of clubs provide other avenues for kids to enjoy and learn.
King City Memorial Park, next to the arena, has two baseball fields, several soccer fields, two children's playgrounds, and four tennis courts (two with lighting). An open, covered area is used for public events and picnics.
A portion of the extensive Oak Ridges Trail passes through King City. The community is creating its own trail network, the King City Trail; the two networks are currently not connected.
Private recreation facilities include St. Edmunds Sparkling Cricket Club cricket facility operated by the Maple Leaf Cricket Club, and two golf clubs: King's Riding Golf Club http://www.ontgolf.ca/querydetail.php?id=302 and King Valley Golf Club http://www.ontgolf.ca/querydetail.php?id=282.
Residents are within a ten minute commute to recreation in other communities. The Maple Community Centre, operated by the City of Vaughan
, offers services and memberships to non-Vaughan residents. Services
available include a fitness centre, a pool for lap and family swimming, and a public library. Aurora and Richmond Hill also have facilities, both private and public, easily accessible to King City residents.
Retail establishments are small, family-run businesses, with the exception of financial and realty services. Almost all retailers are located on King Road between Keele Street and Dufferin Street, or on Keele Street south of King Road to Station Road.
Home-based businesses are increasingly prevalent in the community, both as a primary or additional source of income.
service on the Barrie line. Commuters from King Township and parts of the City of Vaughan board the train at King City GO Station, at the south end of the town. GO Transit also provides weekday bus service from King City GO Station, with destinations as far south as Toronto, and as far north as Barrie
.
Bus service in King City is also provided by York Region Transit
(YRT). Routes 32, 88 and 90 make stops at Seneca College's King Campus. Also in 2005, YRT introduced the 22 King City route which travels from Seneca College across Bloomington Rd. to Yonge St. and over to King City via. King Rd and Bond Cr. where it then travels down Keele Street to the Maple Community Ctr. in Vaughan, Ontario.
Highway 400 runs past King City along its western end; it is a major vehicular artery linking King City to numerous communities in the vicinity, and is part of the extensive 400-series
provincial highways. King City is at Exit Number 43, King Road.
Over the air television sources from Toronto, Barrie and as far away as Buffalo
are generally clear. Affiliates for Canadian networks CBC
, CTV
and Global
, as well as American networks ABC
, CBS
, Fox
and NBC
are all available, as are public-support stations TVOntario
and PBS
.
Cable TV is available from Rogers Cable
.
Broadband internet access is available from Rogers via cable, and Bell Canada
via DSL. Many resellers of Bell's DSL also provide service in the community. Fixed wireless connections are also available.
Postal service is provided by Canada Post
; King City's Forward Sortation Area
is L7B. UPS
and Federal Express both provide weekday service to King City.
In 1985, the Research Directorate of the Atmospheric Environment Service established the first Canadian Doppler weather radar
in King City. In 2004, a Dual-Polarization Radar was installed for further research. These systems are used for predictive purposes, and the data collected is used for weather forecasts for the Greater Toronto Area
and the Golden Horseshoe.
The observatory also participates in the Near-Earth object
s NEODyS
system, which is run by the University of Pisa
, Italy
. The system tracks objects passing close to the earth. Asteroid 85397 (designation ) was discovered at this observatory on October 6, 1996 by R. G. Sandness.
, Curtis Joseph
, Wendel Clark
, Daniel Carcillo
, Alex Pietrangelo
, Rick Hampton
and Davis Payne
.
King, Ontario
King is a township in York Region north of Toronto, within the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada.The rolling hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine are the most prominent visible geographical feature of King. The Holland Marsh, considered to be Ontario's "vegetable basket", straddles King Township...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, located just north of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. It is the largest community in King Township, with 1,629 dwellings and a population of 4,902.
History
Originally a small settlement styled Springhill, King City has slowly grown since the arrival of the railway in 1853.Geography
King City is characterized by rolling hills and clustered temperate forests. Numerous kettle lakes and ponds dot the area. Creeks and streams from this region are the origin for the East Humber RiverHumber River (Ontario)
The Humber River is one of two major rivers on either side of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the other being the Don River to the east. It was designated a Canadian Heritage River on September 24, 1999....
