Maple, Ontario
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maple is a high-growth suburban community northwest of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, part of the city of Vaughan in York Region. In 2001, its population was 36,385 (though Statistics Canada indicates a population of 37,050), living in 10893 dwellings.
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[edit] Geography
Located at , Maple covers 23.9 km² of land area.
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 used to began slightly west of Vellore. The Oak Ridges Moraine is to the northeast which supplies a lot of water to the Greater Toronto Area.
Black Creek flows in the west, the Don River flows to the northern and the eastern part. York University Keele Campus is to the south on Keele, and is accessed 2 km northeast from Canada's Wonderland.
[edit] Transportation
Maple is accessed by Major Mackenzie Drive and Keele Street. The nearest exit is 3 km west at Highway 400 and Major Mackenzie.
The industrial areas are south and west of Maple, closer to Highway 407, and the Canadian National yards north of Highway 7 (Ontario). Maple is located 13 km NE of Woodbridge, 11 km E of Kleinburg 8 km S of King City, 6.5 km from downtown Richmond Hill 12 km NW of Thornhill N of Highway 401, and SSE of Barrie.
Maple is accessed by a Canadian National line (Toronto - Washago) to its east with its GO Transit Bradford (GO Transit) rail stations at Maple (GO Station) and Rutherford (GO Station). Toronto Transit Commission, York Region Transit, and GO Transit buses serve the area.
Maple formerly had a small airport in the west, which was closed down in the late 20th century. The runways ran diagonally like the letter x, the runway from northwest to southeast was the longer, and the other ran southwest to northeast. Streets like Avro, Lockheed, and Mustang on the site of the airport are named after airplanes.
[edit] Other trivia
- Area code: 1-905 + 832-xxxx + 303-xxxx + 417-xxxx
- Postal code: Originally Designated LOJ 1E0, now part of L7B and L6A
Maple was an agricultural community. Much of the area used to be farmlands. The forests are to the Don Valley, the southwest, once within Vellore, the northwest, mixed in the north and plenty to its east and the northeast with a hill The centre of the community was to its east and the central part. The urban areas were only to the northeast and the southwest.
[edit] History
Maple, as a centre of agriculture, was enhanced with the proximity of the CNR line, as well as the growing urban development of Toronto. Housing developments began in the 1960s in the southwest, as well as replacement to homes damaged in a 1963 Natural Gas explosion. Massive housing developments did not began until the 1980s in the northwest nearer McNaughton. In the mid-1980s to the late-1980s between the Don River and the CN line south to Rutherford.
A gravel pit was in the area north of Major Mackenzie and from the CN Rail to Dufferin Street. The Keele Valley Landfill Site, which was owned by Metropolitan Toronto and later by the city of Toronto, began putting much of the GTA's garbage into this landfill from the old landfill in the Riverdale neighbourhood. The landfill has a plant in the central part. The landfill existed until the 2002 when they were moving the landfill outside the GTA to clean up the environment and is situated in the Oak Ridges Moraine. Instead of moving north into Adams Mine in Kirkland Lake which would pollute the environment, most of the garbage is presently moving into Michigan. The landfill was finally closed on [[January 2003|January 1, 2003?. It became reserved for the "Eagle's Nest" golf course.
Larger housing developments began to pop up near Teston between the 400 and Weston and Kirby near Pine Valley and Greenock near Weston and Teston and to the northeast near Bathurst and Teston with a golf course.
Canada's Wonderland first opened in 1981.
In 1993, housing lots began on which was Maple Airport and northwest. In 1995, it expanded to the western part of Maple. Between 1997 and 1999, urban developments reached the northwestern part of Maple and Melville and the Don to the train tracks. Developments also reached the northeastern part and the southeastern part. Megalot houses began developing northeast of Maple near Dufferin in the late-1990s. The housing developments began up to the Highway 400 in the northwest. Housing developments began near Vellore.
