York County, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Historic counties of Ontario
The Canadian province of Ontario has several historic counties, which are past census divisions that no longer exist today. Most historic counties either merged with other counties, or became regional municipalities or single-tier municipalities...
in Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
, Canada West, and the Canadian
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...
province of 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....
.
York County was created in 1792 and was part of the jurisdiction of Home District
Home District
The Home District was one of four districts of the Province of Quebec created in 1788 in the western reaches of the Montreal District and partitioned in 1791 to create the new colony of Upper Canada. Known as Nassau District until 1792, it was composed of the areas along western Lake Ontario and...
of Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
. It originally comprised all of what is now York Region, Peel Region, Halton Region, 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...
, parts of the current Durham Regional Municipality and the current city of Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
.
In 1816, Wentworth County
Wentworth County, Ontario
Wentworth County, area , is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.It was created in 1816 as part of the Gore District in what was then Upper Canada and later Canada West...
and Halton County
Halton County, Ontario
Halton County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is also one of the oldest counties in Canada.-History:Halton County is named after Major William Mathew Halton who was appointed in 1805 as Secretary to the Upper Canada provincial Lieutenant-Governor Sir Francis...
were created from York County. In 1851, Ontario County
Ontario County, Ontario
Ontario County was the name of two historic counties in the Canadian province of Ontario.The original Ontario County existed from 1792 to 1800 as part of the Eastern District, and consisted of the islands in the St. Lawrence River...
and Peel County
Peel County, Ontario
Peel County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1851 from a portion of York County. In 1973, Peel County became the Regional Municipality of Peel, as a result of the Ontario provincial government's regionalization of the rapidly developing counties...
were separated from York.
In 1953, Metropolitan Toronto
Metropolitan Toronto
The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was a senior level of municipal government in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area from 1954 to 1998. It was created out of York County and was a precursor to the later concept of a regional municipality, being formed of smaller municipalities but having more...
was separated from York County. At this time, the townships of Etobicoke, York and Scarboro (now Scarborough) seceded from York County, and the county office was moved to Newmarket
Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...
from Toronto. The York County Court House
York County Court House
The York County Court House is a major court in Toronto, Canada located behind Osgoode Hall. It was built in 1967 at 393 University Avenue north of Queen Street West. It was the York County Courts from 1967 to 1980, then for Toronto since 1980...
and Adelaide Street Court House
Adelaide Street Court House
The Adelaide Street Court House, or York County Court House, was built in 1851-1862 by Thomas Ridout.Located at 57 Adelaide Street East in the St. Lawrence, Toronto, neighbourhood, the building was later home to the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto. In recent years, it housed the Courthouse Market...
in Toronto are the only reminder of the former county seat in Toronto.
In 1971, the remaining portion of York County was replaced by the York Regional Municipality.
Historic Municipalities
- East Gwillimbury - now the Town of East GwillimburyEast Gwillimbury, OntarioEast Gwillimbury is a town on the East Holland River in the Regional Municipality of York. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area of south-central Ontario, in Canada. It was formed by the amalgamation of the Township of East Gwillimbury with all the previously incorporated villages and hamlets...
. Area: 59064 acres (239 km²). Organized in 1798 and named in honour of Mrs. John Graves Simcoe, whose maiden name was Gwillim. Community centres: Roche's Point, Keswick, Sharon, Mount Albert. - East York - now in the City of TorontoTorontoToronto 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...
- Etobicoke - now in the City of Toronto. Etobicoke Township (area: 27976 acres (113 km²)) was organized in 1792. It was occupied by Mississauga Indians until it was purchased by Lieutenant-Governor Gore for £1,700. Etobicoke is a corruption of the Indian Wah-do-be-kaung, "the place where alder grow." Historical community centre was Islington (formerly Mimico). Three Lakeshore communities later developed into separate municipalities: MimicoMimicoThe historic Town of Mimico is a neighbourhood in the south-western part of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the south-east corner of the former Township of Etobicoke, and was an independent municipality from 1911 to 1967....
(1911 Village/1917 Town), New TorontoNew TorontoThe historic Town of New Toronto is a neighbourhood in the south-west end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the south-centre of the former Township of Etobicoke and was an independent municipality from 1913 to 1967, one of the former 'Lakeshore Municipalities'...
(1913 Village/1920 Town), Long BranchLong BranchLong Branch may refer to:In geography:* Long Branch, New Jersey, United States* Long Branch, Pennsylvania, United States* Long Branch, Eastland County, Texas, United States* Long Branch, Panola County, Texas, United States...