(as are the streams from as far west as Bolton
Bolton, Ontario
Bolton is the most populated community in the town of Caledon, located in the Region of Peel, approximately 50 kilometres northwest of Toronto, in Ontario, Canada. In regional documents, it is referred to as a 'Rural Service Centre'. It has 26,478 residents in 8,721 households...
and as far east as Stouffville
Stouffville, Ontario
Stouffville is the primary urban area within the Town of Whitchurch–Stouffville, Ontario, Canada. It is centred at the intersection of Main Street, Mill Street and Market Street.-History:...
).
Situated on the southern slope of the central portion of the sensitive Oak Ridges Moraine
Oak Ridges Moraine
The Oak Ridges Moraine is an ecologically important geological landform in the Mixedwood Plains of south-central Ontario, Canada. The moraine covers a geographic area of between Caledon and Rice Lake, near Peterborough...
watershed, numerous disputes about planning and development have occurred municipally. Over the past decade, the central issue has been the controversial Big Pipe, a sewerage system connecting to the much larger Durham-York Sewage System (see Politics for further discussion).
Flourishing in the countryside setting are numerous stables and other farms on the 147.938 km² of land area occupied by the township.
Ecology
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, loam
Loam
Loam is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration . Loam soils generally contain more nutrients and humus than sandy soils, have better infiltration and drainage than silty soils, and are easier to till than clay soils...
and silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
s on a site that is palustrine
Palustrine
Palustrine comes from the Latin word palus or marsh. Wetlands within this category include inland marshes and swamps as well as bogs, fens, tundra and floodplains...
(69%) or isolated (31%). Vegetation
Vegetation
Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
found on this wetland includes tall shrubs (34%), deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
trees (28%), dead trees and shrubs (19%), and narrow-leaved emergents (12%); additionally, robust emergents and free-floating plants are found in small agglomorations.
King Forest is a 60-hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
forest with steep valleys containing the narrow flood plain of the East Humber River. The valley walls are of dry-mesic nature, supporting Eastern White Cedar, Eastern Hemlock
Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis, also known as eastern or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as pruche du Canada, is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It ranges from northeastern Minnesota eastward through southern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and south in the Appalachian...
and Sugar Maple
Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum is a species of maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas...
. It is a regenerating forest containing 85 ground-cover species. The flood plain consists primarily of Eastern White Cedar, Sugar Maple and some White Ash
White Ash
For another species referred to as white ash, see Eucalyptus fraxinoides.Fraxinus americana is a species of Fraxinus native to eastern North America found in mesophytic hardwood forests from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota, south to northern Florida, and southwest to eastern...
, though 26 species do thrive in the area.
The King City Wetland Complex contains eight wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s (77% swamp, 23% marsh) over 49 hectares. It is a palustrine formation composed 70% of clay, loam or silt soils, and 30% organic soils. It has varied vegetation, including tall shrubs (40%), deciduous trees (37%), robust emergents
Emergent plant
An emergent plant is one which grows in water but which pierces the surface so that it is partially in air. Collectively, such plants are emergent vegetation....
(14%), narrow-leaved emergents (4%) and submergent vegetation
Submergent plant
A submergent plant or submergent vegetation is a plant that is completely beneath the surface of water. Most submergent plants are firmly rooted in the soil. Examples include elodea and eelgrass ....
(4%).
Also, the King-Vaughan Forest straddles King City and portions of Vaughan
Vaughan, Ontario
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
. It is similar to the King Forest, composed of forest areas on steep valley walls containing the flood plain of the Humber River. The dominant species on the valley walls are Sugar Maple and Eastern Hemlock, which are strongly regenerative in the forest. On the flood plain, a greater variety of species may be observed. Immature stands of Manitoba Maple and Eastern White Cedar, poplars and American Elm
American Elm
Ulmus americana, generally known as the American Elm or, less commonly, as the White Elm or Water Elm, is a species native to eastern North America, occurring from Nova Scotia west to Alberta and Montana, and south to Florida and central Texas. The American elm is an extremely hardy tree that can...
can be found here, as can an extensive Hawthorn
Crataegus
Crataegus , commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name hawthorn was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe,...
scrubland.
