Uxbridge, Ontario


Uxbridge is a township in the Regional Municipality of Durham in south-central Ontario, Canada.

Communities

The main centre in the township is the namesake community of Uxbridge. Other settlements within the township include Altona, Coppin's Corners, Forsythe Glenn, Glasgow, Glen Major, Goodwood, Leaskdale, Quaker Village, Roseville, Sandford, Siloam, Udora, and Zephyr.

History

It was named for Uxbridge, England, a name which was derived from "Wixan's Bridge".
The first settlers in the area were Quakers who started arriving in 1806 from the Catawissa area of Pennsylvania. The community's oldest building, the Uxbridge Friends Meeting House, was built in 1820 and overlooks the town from Quaker Hill, a kilometre to the west.
The township was incorporated as a municipality in 1850 and became part of the newly formed Ontario County two years later.
The first passenger-carrying narrow-gauge railway in North America, the Toronto and Nipissing Railway arrived in Uxbridge in June 1871, and for over a decade Uxbridge was the headquarters of the railway. In 1872, the Village of Uxbridge was separated from the Township and incorporated as a separate entity.
With the creation of the Regional Municipality of Durham in 1974, Uxbridge Township was amalgamated with the Town of Uxbridge and Scott Township to create an expanded Township of Uxbridge.

Uxbridge today

Today, Uxbridge is as a mostly suburban community in northern Durham Region. Major manufacturing employers include Pine Valley Packaging, Koch-Glitsch Canada and Hela Canada. Many residents commute to other centres in Durham and York Regions and beyond.
The 30-bed Uxbridge Cottage Hospital opened in 1958 is a site associated with the Markham Stouffville Hospital Corporation.
Uxbridge is twinned with Catawissa, Pennsylvania, in the United States, from which many of its settlers originated.
Uxbridge has three community newspapers: the Uxbridge Times Journal, the Standard and the Cosmos. Uxbridge is also served by a monthly community magazine and events guide, Uxbridge Town Talk.

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census, the township has a population of 20,623 over an area of 420.65 km². The population has increased 7.6% since 2006 and has a density of 49.0 people per square kilometre.
The urban centre of Uxbridge has a population of 11,531 as of 2011, up from 10,175 in 2006. This is a growth rate of 13.3%.
Major hurdles must be jumped if the town wishes to continue on this level of growth. Uxbridge's sewage system is reaching its maximum capacity, and with the exception of a couple small developments, the system must be expanded if the town wishes to continue to grow.
English is the mother tongue of 91.7% of the population, whereas French, the other official language, of 1.0%. German is the mother tongue of 1.4% of the residents of Uxbridge, while native speakers of Italian make up exactly 1.0% of the population.

Attractions

In 2009 Uxbridge Township received federal designation by Industry Canada as the "Trail Capital of Canada", resulting from the over 220 kilometers of managed trails on over of protected greenspace within its borders. Uxbridge trails run through and alongside historic villages, mixed forests, meadows, ponds, streams, and wetlands. A number of major trail systems run through the Township, including the Oak Ridges Trail and the Trans-Canada Trail.
The possesses a number of artifacts, mostly related to the township's agricultural heritage and of the town's Quaker heritage. The museum also includes ten heritage buildings as well as heritage herb and flower gardens. It offers seasonal events, workshops, and specialty programs. It was formed in 1972 by the Uxbridge-Scott Historical Society, who holds an annual Heritage Day festival to supports the museum.
There are also a number of attractions related to the history of the area. Uxbridge's Elgin Park, named after Lord Elgin, was the site of a picnic held by 19th century Prime Minister John A. Macdonald in a re-election bid. In addition, the Thomas Foster Memorial Temple, erected in 1935-36 by the former mayor of Toronto, is situated a short distance north of town. Inspired by Foster's visit to India, the Temple was designed by architects J.H. Craig and H.H. Madrill. Finally, the former home of famed author Lucy Maud Montgomery of Anne of Green Gables fame is situated in Leaskdale. Montgomery lived in the area from 1911 to 1926, and wrote half of her books at what is now the site of the Leaskdale Manse Museum.
Since 1995, the Lions Club has hosted Art in the Park, held the second week in August. Also known as Summerfest, this juried art show attracts artists from across the province.

Ski Resorts

Skiing in Uxbridge area began in 1938 by the Toronto Ski Club when it rented 400 acres of the Pugh family farm until 1948 and then operated by the Pughs' until it was abandoned.
Today there are three ski resorts, all located within a short distance of one another:
The Uxbridge Fall Fair has been held annually since 1886. Attractions include home craft, vegetable and flower exhibits, cattle, goat, sheep, poultry and rabbit shows, the midway, tractor pull, demolition derby, heavy horse pull and barnyard rodeo.

Other attractions

The Uxbridge Studio Tour and Sale is also held in September, giving visitors an opportunity to meet with local artists in their studios and explore the creative process.
Since 1988, Uxbridge has hosted an annual Heritage Christmas Craft Show, held the second Saturday in November. A Santa Claus Parade is also held annually in late November.
Since 2008 there has been an annual Uxbridge Ribfest, usually during a middle weekend of July. It was run by the town branch of the Royal Canadian Legion But since 2015, has been organized by the Bonner Boys, a local community group.
The York Durham Heritage Railway, opened in 1996, is a tourist train operating between Stouffville and Uxbridge. The train is pulled by first generation diesel locomotives which directly replaced the steam locomotives. They have recently purchase 5 Budd RDC railcars from the now defunct Guelph Junction Express.
Throughout the year, a number of theatrical and musical productions are held at the Music Hall. Movies are shown at a local unique movie theatre, named The Roxy.
The Highlands of Durham Games are held in Elgin Park near the end of July. These games focus on Celtic traditions and offer a variety of entertainments.

Transport

is the northern terminus of the York Durham Heritage Railway, which runs from Stouffville. The Stouffville line of GO Transit is proposed to be extended to Uxbridge, but is currently served by buses to the GO Transit station at Lincolnville. The expansion is currently unfunded, and could cost as much as $350 million. Durham Region Transit also runs buses through Uxbridge every hour from Route 950 and limited service via community bus route.

Education

Public elementary schools