Oak Ridges, Ontario
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oak Ridges is a small suburb of Richmond Hill, in Ontario, Canada, about 16.5 km north of Toronto. It has a population of approximately 12,000. The community developed about Lake Wilcox, the largest lake in the area, and has continued to expand slowly since it's annexation by the Town of Richmond Hill due to irreparable problems, and general decay in the years laeding up to the 1970's. In the 1990s, Oak Ridges experienced moderate growth, which spurred environmental action by numerous organizations.
It is located east of King City, immediately south of Aurora, and west of Stouffville.
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[edit] Geography
It is situated in the middle of the Oak Ridges Moraine, at . Much of its terrain is hilly, with pine forests and small creeks in the southwest still prospering. A number of small kettle lakes are located in Oak Ridges, the 'largest' being Lake Wilcox and the smaller Bond Lake. The former has a small beach area, and offers mnimal recreational services and summer camp activities. The lakes drain into origin tributaries for the East Humber River.
Until the 1990s, farmlands used to dominate the northern part of Oak Ridges, except in the east. The western edge of Oak Ridges is now entirely residential or commercial; the McLeod's Landing development in the southwest consumed the last undeveloped land in the western part of Oak Ridges. This development was part of a contentious political battle that ultimately became an issue in the 2003 Ontario provincial election. In their campaign, the Liberal party promised to halt development on the Oak Ridges Moraine, specifically in Richmond Hill (see Politics of the Oak Ridges Moraine for a more extensive discussion).
[edit] History
Housing developments began to boom around Lake Wilcox in the 1950s and the west-central part. The suburban housing developments did not continue until the mid to late 1980s in the northwestern part. In the 1990s, it reached the northwestern part. In the late-1990s housing reached the southwestern and the northwestern parts. The developments affected the forests of the Oak Ridges Moraine which supplies water to the GTA. which would cause an environmental damage to Toronto. It continued for about 2 years. There were protests against the clear-cutting of forests of the Oak Ridges Moraine. In about 2001, Bayview began to expand to connect with the rest of Bayview. In 2002, the housing developments stopped. Urban developments are presently developing southwest of Oak Ridges.
Oak Ridges was annexed by the Town of Richmond Hill in 1971, being only a small, isolated suburb since. Oak Ridges had been in steep decline in the 1960's, largely due to high unemployment, and lack of commercial and residential development. In recent years, the Town of Richmond Hill has tried to lure business into Oak Ridges, to try to stimulate growth into the suburb, but to no avail. Most businesses that open generally leave the suburb quickly, feeling the pull of larger municipalities with larger populations. Oak Ridges continues to struggle in the modern economy, and is slowly degenerating back into a small, isolaed farming community, as it's location hinders any and all business.
Oak Ridges was the site of the first methadone clinic in Ontario; it opened in 1995, but has since moved to Newmarket, due to lack of patronage and local support.
[edit] Transportation
Yonge Street is the main transportation artery through the town, running north to Aurora and south to Richmond Hill. To the east is Highway 404, which is accessed via Stouffville Road in the south and Bloomington Road in the north. To the west is Highway 400, accessed via King Road through King City.
The CN (Toronto - Orillia - Sudbury) rail lies to the east but serves no stations in Oak Ridges, as it has none.
York Region Transit is the public transportation system. The recently-introduced Viva Blue bus is an express which travels on Yonge Street from Finch to Newmarket, passing through Oak Ridges stopping at Yonge and King Road. A slower York Region 98, and a less frequent, more expensive Go B bus are also available.
In the 2006 municipal elections, candidates talked of a proposed GO Transit expansion that would extend the Richmond Hill line up to Gormley, and introduce a new station to residents near Oak Ridges. These plans came to fruition when Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced the expansion of the Richmond Hill line north to Aurora Road as part of the provincial governments new MoveOntario 2020 transit funding initiative.
[edit] Settlements
- Gormley, southeast - A small community in the southeast. It is linked with the CN Rail and has about 4 streets including Gormley Road.
- Vandorf, east - Not actually within the boundaries of Oak Ridges. It is in Witchchurch-Stouffville.
[edit] References
- ^ About the Clinics. Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres. Retrieved on August 18, 2005.
[edit] External links
[edit] Map and aerial photos
| Communities of Richmond Hill Edit this list |
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Bayview Hill | Bayview North | Beaver Creek | Doncrest | Elgin Mills | Gormley | Hillsview | Inspiration | Jefferson | Lake Wilcox | Langstaff | North Richvale | Oak Ridges | Richmond Hill | South Richvale | Temperanceville Communities in other York Region municipalities: King • Markham • Richmond Hill • Vaughan • Whitchurch-Stouffville
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