Politics
King City does not have its own municipal government; it is represented municipally on King Township council by two councillors, in Wards 1 and 5. Ward 1 covers King City east of Keele St, and includes the communities of Eversley, SnowballSnowball, Ontario
Snowball is a Canadian hamlet in the township of King, Ontario, at the crossroads of Wellington Street W. and Dufferin Street. It is located north of Eversley. Snowball is part of electoral Ward 1 in King.-History:...
and Temperanceville
Temperanceville, Ontario
Temperanceville is a hamlet in the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario, Canada, straddling two geopolitical jurisdictions, King and Richmond Hill. It is located at the southeastern edge of King and northwestern part of Richmond Hill, east of King City and adjacent to the western part of Oak...
. Ward 5 includes the western part of King City to Highway 400.
The Big Pipe
King City has historically been served by septic systems, which proponents of the Big Pipe view as unhygienic and unsafe. Various studies have been commissioned to study the town's septic systems, but no clear conclusion was reached. These studies were funded by King Township, York Region, or several interested environmental groups, especially those involved with protecting the Oak Ridges Moraine.In previous elections, wards covering King City have voted to elect councillors against the Big Pipe project. Results for the rest of King Township were mixed. The most recent township election in 2003 elected a council favourable to the Big Pipe.
In 2001, York Region wrested control of King Township's sewage collection system. The Township's council at the time opposed the Big Pipe link, and brought the issue to court. Control of the system was returned to King Township after the 2003 municipal elections, which resulted in a pro-Pipe council, so that the township could request grants for the project from provincial and federal sources.
Proponents of the link cite health concerns about the aging septic systems in the town, and the occasional spill, as reasons to link to the Durham-York system. Opponents instead claim that the health issues of the current septic systems have been embellished, and that the new link will result in poorly controlled growth in the community, and hence urban sprawl.
The Big Pipe project (King City Sanitary Servicing Project) began construction in early 2005, jointly funded by King Township and York Region. It is expected that federal or provincial funds will also be provided for this project. However, homeowners will have to make the required connection to the system at their own expense. The primary trunk is due for completion in the summer of 2005; residential and business connections to the system will occur starting in late 2005.
A by-law was passed in April 2005 that made it mandatory for residents to connect to the new sewer system. Installation of the near $50 million project is funded through tax receipts, which includes system linkage for public facilities such as municipal offices and the library. Home-owners are responsible for the connection costs, and have been offered three payment scenarios:
- lump sum upfront payment of $12,500.00 per household
- 10 year loan payback at 4.69% interest ($1600.00/year)
- 20 year amortization ($964.00/year)
This cost includes only the provision of a sewerage connection at the property line. In addition, homeowners are required to install piping from the home to the sewerage connection at their expense, either via a connection routed around the home, digging a connection underneath a basement floor, or via boring a connection underneath the home. Decommissioning and infilling septic tanks is also mandatory. Total costs for the connection and infilling may range from $4,000 to $12,000.
Traffic
Through traffic on King Road has become a concern in the past decade, as the number of heavy vehicles has increased significantly. Notably, dump trucks serving new subdivision construction sites in nearby Oak RidgesOak Ridges, Ontario
Oak Ridges is an unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada, and has been part of Richmond Hill's administrative area since its annexation in 1971. Although physically separate and distinct from Richmond Hill, it forms the northern portion of the municipality's boundary. Located about 16.5 km...
use King Road to reach Highway 400. Delivery trucks destined for Aurora
Aurora, Ontario
Aurora is an affluent town in York Region, approximately 20 km north of Toronto. It is partially situated on the Oak Ridges Moraine, and is a part of the Greater Toronto Area and Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario.Many Aurora residents commute to Toronto and surrounding communities.In the...
and Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Richmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...
also make use of King Road as a bypass.
