King (2021 population 27,333)
is a
township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...
in
York Region
The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. The region was established after the passing of then Bill 102, An Act to Establish The Regional M ...
north of
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
, within the
Greater Toronto Area in
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada.
The rolling hills of the
Oak Ridges Moraine
The Oak Ridges Moraine is an ecologically important geological landform in the Mixedwood Plains of south-central Ontario, Canada. The moraine covers a geographic area of between Caledon and Rice Lake, near Peterborough. One of the most sign ...
are the most prominent visible geographical feature of King. The
Holland Marsh
The Holland Marsh is a wetland and agricultural area in Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. It lies entirely within the valley of the Holland River, stretching from the northern edge of the Oak Ridges Moraine near Schomberg to the river mo ...
, considered to be Ontario's "vegetable basket", straddles King Township and
Bradford West Gwillimbury
Bradford West Gwillimbury is a town in south-central Ontario, in the County of Simcoe in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area on the Holland River. West Gwillimbury takes its name from the family of Elizabeth Simcoe, née ''Gwillim''.
The former ...
. King is known for its horse and cattle farms.
Though King is predominantly rural, most of its residents inhabit the communities of
King City,
Nobleton, and
Schomberg.
History
Lieutenant-Governor
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British Army general and the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796 in southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. He founded Yor ...
named King Township for
John King (1759–1830), an English
Under-Secretary of State for Home Office from 1794 to 1801 for the
Home Department in the
Portland administration when
Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool was Secretary of State.
The township was created as part of the subdivision of
York County, itself a subdivision of the
Home District. The lands were originally acquired by the British in an agreement with the
Mississaugas, known as the
Toronto Purchase
The Toronto Purchase was the sale of lands in the Toronto area from the Mississaugas of New Credit to the British crown. An initial, disputed, agreement was made in 1787, in exchange for various items. The agreement was revisited in 1805, intend ...
; it was enacted in British parliament as the Toronto Purchase Act in 1787. Acquisition of the lands for the townships of
Etobicoke
Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 1790s, and the municipalit ...
, King,
Vaughan
Vaughan () (2021 population 323,103) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increas ...
, and
York, Upper Canada
York was a town and second capital of the colony of Upper Canada. It is the predecessor to the old city of Toronto (1834–1998). It was established in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe as a "temporary" location for the capital of ...
was completed at a meeting between the Mississaugas and the British at the
Credit River
The Credit River is a river in southern Ontario, which flows from headwaters above the Niagara Escarpment near Orangeville and Caledon East to empty into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, Mississauga. It drains an area of approximately . The total le ...
on 1 August 1805, where were exchanged for
£1,700.
Simcoe planned
Yonge Street
Yonge Street (; pronounced "young") is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes.
Once the southernmost leg of provincial H ...
, which was built between 1793 and 1796 by the
Queen's Rangers
The Queen's Rangers, also known as the Queen's American Rangers, and later Simcoe's Rangers, were a Loyalist military unit of the American Revolutionary War. Formed in 1776, they were named for Queen Charlotte, consort of George III. The Queen ...
. The first seven
land patent
A land patent is a form of letters patent assigning official ownership of a particular tract of land that has gone through various legally-prescribed processes like surveying and documentation, followed by the letter's signing, sealing, and publi ...
s were issued in 1797. By 1801, Timothy Rogers, a
Loyalist from
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
, had travelled the road and found an area on its western boundary immediately southwest of Newmarket very appealing. He applied for and received a grant for land totalling 40 farms, each of , and subsequently returned to Vermont to recruit families to operate those farms. By February 1802, he had set out for King Township with the first group of settlers for those forty farms. A second group followed later that month.
The area would become known as ''Armitage'', in honour of its first settler Amos Armitage. It was the first of King's settlements, and now part of Newmarket. Soon after the establishment of Armitage, the communities of
Kettleby and
Lloydtown were established to the west. More settlers arrived from
New York,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, and other Loyalist enclaves over the subsequent years to populate the region, drawn by the abundant, fertile land being apportioned relatively cheaply to newcomers. A "considerable area of land...in different concessions" of King were patented to the
Canada Company after its establishment in 1826.
