Rural East Gwillimbury

History:

First Nations people were the first to settle this area. They cultivated the land and established trading routes along the East Holland river.

The Town of East Gwillimbury, formerly a Township, was established in 1850. It was named by the first Lieutenant- Governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe, in honour of his wife, Elizabeth Gwillim and her family.

Overview:

Rural East Gwillimbury encompasses a large tract of land comprised mostly of the Provincial Greenbelt and the Oak Ridges Moraine. This rich fertile land and rolling countryside includes agricultural uses, conservation lands, commercial and industrial areas, aggregate resources, and small pockets of estate residential areas. The bulk of these lands are situated between Highway 404 and Highway 48 from Davis Drive on the border with the Town of Newmarket to the south and all the way up north to Ravenshoe Road on the border of the Town of Georgina. The Oak Ridges Moraine has been called the rain barrels of Ontario. Its many small creeks and rivers flow north and down into Lake Simcoe. The largest of these tributaries is the Holland River which traverses the western part of East Gwillimbury. The communities of Holland Landing. Queensville, Sharon and Mt. Albert are the only large residential pockets in what is otherwise a mostly rural township.

Homes:

There are random pockets of townhomes and detached homes in the southwest part of the Township near Sharon. There are also a number of registered heritage properties in the rural hamlets of Holt, Brown Hill, Franklin and Ravenshoe.