As of 2001, developments reached the northwestern part as fas as Highway 400, Teston Road, the CN line and the southwest. Most of the housing developments in the early-2000s reached Pine Valley Drive in the southwest in Vellore Village and Vellore Woods. The housing and urban developments is currently in the west between Highway 400 and Weston and Major Mackenzie and will reach to Teston.
Outside Maple, Vellore to the southwest used to serve as a town hall for Vaughan until the late-20th century when it was moved to Maple. Today, the old town hall of Vaughan is a landmark.
Most recently there is a new subdivision being developed in the eastern part of Maple between bounded by Dufferin, Major Mackenzie and Rutherford Road. The name of the area is Thornberry Woods/Eagle Hills/Mackenzie Chase. Some of the builders include Greenpark Homes, Tiffany Park Homes, Royal Pine Homes, Century Grove Homes, Primont Homes, Edenbrook Homes and Fernbrook Homes. Some of the street names like "Peter Rupert Avenue" reflect the history of Maple. This new area is directly south of Eagle's Nest Golf Course. This area known as Block 18 has just started development. Its proximity to Richmond Hill, Thornhill (also part of Vaughan) and the Golf Course are making the area very high demand and it is showing in the prices. "Upper Thornhill" (a misnomer name, given to the area by developers for marketing purposes) bounded by Dufferin to the west, Bathurst to the east, Major Mac to the south and Teston to the north is popularly considered a part of Maple.
The Vaughan planning area that includes Block 18 (East Maple), Block 11 (Thornhill/Maple), Block 12 (Upper Thornhill/Maple) and Block 10 (Thornhill Woods) is expected to grow substantially over the next few years. This area is known as the "Carville District"
New areas at the Maple/Thornhill Carville urban village include Thornhill Woods, Coronation, Roxborough, Upper Thornhill Estates, Thornberry Woods, Eagle Hills, Mackenzie Chase, Laureate Walk
[edit] Nearest communities
- Concord, south
- Woodbridge, west
- Kleinburg, north west
- King City, north
- Richmond Hill, east
- Thornhill, southeast
[edit] Schools
- Discovery Public School
- Joseph A. Gibson Public School
- Julliard Public School (French Immersion)
- Mackenzie Glen Public School
- Maple Creek Public School
- Michael Cranny Elementary School
- Blessed Trinity Catholic Elementary School
- Divine Mercy Catholic Elementary School
- Father John Kelly Catholic Elementary School
- Our Lady of Peace Catholic Elementary School
- Maple High School
- St. Joan of Arc Catholic High School
[edit] Famous People
Max Aitken, Better known as 1st Baron Beaverbrook, was born in the St Andrew's Presbyterian Church Manse in 1879. His father left for a congregation in Newcastle New Brunswick the following year. There is a plaque outside the Church, noting that as Lord Beaverbrook, he donated a carillon.
Artist Mendelson Joe was raised in Maple.
Award-winning author and syndicated columnist Gordon Kirkland attended George Bailey Public School and Joseph A. Gibson Public School in Maple.
[edit] Sites of interest and attractions
- Canada's Wonderland, Toronto and Southern Ontario's amusement park.
- Vaughan Mills, The Mills, mega mall, located in the southwest
[edit] References and notes
- ^ Population by Age and Community - 2001. City of Vaughan. Retrieved on April 12, 2006.
- ^ Community Demographics - Maple, ON. Industry Canada. Retrieved on April 12, 2006.
- ^ Online Plaque Guide: Lord Beaverbrook 1879-1964. The Ontario Heritage Foundation. Retrieved on April 12, 2006.
[edit] External links
[edit] Map and aerial photos
| City of Vaughan Communities Edit this list | |
|---|---|
|
Carrville | Coleraine | Concord | Elder Mills | Edgeley | Hope | Kleinburg | Maple | Langstaff | Nashville | Pine Grove | Purpleville | Sherwood | Sunset Corners | Teston | Thornhill | Vellore | Weston Downs | Wilshire | Woodbridge |
|
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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 | |