By 1842, the township consisted of of land, of which had been cleared and was being cultivated. The principal villages at the time were Lloydtown, Brownsville (now Schomberg), Bogarttown (now a part of Newmarket), and Tyrwhitt's Mills (now Kettleby).
In 1851, the township annexed from
West Gwillimbury the portion of land north of its extant and east of the
Holland River
The Holland River is a river in Ontario, Canada, that drains the Holland River watershed into Cook's Bay, the southern extremity of Lake Simcoe. The river flows generally north, and its headwaters lie in the Oak Ridges Moraine. The Holland Riv ...
as a result of the formation of
Simcoe County
Simcoe County is located in the central portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. The county is just north of the Greater Toronto Area, stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in the east to Georgian Bay in the west. Simcoe County forms part of the ...
. Approximately of land were administered by the township in 1878, according to the ''Historical Atlas of York County'', but by 1973 this had been reduced to 82,000; some of its land has been ceded to what are now known as
Newmarket,
Aurora
An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
and
Oak Ridges.
The first
survey
Survey may refer to:
Statistics and human research
* Statistical survey, a method for collecting quantitative information about items in a population
* Survey (human research), including opinion polls
Spatial measurement
* Surveying, the techniq ...
of King Township was conducted in 1800 by
Hessian soldier Johann Stegmann. At the time, the area's population was twenty residents. According to a letter by Benjamin Cody to the
Newmarket Era published on 7 May 1892, there were church records listing births in the area, and the
first white child
The birth of the first white child is a concept that marks the establishment of a European colony in the New World, especially in the historiography of the United States.
Americas
Canada
Snorri Thorfinnsson, born around 1010 in the Viking settle ...
in King may have been Sarah Rogers, born April 1800. At least four children were born in King by July 1802. By 1809, the township's population had increased sevenfold, to 160. It wasn't until 1820, with the construction of roads into the township, that its population began to grow. By 1842, the population of 2,625 residents was principally Irish, and also included those of English, Scottish, Canadian, and American descent. Further surveys were conducted in 1836–1838 by Callighan, in 1852 by John Ryan, and completed in 1859 by Whelock. The townships population grew to 5574 in 1850, and nearly 8000 in 1875, after which it declined to 4588 in 1914.
There is some evidence of a large
Huron
Huron may refer to:
People
* Wyandot people (or Wendat), indigenous to North America
* Wyandot language, spoken by them
* Huron-Wendat Nation, a Huron-Wendat First Nation with a community in Wendake, Quebec
* Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi ...
encampment at Hackett Lake. Residents in the area in the 1950s and 1960s discovered arrowheads and other archaeological items indicating a Huron presence. This is consistent with the fact that the
Toronto Carrying-Place Trail
The Toronto Carrying-Place Trail, also known as the Humber Portage and the Toronto Passage, was a major portage route in Ontario, Canada, linking Lake Ontario with Lake Simcoe and the northern Great Lakes. The name comes from the Mohawk term '' ...
, a major route used in the 17th and 18th centuries, passes through the township. The route was used by explorer
Étienne Brûlé
Étienne Brûlé (; – c. June 1633) was the first European explorer to journey beyond the St. Lawrence River into what is now known as Canada. He spent much of his early adult life among the Hurons, and mastered their language and learne ...
, who first travelled along the trail with twelve Huron guides in 1615.
Early settlements in the area developed primarily around
gristmill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...
s and
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
s. These were important economic engines in the region during the 19th century, which resulted in the establishment of other communities and businesses nearby. By 1842, there were eight grist mills and 12 saw mills in King. Some settlements have since been abandoned, or are no longer communities per se, including ''Bell's Lake'', ''Davis Corners'', and ''King Ridge''.
In 1971, with the formation of the
Regional Municipality of York
The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. The region was established after the passing of then Bill 102, An Act to Establish The Regional ...
and dissolution of
York County, the township's boundaries were changed, shifting west by one
concession from Yonge Street to
Bathurst Street, and north by one lot from the King-Vaughan town line.
In 2017, the township lent its name to the
Barenaked Ladies song "Township of King," written by band member
Kevin Hearn.