Also, the Township borders on Peel Region, which has promoted the extension of Highway 427 from its current terminus at Highway 7 north to the Bradford Bypass. This extension would border the Township, raising concerns about noise pollution
Noise pollution
Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life...
in the rural area.
Culture
King City and its rural surroundings are home to numerous horse farms, which are both well-known and highly-regarded.Also, King City has been a location for at least six movies:
- The CBC TV show The Forest RangersThe Forest RangersThe Forest Rangers was a Canadian television series that ran from 1963 to 1965. It was a co-production between CBC Television and ITC Entertainment and was Canada's first television show produced in colour...
(1963) had some scenes filmed on Mary Lake near the shrine. - The GateThe Gate (film)The Gate is a 1987 horror movie starring Stephen Dorff and directed by Tibor Takács. The movie utilizes stop motion, Harryhausen-esque creatures.-Plot:...
(1987) was filmed and set at a house located in King Heights subdivision - To Die ForTo Die ForTo Die For is a 1995 dark comedy film, made in a mockumentary format, directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Buck Henry, based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard, which in turn was based on the Pamela Smart story. It stars Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, and Joaquin Phoenix...
(1995) had a number of scenes filmed at King City Secondary School. - Golden Will: The Silken Laumann Story (1996, TVTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
) was entirely filmed in King City. - Walt DisneyWalt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
's Confessions of a Teenage Drama QueenConfessions of a Teenage Drama QueenConfessions of a Teenage Drama Queen is a 2004 American Teen musical comedy film directed by Sara Sugarman and produced by Robert Shapiro and Matthew Hart for Walt Disney Pictures...
(2004) also had some scenes filmed during a three-day period in July 2003 at King City Secondary School. - A History of ViolenceA History of Violence (film)A History of Violence is a 2005 American crime thriller film directed by David Cronenberg and written by Josh Olson. It is an adaptation of the 1997 graphic novel of the same name by John Wagner and Vince Locke...
(2005) had its final scene filmed at the historic Eaton Hall in King City, and a baseball scene filmed in Pottageville. - Billy MadisonBilly MadisonBilly Madison is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Tamra Davis and starring Adam Sandler, in the title role, Bradley Whitford, Bridgette Wilson, Norm Macdonald and Darren McGavin. The film was written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Universal Studios. It made over $25.5 million...
(1995) had some scenes filmed at the gates to Mary Lake Shrine just north of King City. - The Weight, an exclusive series presented by The Movie NetworkThe Movie NetworkThe Movie Network is a Canadian English language Category A premium television service, owned by Astral Media. The service is licensed to operate east of the Ontario-Manitoba border, excluding the territories...
, had a car crash scene filmed at the intersection of the 7th concession and the 15th sideroad in the summer of 2008
King City is also the location of Shift, an outdoor sculpture by Richard Serra
Richard Serra
Richard Serra is an American minimalist sculptor and video artist known for working with large-scale assemblies of sheet metal. Serra was involved in the Process Art Movement.-Early life and education:...
built between 1970 and 1972. The sculpture was commissioned by Roger Davidson, and is being considered for protection under the Ontario Heritage Act
Ontario Heritage Act
The Ontario Heritage Act, first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Province of Ontario, Canada, as being of cultural heritage value or interest....
by the Township of King Heritage Committee. The work is located on land just south of the village, for which the township has received development proposals by its owner Great Gulf Group.
Education
The Seneca CollegeSeneca College
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a Canadian public college in the greater Toronto area. Seneca College is currently Canada's largest college with approximately 108,000 students.-History:...
King Campus is located in King City; it is the only post-secondary education facility in King Township, and one of its major employers.