(1930 Village). With Etobicoke, these left York County in 1953 to join the newly formed urban region Metropolitan TorontoMetropolitan TorontoThe Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was a senior level of municipal government in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area from 1954 to 1998. It was created out of York County and was a precursor to the later concept of a regional municipality, being formed of smaller municipalities but having more...
. - Georgina - merged with North Gwillimbury to form the Town of GeorginaGeorgina, OntarioGeorgina is a town in south-central Ontario, and the northernmost municipality in the Regional Municipality of York. It forms part of the northern boundary of the Greater Toronto Area and is situated on the southern shores of Lake Simcoe...
. Area: 36770 acres (149 km²). Named in honour of King George III. The township was opened for settlement in 1815. Historical Community centres were Sutton, Pefferlaw, Udora, Cedarbrae, Vachell and Jackson's Point. - KingKing, OntarioKing 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...
- still exists. Area: 88742 acres (359 km²). Opened in 1798 and was likely named for John King, Under-Secretary of State in the Portland administrationWilliam Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of PortlandWilliam Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, KG, PC was a British Whig and Tory statesman, Chancellor of the University of Oxford and Prime Minister. He was known before 1762 by the courtesy title Marquess of Titchfield. He held a title of every degree of British nobility—Duke,...
. Community centres: King, Schomberg, Lloydtown, Kettleby and Strange. - Markham - now the Town of MarkhamMarkham, OntarioMarkham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
. Historically the Township was 67696 acres (274 km²) and opened in 1792. It was named in honour of the Most Rev. William MarkhamWilliam Markham (archbishop)William Markham , English divine and archbishop of York, was educated at Westminster and at Christ Church, Oxford.He was one of the best scholars of his day, and attained to the headship of his old school and college in 1753 and 1767 respectively...
, Archbishop of York, England, who died in 1807. The Township once included Markham Village, Richmond Hill and Stouffville within its borders. Community centres also included were Unionville, Hagerman's Victoria Square and Mount Joy. - North Gwillimbury - merged with Georgina to form the Town of Georgina.
- North York - now in the City of Toronto
- Scarborough - now in the City of Toronto. Historically the township was 40785 acres (165 km²) and was organized in 1792. It was so named by Lady Simcoe as she thought the clay cliffs at the lakefront resembled similar cliffs in Scarborough in England. Historical community centres were Agincourt, Scarborough Junction, Highland Creek, Wexford and Woburn.
- Vaughan - now the City of VaughanVaughan, OntarioVaughan 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...
The historical township was area 67007 acres (271 km²) and opened in 1792. It was named for Benjamin Vaughan, one of the British commissioners who signed the peace treaty of 1783 with the United States. The township included the town of Weston. Other community centres were: Maple, Kleinburg, Thornhill, Concord. A colony of Pennsylvania Quakers were among the earliest settlers. - Whitchurch - now the Town of Whitchurch-StouffvilleWhitchurch-Stouffville, OntarioWhitchurch–Stouffville is a municipality in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada, approximately 14 kilometres north of the City of Toronto. It is 206.74 square kilometers in size, and located in the mid-eastern area of the Regional Municipality of York on the ecologically sensitive Oak...
. Historic township of Whitchurch was 60235 acres (244 km²). Opened in 1798, the first settlers were Loyalist Quakers from Pennsylvania. A number of towns and villages in England are named Whitchurch. - York - now in the City of Toronto. Historically York, East York and North York Townships. (Areas 6,235, 3,700 and 43965 acres (178 km²) respectively). Organized in 1792.
- Toronto - originally the Town of York it became the City of Toronto in 1834, in 1953 it left York County and joined Metropolitan TorontoMetropolitan TorontoThe Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was a senior level of municipal government in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area from 1954 to 1998. It was created out of York County and was a precursor to the later concept of a regional municipality, being formed of smaller municipalities but having more...
which was amalgamated with its component municipalities to the City of Toronto to form a one tiered municipality/region, commonly known as the 'Megacity', in 1998.
Seats
- TorontoTorontoToronto 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...
(York before 1834) 1792 to 1953 - Newmarket, OntarioNewmarket, OntarioNewmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...
1953 to 1971
County Offices
- First York County Courthouse 1800-1824
- Second York County Courthouse 1824-1845
- Adelaide Court House 1852-1900
- Old City HallOld City Hall (Toronto)Toronto's Old City Hall was home to its city council from 1899 to 1966 and remains one of the city's most prominent structures. The building is located at the corner of Queen and Bay Streets, across Bay Street from Nathan Phillips Square and the new City Hall in the centre of downtown Toronto...
, Toronto 1900-1953 - Old Newmarket Town Hall and Courthouse 1953-1970