Geography
![Map of the Township of King, Ontario, southern portion, 1878](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Map_of_the_Township_of_King%2C_Ontario%2C_southern_portion%2C_1878.jpg)
The township's boundaries are
* East: Bathurst Street
* South: a line north of the King-Vaughan Road
* West: the Caledon/King Townline, which connects two roads (Caledon/King Townline North and Caledon/King Townline South) in a roughly straight line
* North:
Highway 9 from the Caledon/King Townline to slightly east of
Highway 27, then cuts north following branches of the
Holland River
The Holland River is a river in Ontario, Canada, that drains the Holland River watershed into Cook's Bay, the southern extremity of Lake Simcoe. The river flows generally north, and its headwaters lie in the Oak Ridges Moraine. The Holland Riv ...
until it meets Bathurst Street
The majority of King is located on the Oak Ridges Moraine, which is the origin for the headwaters of many rivers throughout its extent, including the
Humber River in King. Numerous interconnected
provincially and regionally significant areas are located in the township. The most prominent are seven
Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest
Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while ''surface area'' refers to the area of an open s ...
, and the wetland complexes adjacent to or within those areas.
Climate
Slightly removed from the
UHI of Toronto, the climate is warm-summer
humid continental
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
: ''Dfb'').
Local Government
![King, Ontario EN](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/King%2C_Ontario_EN.svg)
King Township was incorporated in 1850 as The Corporation of the Township of King. Its current mayor is Steve Pelligrini, who was
sworn into office in December 2010. The Town Council includes the mayor and six councillors representing the township's six wards. The mayor is also a member of
York Regional Council
York Regional Council is the political body for the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario, Canada. Created in 1970, it consists of 20 elected representatives plus the Regional Chair. The elected members are the mayors of each of its nine munici ...
via
double direct election In Canada, a double direct election is an election in which an individual is elected to two political offices in one electoral event. The elected individual serves on a regional council and a constituent municipal government within that region. It d ...
.
2018 Municipal Election
Mayor: Steve Pellegrini
Councillors:
* Ward 1 (Eastern King City, Eversley,
Snowball
A snowball is a spherical object made from snow, usually created by scooping snow with the hands, and pressing the snow together to compact it into a ball. Snowballs are often used in games such as snowball fights.
A snowball may also be a large ...
,
Temperanceville): Jordan Alexander Cescolini
* Ward 2 (
Nobleton,
King Creek,
Laskay,
Strange): David Boyd
* Ward 3 (
Hammertown,
Happy Valley, Holly Park, Linton, New Scotland): Jakob Schneider
* Ward 4 (
Schomberg,
Pottageville,
Lloydtown): Bill Cober
* Ward 5 (Western King City, Heritage Park,
Kettleby, Kinghorn): Debbie Schaefer
* Ward 6 (
Ansnorveldt, Glenville and northeastern King Township): Avia Eek
2014 municipal election
In the 2014 municipal election, the mayorship was uncontested and Steve Pellegrini was acclaimed for a second term. Cleve Mortelliti was acclaimed for Ward 1 owing to no opposing candidates. Candidates for the other wards were:
*Ward 2: Joe Buscema, David Boyd, Peter Grandilli, and Jim Streb
*Ward 3: Linda Pabst and John Workman
*Ward 4: Greg Locke and Bill Cober
*Ward 5: Chris Gafoor, Anna Roberts, and Debbie Schaeffer
*Ward 6: Avia Eek and Simon Lloyd
The elected candidates were Steve Pelligrini (acclaimed, mayor), Cleve Mortelliti (acclaimed, ward 1), David Boyd (ward 2), Linda Pabst (ward 3), Bill Cober (ward 4), Debbie Schaeffer (ward 5), and Avia Eek (ward 6).
Budget
The township draws revenues from various sources. The most significant in 2007 were municipal taxes (67.9% of revenue), fees and service charges (14.0%), water charges (4.3%), grants (3.5%) and reserves (2.9%). The most significant expenditures for 2007 were general municipal government (27.6%), recreation and culture (21.7%), transportation (17.8%), protection (16.6%) and environmental projects (11.6%).