Like the rest of Ontario, King City has access to two public education systems: the regional boards are the York Catholic District School Board
York Catholic District School Board
The York Catholic District School Board is the publicly funded English-language Catholic school district authority for the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario, Canada. Its head office is in Aurora....
and the York Region District School Board
York Region District School Board
The York Region District School Board, also known as YRDSB, is the English-language public school board for York Regional Municipality located in Ontario, Canada. The York Region District School Board is currently the province's third largest school board, with an enrollment of over 115,000 students...
.
King City Secondary School
King City Secondary School
King City Secondary School, or KCSS, is a secondary education facility in King City, Ontario, Canada. It is a secular public school administered by the York Region District School Board. The school is located at 2001 King Road, and the current principal is Teresa Micone.- Campus :KCSS is located...
is a public school that serves students from all King Township. With a student body of approximately 1100, course offerings are moderate but varied. The school features a full-size 400m outdoor track and a soccer pitch.
Within the public school system, King City Public School
King City Public School
King City Public School is a school in King City, Ontario, in Canada serving students from junior kindergarten to grade eight in two campuses. The Eva L. Dennis Building is used to teach students up to grade three, and students from grade four to eight are taught at the King Campus...
serves the community. Holy Name Catholic School offers education within the Catholic separate school system.
Additionally, the community is served by a number of private institutions:
- King City Montessori School, which serves pre-school and kindergarten age groups
- The Country Day SchoolThe Country Day SchoolThe Country Day School or CDS is an independent, non-profit university-preparatory school in King City, Ontario, Canada.It was founded in 1972. It is a member of the Canadian Association of Independent Schools , the Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario and the Canadian Educational...
, has kindergarten to Grade 12. - St. Thomas of Villanova CollegeSt. Thomas of Villanova CollegeSt. Thomas of Villanova College is a middle school and high school in King City, Ontario, Canada. It was established at Mary Lake by lay educators Paul Paradiso and Grant Purdy in 1999 at Mary Lake Augustinian Monastery as a Catholic school together with the Order of Saint Augustine's friars of...
at Mary Lake ShrineMary Lake Augustinian MonasteryThe Mary Lake Augustinian Monastery, also known as Mary Lake Monastery, Mary Lake Shrine, or simply Mary Lake is an Augustinian monastery in King City, Ontario, Canada. The campus is nearly , residing on Keele Street, just north of 15th Sideroad . It is part of the Province of Saint Joseph...
.
Religion
of the population, whereas Roman Catholics represent 39% of residents. Both of these religions outnumber the remaining faiths in practice within King City, namely those who identify themselves as Christian Orthodox (1%), Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
(0.5%), Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
(0.5%), Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
(0.5%), or Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
(0.5%). Approximately 17% of the population has no religious affiliation.
King City is home to five churches and a shrine:
- Sacred Heart Church is a Roman Catholic institution.
- King City United Church is affiliated with the United Church of CanadaUnited Church of CanadaThe United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
, which is the largest Protestant-denominated church in Canada. - St. Andrews Presbyterian Church operates within the Presbyterian Church of CanadaPresbyterian Church in CanadaThe Presbyterian Church in Canada is the name of a Protestant Christian church, of presbyterian and reformed theology and polity, serving in Canada under this name since 1875, although the United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939...
, another Protestant-denominated church. - All Saints, King CityAll Saints, King CityAll Saints, King City is a parish of the Anglican Church of Canada in the Diocese of Toronto, Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario. It was established in 1857 in Springhill, now known as King City. The facility was originally built of pine cleared from the site, and was covered with brick in 1871...
is an Anglican church affiliated with the Anglican Church of CanadaAnglican Church of CanadaThe Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
, the third major Protestant-denominated religious branch in Canada. - King Bible Church is affiliated with the Associated Gospel Churches of Canada.
- The Shrine of Our Lady of Grace is a MarianMarianismMarianism may refer to:* a term used to describe veneration of the Virgin Mary, especially in the Catholic Church.* the English translation of the sociological concept of Marianismo....
shrine at Mary Lake, an Augustinian MonasteryMonasteryMonastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
located on the northern edge of King City; it is also referred to as Mary Lake Shrine.
