King, Ontario
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
King (2006 population 19,487)[1] is a township in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. King is part of the Greater Toronto Area.
The Township of King is located half-way between Toronto and Barrie, stretching from Bathurst Street to just east of Highway 50. King is approximately 40 minutes north of Toronto Pearson International Airport and accessible by Highways 400, 27, 9 and 11.
King features some of the most picturesque countryside in Ontario. The rolling hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine are King's most prominent geographical features. The Holland Marsh, considered to be Ontario's "vegetable basket," is also located in King Township. King is also known for its prestigious horse farms and cattle farms.
While King Township is predominantly rural, the communities of King City, Nobleton, and Schomberg are where most of King's residents are concentrated.
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[edit] History
King Township is named for Major John King, an English Under-Secretary of State. The township was created as part of the subdivision of York County, itself a subdivision of the Home District. The lands were originally acquired by the British in an agreement with the Mississaugas, known as the Toronto Purchase; it was enacted in British parliament as the Toronto Purchase Act in 1787.[2] Approximately 86,840 acres of land were administered by the township in 1878, according to the Historical Atlas of York County, but by 1973 this had been reduced to 82,000; some of its land has been ceded to what are now known as Newmarket, Aurora and Oak Ridges.
Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe planned Yonge Street, which was built between 1793 and 1796 by the Queen's Rangers. By 1801, Timothy Rogers, a Vermont Loyalist, had travelled the road and found an area on its western boundary immediately southwest of Newmarket very appealing. He applied for and received a grant for land totalling 40 farms, each of 200 acres, and subsequently returned to Vermont to recruit families to operate those farms. By February 1802, he had set out for King Township with the first group of settlers for those forty farms. A second group followed later that month.
The area would become known as Armitage, the first of King's settlements; it is now part of Newmarket. Soon after the establishment of Armitage, the communities of Kettleby and Lloydtown were established to the west. More settlers arrived from New York, Pennsylvania and other Loyalist enclaves over the subsequent years to populate the region, drawn by the abundant, fertile land being apportioned relatively cheaply to newcomers.
The first survey of King Township, conducted in 1800indicated a population of twenty residents. By 1809, the population had increased sevenfold, to 160.[3]
There is some evidence of a large Huron encampment at Hackett Lake. Residents in the area in the 1950s and 1960s would discover arrowheads and other archaeological items indicating a Huron presence. This is consistent with the fact that the Toronto Carrying-Place Trail, a major route used in the 1600s and 1700s, passes through the township. The route was used by explorer Étienne Brûlé, who first travelled along the trail with twelve Huron guides in 1615.
Early settlements in the area developed primarily around gristmills and sawmills. These were important economic engines in the region during the 1800s, which resulted in the establishment of other communities and businesses nearby. Some settlements have since been abandoned, or are no longer communities per se, including Bell's Lake, Davis Corners, King Ridge, and Rafferty's Corner.
[edit] Demographics
Religious Profile
- 39.8% Protestant
- 38.3% Roman Catholic
- 2.9% other Christian
- 0.1% Jewish
- 18.9% none, other
[edit] Law/Government
King Township was incorporated in 1850 as The Corporation of the Township of King. Its current mayor is Margaret Black. The Town Council includes the mayor and six Councillors representing the township's six wards.
| Position | Councillor | Communities Represented |
|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Margaret Black | All King Township |
| Ward 1 | Cleve Mortelliti | Eastern King City, Eversley, Snowball, Temperanceville |
| Ward 2 | Jeff Laidlaw | Nobleton, King Creek, Laskay, Strange |
| Ward 3 | Linda Pabst | Hammertown, Happy Valley, Holly Park, Linton, New Scotland |
| Ward 4 | Bill Cober | Schomberg, Pottageville, Lloydtown |
| Ward 5 | Jane Underhill | Western King City, Heritage Park, Kettleby, Kinghorn |
| Ward 6 | Jack Rupke | Ansnorveldt, Glenville and northeastern King Township |
[edit] Education
Schools with classes from Kindergarten through grade 12 are governed by the York Region District School Board (public schools) and the York Catholic District School Board. There is one secondary school King City Secondary School which serves students residing in a relatively large geographic area.
[edit] Attractions
In the township, there are eleven sites designated Heritage Sites, including:
- King Station was built in 1852 along the Northern Railway to serve Springhill (now King City). It was moved in 1989 to the grounds of the King Township Museum. It is believed to be the oldest surviving railway station in Canada, and was designated a heritage site in 1990.
- King Emmanuel Baptist Church, formerly the King Christian Church until 1931, it was moved to the grounds of the King Township Museum in 1982, and designated a Heritage Site in 1992.
- King City Cemetery Dead House built circa 1889 was designated a Heritage Site in 2001. It is an octagonal structure that was used to preserve the dead during the winter, during which grave-digging was not feasible. Such structures were unique to the area bordering Yonge Street north of Toronto during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
- Eversley Presbyterian Church, a stone structure built in 1848, demonstrates the Scottish influence common in the area's early development. It was designated in 1984.
- Glenville Methodist Church, a small frame structure built in 1859, which remained operational until 1952. It was designated in 1983 as a township Heritage Site.
- King Christian Church Cemetery was the first burial grounds for Kettleby, built in 1850. It was designated a Heritage Site in 1986.
- Laskay Temperance Hall, built in 1859 by the Sons of Temperance. It had been operated by the Laskay Women's Institute since 1910, and is now operated by the municipality. It was designated a Heritage Site in 1986.
[edit] References
McClure Gillham, Elizabeth (1975). Early settlements of King Township, Ontario. King City, Ontario: The Hunter Rose Company. ISBN 0-9690498-6-2.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Community highlights for King. 2006 Community Profiles. Statistics Canada (2007-03-13). Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- ^ Toronto: Historical background. The Economist. Retrieved on June 24, 2006.
- ^ http://www.king.ca/files/whatsnew/king%20heritage%20map%20gallery.pdf
[edit] External links
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New Tecumseth, Bradford West Gwillimbury | |
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| Caledon |
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East Gwillimbury, Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill | ||
| Vaughan |
| Communities of King Township Edit this list | |
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Ansnorveldt | Elm Pine Trail | Eversley | Glenville | Hammertown | Happy Valley | Heritage Park | Holly Park | Kettleby | King City | King Creek | Kinghorn | Laskay | Linton | Lloydtown | New Scotland | Nobleton | Pottageville | Schomberg | Snowball | Strange | Temperanceville |
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| Largest City: | Toronto |  |
| Regions: | Durham Region • Halton Region • Peel Region • York Region • City of Hamilton • Niagara Region | |
| Cities: | Brampton • Burlington • Mississauga • Niagara Falls • Oshawa • Pickering • Port Colborne • St. Catharines • Thorold • Vaughan • Welland | |
| Towns and Major Communities: | Ajax • Aurora • Bolton • Bowmanville • Brock • Buttonville • Caledon • Clarington • Concord • East Gwillimbury • Fort Erie • Georgina • Grimsby • Lincoln • Halton Hills • Keswick • King • Kleinburg • Maple • Markham • Milton • Newmarket • Niagara-on-the-Lake • Oakville • Pelham • Pickering • Richmond Hill • Scugog • Sutton • Thornhill • Unionville • Uxbridge • Whitby • Whitchurch-Stouffville • Woodbridge | |
