Woodbridge

Originally known as Burwick, Woodbridge is a sprawling suburb in Vaughan, Ontario. It sits right on the edge of Toronto. Woodbridge takes up a large chunk of Vaughan’s southwest corner. We are standing at the heart of what was once a small village. Woodbridge now stretches west of Highway 400, east of Highway 50, north of Steeles Avenue, and south of Major Mackenzie Drive. Woodbridge’s story began in 1802. The British Crown granted land to Jacob Philips and Hugh Cameron. This land is now Pine Grove. A school, mill, and store thrived in the early 1800s. Homes clustered around Smith’s Mill, later known as Hayhoe Mills. Smithsville and then Pine Grove grew from these humble beginnings. South of the original Woodbridge village, another settlement, Brownsville, sprung up. It centered around John Brown’s mill on the Humber River. Woodbridge didn’t truly become a village until 1837. Rowland Burr, a respected architect and builder, arrived. The village had been named Burwick in his honor before he even arrived. Burr moved into a log house near the Humber River. He later moved south to Weston in 1846. In 1855, Burwick became Woodbridge. There was already a Burwick in Ontario when the town applied for a post office. John Gamble’s son-in-law suggested Woodbridge, after his English hometown. The many bridges over the Humber River made the name even more fitting. Woodbridge eventually absorbed Pine Grove and Brownsville after incorporating in 1882. By 1880, Woodbridge boasted two general stores, a carriage works, two churches, a school, two hotels, a library, two newspapers, and a post office. The Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway arrived from Weston in 1870. This railway line started as a narrow gauge line. It reached Owen Sound by 1873. Financial troubles led to its operation by the Grand Trunk Railway until 1883, and then the Canadian Pacific Railway took over. They had to realign some of the tracks, especially around Woodbridge, to convert it to standard gauge. Woodbridge was devastated by Hurricane Hazel in 1954. The Humber River swelled dramatically. Hundreds were left homeless, and nine people died. Following the hurricane, the Humber River was rerouted and a diversion channel built. In the 1950s, Toronto’s suburban growth spilled over into Woodbridge. This expansion greatly increased Woodbridge’s size. The traditional downtown core of Woodbridge lies along Woodbridge Avenue, between Islington Avenue and Kipling Avenue. It is north of Highway 7. This area is seeing rapid redevelopment today. Many older shops were demolished in the late 20th century to make way for shopping centers like Fairground Lane and Market Lane. Interestingly, some historic buildings were moved to Black Creek Pioneer Village for preservation.