Recreation
The King City Community Centre and King City Arena host numerous activities, such as youth hockey league matches and yoga classes. They also host many community events throughout the year, and some public King Township meetings.A vibrant youth sports culture exists in King City; leagues for girls and boys hockey, tennis, soccer, and baseball http://york.cioc.ca/details.asp?RSN=11522&Number=42 exist, and a number of clubs provide other avenues for kids to enjoy and learn.
King City Memorial Park, next to the arena, has two baseball fields, several soccer fields, two children's playgrounds, and four tennis courts (two with lighting). An open, covered area is used for public events and picnics.
A portion of the extensive Oak Ridges Trail passes through King City. The community is creating its own trail network, the King City Trail; the two networks are currently not connected.
Private recreation facilities include St. Edmunds Sparkling Cricket Club cricket facility operated by the Maple Leaf Cricket Club, and two golf clubs: King's Riding Golf Club http://www.ontgolf.ca/querydetail.php?id=302 and King Valley Golf Club http://www.ontgolf.ca/querydetail.php?id=282.
Residents are within a ten minute commute to recreation in other communities. The Maple Community Centre, operated by the City of Vaughan
Vaughan, Ontario
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
, offers services and memberships to non-Vaughan residents. Services
available include a fitness centre, a pool for lap and family swimming, and a public library. Aurora and Richmond Hill also have facilities, both private and public, easily accessible to King City residents.
Organizations and clubs
- King Township Public LibraryKing Township Public LibraryThe King Township Public Library is a public library system that serves King Township, Ontario in Canada. It consists of four branches located at:* King City* Nobleton* Schomberg* Ansnorveldt...
King City Branch offers reading programs for kids, maintains a 3-month community papers archive, and is home to the Township of King Archive Collections. - King Township Historical Society seeks to archive and preserve information about the township's past and culture.
- King City Preserve the Village is an organization that was founded to fight the Big Pipe link to the Durham-York Sewer System, and urban sprawl in King Township.
- The Maple Leaf Cricket ClubMaple Leaf Cricket ClubThe Maple Leaf Cricket Club is a cricket ground in King City, Ontario, Canada, about 30 kilometres north of Toronto. It was established in 1954 and operates a turf wicket facilitys. In 2006, it became the second ground in Canada to be approved to host One Day Internationals by the...
was established in 1954 , and operates on turf wickets facilities. The Club has five cricket grounds which operate on turf wickets. The northwest ground has became the second ground in Canada to be approved to host One Day Internationals (ODI's) by the International Cricket Council in the year 2006. It has become Cricket Canada’s main facility for International matches. The club aspires to be the future home of the Canadian Cricket Academy. - Hospice King-Aurora (previously Hospice King) is a non-profit charity which provides non-medical palliative care for individuals (and their families) with a life-threatening illness. Other services include bereavement support programs, and other counselling with a registered social worker. It was established in 1983, and is a member of the Hospice Association of OntarioHospice Association of OntarioThe Hospice Association of Ontario provides end-of-life care to terminal patients in the province of Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1989 with eight members; as of April, 2005, it had over 150 member hospice facilities....
. - Hike OntarioHike OntarioHike Ontario is an organization devoted to promote hiking and walking activities in Ontario, Canada. It has headquarters at The Gate House, at Seneca College King Campus in King City, though it is not accessible other than by appointment....
is headquartered in King City. Its mission is to promote hiking and walking in Ontario. - The Nobleton and King City Horticultural Society meets every fourth Monday in Nobleton. It is a member of the Ontario Horticultural AssociationOntario Horticultural AssociationThe Ontario Horticultural Association is a horticultural organization in Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1906 by the Government of Ontario, via an Act in the Ontario Legislature, which split the Agricultural and Horticultural Societies into the Ontario Agricultural Fairs Association and the...
, participating in various projects such as Communities in BloomCommunities in BloomCommunities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization that fosters friendly competition between Canadian communities to beautify their civic spaces. It was established in 1995 as a national competition between 29 communities, and has since expanded to include competitions in various...
