Scott Township: Leaskdale, Sandford, Udora, Zephyr
History
It was named for Uxbridge, England, a name which was derived from "Wixan's Bridge".[5]
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 (packaging, containers and portable shelters), Koch-Glitsch Canada (mass transfer systems) and Hela Canada (spice and ingredient manufacture). Uxbridge area is also home to many small industrial businesses, cultivation farms and beekeeping organizations.[6] Many residents commute to other centres in Durham and York Regions and beyond.
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.
Coat of arms
Coat of arms of Uxbridge, Ontario
Notes
Granted 15 February 2001
Crest
Out of a mural crown Or, a demi lion Gules holding in the paws a cogwheel proper;
Escutcheon
Or issuant from two flaunches Vert, each charged with a garb of rye Or, a fess enarched raguly counter raguly Vert charged with a maple leaf Or, in chief an ox's head caboshed Gules armed Or and in base barry wavy Azure and Argent;
Motto
'On't Uxbridge'
The motto is an abbreviation of “On to it Uxbridge,” meaning “Let’s go Uxbridge.” It refers to Ontario through the abbreviation “Ont.,” while being a rallying call for the township and its residents to move forward into the future with confidence.[7]
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Uxbridge had a population of 21,556 living in 8,008 of its 8,310 total private dwellings, a change of 1.8% from its 2016 population of 21,176. With a land area of 420.52 km2 (162.36 sq mi), it had a population density of 51.3/km2 (132.8/sq mi) in 2021.[9]
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 1.0% of the population.[12]
Attractions
Thomas Foster Memorial
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 8,000 acres (32 km2) 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 Uxbridge Historical Centre (formerly Uxbridge-Scott Museum and Archives) 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.[13]
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 MinisterJohn 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 (1889–1954) and H.H. Madrill (1889–1998). 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.[14]
Today there are three ski resorts, all located within a short distance of one another:
Dagmar Ski Resort - largest of the three resorts and was established by the Toronto Ski Club
Lakeridge Ski Resort - located north of Dagmar was opened in 1989 following Toronto Ski Club acquisition of part of the former Pugh family farm in 1983
Skyloft - smallest of the three resorts and located on property just northwest of Lakeridge; it was the site of the original Toronto Ski Club's first ski area on the original Pugh farm[14]
Uxbridge Fall Fair
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.[15]
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 (Branch 170) [16] 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.[17]
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.
Once a Year the Uxbridge Optimists host the Fantasy of Lights. This is a drive-through light show through Elgin Park in which you see a variety of different displays and takes about 20 minutes to drive through. This event takes place once a year from December 4 to January 2.[18]
The Township of Uxbridge has five wards, each represented by an elected council member. As of 2022, the mayor is Dave Barton and the Regional Councillor is Gord Highet.[20]
Durham College (North Campus Uxbridge on 2 Campbell Drive, an office building next to Uxbridge Cottage Hospital) plus Ontario Employment Services Centre on Brock Street.
Lucy Maud Montgomery, Canadian author, best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908, lived in Uxbridge from around 1911 to 1926.
Laura Secord, Canadian hero during the War of 1812, was granted 172 acres (0.70 km2) of land in Uxbridge but never resided there.
The 1972 film The House Without a Christmas Tree starring Jason Robards was filmed in Uxbridge at Peel and Victoria. The house and school are located here. The 2nd film in the series, entitled The Thanksgiving Treasure, also used the same house.
The 1975 film Sudden Fury used the old gas station/store in Siloam for a major segment of filming.
The show 'The Littlest Hobo' (a show about a lone dog's travails) was one of the first shows to use Uxbridge for on location shooting in the 1980s.
The CBC's series Road to Avonlea was shot on location at an exterior village set located in Uxbridge.
The 1995 TV series Once Upon a Hamster (65 episodes) broadcast on Canada's YTV and UK's Channel 4 was filmed on location in Uxbridge.[23]
The 1996 film Christmas in My Hometown, starring Tim Matheson and Melissa Gilbert, was partially filmed in Uxbridge.
Canada
Ontario
