Maple, Ontario
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maple (IPA: /ˈmeɪpəl/) (Estimated 2006 population 49,388[1]) is a high-growth suburban community northwest of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, part of the city of Vaughan in York Region.
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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 begins 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 Toronto.
[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 Barrie commuter line rail stations at Maple and Rutherford GO stations. 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.
In 2006 Maple gained bus-rapid-transit service under York Region's Viva system.
[edit] Other trivia
- Area code: 1-905 + 832-xxxx + 303-xxxx + 417-xxxx
- Postal code: Originally Designated L0J 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. A major Ontario Dept. of Lands and Forests Office was situated here in the 1960s. 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 line to Dufferin Street. This became the Keele Valley Landfill Site, which was owned by Metropolitan Toronto and later by the city of Toronto, and began receiving much of the GTA's garbage when the Beare Road Landfill in Scarborough reached capacity and was decommissioned. The landfill was used until 2002 when it too reached capacity. After exploring alternative disposal options, such as Adams Mine in Kirkland Lake, local opposition to these schemes has led to exporting trash to Michigan. The site has become reserved for the "Eagle's Nest" golf course, and other developments which will occur in the future once the buried waste decomposes sufficiently.
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 development began in the area of what was Maple Airport and to the 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 have begun near Vellore.
As of 2001, developments reached the northwestern part as far 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.
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, Treasure Hill Homes, Tiffany Park Homes, Royal Pine Homes, Century Grove Homes, Primont Homes, Edenbrook Homes and Fernbrook Homes and Remington Homes (Thornhill Valley). 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.
Valleys of Thornhill, also popularly considered part of Maple is also ini the early stages of its development with homes ranging from $400k - $1.2 million
Maple's proximity to Toronto and its major transportation corridors, and Vaughan's own political support for development, have led to the heavy development and heavy population growth. This development brings a great deal of money to the City of Vaughan, as well as the local economy, but at the same time Vaughan is frequently accused of allowing uncontrolled sprawl; Maple is arguably the most prominent example of this. In particular, those that travel up the 400 infrequently notice how much further north the development has moved even in short timeframes. Visitors to Canada's wonderland often remember that ten years ago the amusement park was surrounded by fields; and particularly in the early-mid 2000s has become surrounded by thousands of new houses. Critics suggest that denser, more central development would conserve land and allow the provision of more efficient urban services such as public transit, services traditionally thwarted by the spread-out subdivisions and lack of a dense and central downtown typical of most cities of Maple's size.
Outside Maple, Vellore to the southwest used to serve as the municipal office for Vaughan until the late-20th century when it was moved to Maple. Today, the old town hall of Vaughan is a landmark.
Lebovic Jewish Community Campus is also being built in Maple at on the North west side of Bathurst and Rutherford.The area is being labelled as a Thornhill subdivision but is popualrily considered Maple, Ontario. This is causing issues with buyers who believe they were misled by homebuilder marketing.[citation needed]
Maple is also home to one of the largest mosques in Canada. "Baitul Islam Mosque" mosque is located on Jane St. south of Teston Rd.
[edit] Nearest communities
- Concord, south
- Woodbridge, west
- Kleinburg, north west
- King City, north
- Richmond Hill, east
- Thornhill, southeast
- Down Town Maple Vaughan Mills Area.
[edit] Schools
- Discovery Public School
- Joseph A. Gibson Public School
- Julliard Public School (French Immersion)
- Mackenzie Glen Public School
- Maple Creek Public School
- St. David's Catholic Elementary 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
- Holy Jubilee Catholic Elementary School
- St.James Catholic Elementary School
- Maple High School
- St. Joan of Arc Catholic High School
- Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto
[edit] Religious Places
- St.Davids(Catholic)-Major Mackenzie Drive West
- St. Andrews(Presbyterian)-Keele Street
- Maple Community Church-Keele Street- inside the community centre
- Maple Community Church-Discovery Trail-inside Discovery Public Elementary School
- Mosque-Muslim-Jane Street
- New Hope United Church(Protestant)-Keele Street
- Carrville United Church-(Protestant)-Rutherford Road
- Zio Lutheran Church(Lutheran)-Keele Street
- St.Stephans Anglican Church(Anglican))-Keele Street
- Lebovic Jewish Community Campus(Jewish))-Bathurst Street
[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.
- Hockey player, Luca Caputi was drafted into the NHL as the 111th draft pick in 2007 by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
[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
- Southbrook Farms Winery, Located on Major Mackenzie just east of Dufferin St.
[edit] References and notes
- 2. ^ Community Demographics - Maple, ON. Industry Canada. Retrieved on 2006-04-12.
- 3. ^ Online Plaque Guide: Lord Beaverbrook 1879-1964. The Ontario Heritage Foundation. Retrieved on 2006-04-12.
[edit] External links
[edit] Map and aerial photos
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