. In 2004, King Township was the provincial winner in the 10000-20000 category; it will compete in the National event in 2005. - Dufferin Marsh Restoration Project
Attractions
- Eaton HallEaton Hall (King City)Eaton Hall is a large house in King City, Ontario, Canada, built in the Norman style for Lady Eaton in 1937 on a 700 acre parcel of land . Lady Eaton and her husband, Sir John Craig Eaton acquired the land in 1919 on recommendation from their friend Sir Henry Pellatt, who owned the nearby Mary...
is located on the King Campus of Seneca College. - Hogan's Inn has won a number of awards for its Dining Room wine cellar (1998 and 1999 Award of Excellence - Wine Spectator) and the elegant Dining room itself (DiRoNA Award, 1995–2002). Apart from the dining room, the inn features the Hunt Pub, a traditional-style pub, and the Polo Lounge, a more casual dining area.
- King Township MuseumKing Township MuseumThe King Township Museum in King City, Ontario, Canada is a local history museum for the township of King at 2920 King Rd. It was previously known as Kinghorn Museum, and is located on what was once known as Kinghorn, now subsumed by King City....
- Mary Lake Augustinian MonasteryMary Lake Augustinian MonasteryThe Mary Lake Augustinian Monastery, also known as Mary Lake Monastery, Mary Lake Shrine, or simply Mary Lake is an Augustinian monastery in King City, Ontario, Canada. The campus is nearly , residing on Keele Street, just north of 15th Sideroad . It is part of the Province of Saint Joseph...
draws tourists both for religious events, and to enjoy its natural beauty. - The Kingbridge CentreThe Kingbridge CentreThe Kingbridge Centre is a conference venue and communications facility in King City, Ontario, Canada. It was designed by Arthur Erickson.-History:...
, a conference venue.
Economy and business
As a small town, King City doesn't have an infrastructure sufficient to support a diversified business community. The primary business sectors are construction, which employs 34% of the workforce, and education, which employs 16% of the workforce (see Education).Retail establishments are small, family-run businesses, with the exception of financial and realty services. Almost all retailers are located on King Road between Keele Street and Dufferin Street, or on Keele Street south of King Road to Station Road.
Home-based businesses are increasingly prevalent in the community, both as a primary or additional source of income.
Transport
King City has weekday GO trainGO Transit
GO Transit is an inter-regional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada. It primarily serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area conurbation, with operations extending to several communities beyond the GTHA proper in the Greater Golden Horseshoe...
service on the Barrie line. Commuters from King Township and parts of the City of Vaughan board the train at King City GO Station, at the south end of the town. GO Transit also provides weekday bus service from King City GO Station, with destinations as far south as Toronto, and as far north as Barrie
Barrie, Ontario
Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, located on the western shore of Lake Simcoe, approximately 90 km north of Toronto. Although located in Simcoe County, the city is politically independent...
.
Bus service in King City is also provided by York Region Transit
York Region Transit
York Region Transit is the public transit operator in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Richmond Hill, at 50 High Tech Road....
(YRT). Routes 32, 88 and 90 make stops at Seneca College's King Campus. Also in 2005, YRT introduced the 22 King City route which travels from Seneca College across Bloomington Rd. to Yonge St. and over to King City via. King Rd and Bond Cr. where it then travels down Keele Street to the Maple Community Ctr. in Vaughan, Ontario.
Highway 400 runs past King City along its western end; it is a major vehicular artery linking King City to numerous communities in the vicinity, and is part of the extensive 400-series
400-series highways (Ontario)
The 400-series highways are a network of controlled-access highways throughout the southern portion of the Canadian province of Ontario, forming a special subset of the provincial highway system. They are analogous to the Interstate Highway System in the United States or the British Motorway...
provincial highways. King City is at Exit Number 43, King Road.
Communications and media
Given its proximity to Toronto, King City has exposure to a broad variety of media. National and Toronto-area daily newspapers offer delivery to the community. Several local papers are delivered to the community, by carrier or post. These include:- The King Weekly, a weekly published by King/Vaughan News in MapleMaple, OntarioMaple is a high-growth suburban community northwest of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, part of the city of Vaughan in York Region.-Geography:The west branch of the Don River rises to the northwest and flows 1 km west of Maple. Several creeks are to the east and the Black Creek begins slightly west...
that is delivered by postal mail. - The King Township Sentinel, published weekly by Simcoe York Printing & Publishing Ltd. from BeetonBeeton, OntarioBeeton is a small town located in southern Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada between Tottenham and Alliston; all three were amalgamated in 1991 into the single Town of New Tecumseth....
. It is delivered by postal mail. - The ERA Banner, with Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday editions delivered by carrier every week, is published by Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. through the York Region Newspaper Group
Over the air television sources from Toronto, Barrie and as far away as Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
are generally clear. Affiliates for Canadian networks CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
and Global
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
, as well as American networks ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
are all available, as are public-support stations TVOntario
TVOntario
TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...
and PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
.
Cable TV is available from Rogers Cable
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
.
Broadband internet access is available from Rogers via cable, and Bell Canada
Bell Canada
Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
via DSL. Many resellers of Bell's DSL also provide service in the community. Fixed wireless connections are also available.
Postal service is provided by Canada Post
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post , is the Canadian crown corporation which functions as the country's primary postal operator...
; King City's Forward Sortation Area
Canadian postal code
A Canadian postal code is a six-character string that forms part of a postal address in Canada. Like British and Dutch postcodes, Canada's postal codes are alphanumeric. They are in the format A0A 0A0, where A is a letter and 0 is a digit, with a space separating the third and fourth characters...
is L7B. UPS
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
and Federal Express both provide weekday service to King City.
Government research
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
in King City. In 2004, a Dual-Polarization Radar was installed for further research. These systems are used for predictive purposes, and the data collected is used for weather forecasts for the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
and the Golden Horseshoe.
The observatory also participates in the Near-Earth object
Near-Earth object
A near-Earth object is a Solar System object whose orbit brings it into close proximity with the Earth. All NEOs have a perihelion distance less than 1.3 AU. They include a few thousand near-Earth asteroids , near-Earth comets, a number of solar-orbiting spacecraft, and meteoroids large enough to...
s NEODyS
NEODyS
NEODyS is an Italian and Spanish service that provides information on Near Earth Objects with a convenient Web-based interface. It is based on a continually and automatically maintained database of near earth asteroid orbits. This site provides a number of services to the NEO community...
system, which is run by the University of Pisa
University of Pisa
The University of Pisa , located in Pisa, Tuscany, is one of the oldest universities in Italy. It was formally founded on September 3, 1343 by an edict of Pope Clement VI, although there had been lectures on law in Pisa since the 11th century...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The system tracks objects passing close to the earth. Asteroid 85397 (designation ) was discovered at this observatory on October 6, 1996 by R. G. Sandness.
Notable residents
King City is the hometown of ice hockey players Jeff O'NeillJeff O'Neill
Jeffrey O'Neill is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger in the National Hockey League . During his career, he played for the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes and the Toronto Maple Leafs...
, Curtis Joseph
Curtis Joseph
Curtis Shayne Joseph is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He last played for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League....
, Wendel Clark
Wendel Clark
Wendel L. Clark is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is perhaps best known for being a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League , captaining the team from 1991 to 1994...
, Daniel Carcillo
Daniel Carcillo
Daniel Carcillo is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, Alex Pietrangelo
Alex Pietrangelo
Alexander Pietrangelo is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and alternate captain currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League . As a junior, he played with the Niagara IceDogs and the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League...
, Rick Hampton
Rick Hampton
Richard Charles Hampton is a retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman. He was raised in King City, and attended King City Secondary School, from which he graduated in 1975....
and Davis Payne
Davis Payne
Davis Payne is a retired Canadian ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins and is the former head coach of the St. Louis Blues.-Playing career:...
.