The Township offices reside at the King City Plaza, a
strip mall
A strip mall, strip center or strip plaza is a type of shopping center common in North America where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front. ...
purchased by the municipal government in the 1990s which also has several business tenants. In 2013, the township purchased the disused former Holy Name Catholic Elementary School building and adjacent of land from the
York Catholic District School Board
The York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB, known as English-language Separate District School Board No. 42 prior to 1999) is the English-language public-separate school district authority for the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario, Canad ...
for $2.95 million. In 2016, township planning staff announced that the school building would be redesigned for use as office space for the township, for community and non-profit groups, and to house a satellite office for the
York Regional Police
The York Regional Police (YRP) are a law enforcement organization that serves over 1.1 million residents in the York Region of Ontario, Canada, located north of Toronto. YRP was formed in 1971 from the police forces maintained by the nine municip ...
. In May 2016, the Police Services Board approved the King City substation and announced that a 20-year lease would be executed for use of about of space in the building. In June 2016, township staff announced the building would be destroyed in mid-2016 and replaced by a structure on the site at a cost of about $15 million. It will include a public-use gymnasium. The capital project will be partially financed by selling the strip mall.
Provincial and federal politics
As a result of the
federal electoral redistribution of 2012, starting with the
2015 federal election the township is represented in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
by the Members of Parliament of the
King—Vaughan
King—Vaughan is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada.
King—Vaughan was created by the 2012 federal electoral boundaries redistribution and was legally defined in the 2013 representation order. It came into effect upon the drop ...
and
York—Simcoe electoral districts. The portion of King north of
Highway 9 is part of the York—Simcoe electoral district, represented by
Scot Davidson of the Conservative Party of Canada. The remaining areas are part of the King—Vaughan electoral district represented by
Anna Roberts
Anna Roberts (born November 11, 1957) is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of King—Vaughan in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2021 Canadian federal election
The 2021 Canadian federal election was held on ...
of the
Conservative Party of Canada. Previously, King was part of the
Oak Ridges—Markham
Oak Ridges—Markham was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2015. Its population in 2006 was 169,645., with 136,755 electors, the highest of any riding in Canad ...
, created for the 2004 election because of rapid growth in York Region, and before that in the
Vaughan—King—Aurora
Vaughan—King—Aurora was a federal electoral riding in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2004, and was a provincial electoral riding represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1 ...
electoral district.
The provincial riding of
King—Vaughan
King—Vaughan is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada.
King—Vaughan was created by the 2012 federal electoral boundaries redistribution and was legally defined in the 2013 representation order. It came into effect upon the drop ...
is represented by
Stephen Lecce
Stephen Francis Lecce (; born November 26, 1986) is a Canadian politician who has served as the Ontario minister of education since June 20, 2019. A member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party, Lecce is the member of Provincial Parliame ...
, a member of the
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (french: Parti progressiste-conservateur de l'Ontario), often shortened to the Ontario PC Party or simply the PCs, colloquially known as the Tories, is a centre-right political party in Ontario, Canada ...
. It was created as part of Ontario's re-districting to match provincial electoral districts with their federal equivalents. King was part of the
Oak Ridges—Markham
Oak Ridges—Markham was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2015. Its population in 2006 was 169,645., with 136,755 electors, the highest of any riding in Canad ...
electoral district from 2007 to 2018, the
Vaughan—King—Aurora
Vaughan—King—Aurora was a federal electoral riding in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2004, and was a provincial electoral riding represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1 ...
electoral district from 1999 to 2007,
York—MacKenzie from 1995 to 1999, and
York North
York North was a federal riding in Ontario, Canada, that was in the House of Commons of Canada from Confederation in 1867 until 2004.
The federal riding was eliminated in 2003 when it was redistributed between two new ridings of Newmarket—A ...
from
Confederation
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
to 1995. The portion of King north of Highway 9 is part of the
York—Simcoe electoral district, represented by
Caroline Mulroney
Caroline Anne Mulroney Lapham (born June 11, 1974) is a Canadian businesswoman, lawyer and politician who currently serves as the Ontario Minister of Transportation and Minister of Francophone Affairs.
Born in Montreal, Quebec, she is the dau ...
of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population
The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...
conducted by
Statistics Canada, King had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Median age as of 2021 was 43.2, slightly higher than the Ontario median age of 41.6.
In 2021,
Visible minorities
A visible minority () is defined by the Government of Canada as "persons, other than aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour". The term is used primarily as a demographic category by Statistics Canada, in connect ...
represented 22.6% of the population.
[
According to 2021 Census data, ]English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
is the mother tongue of 67.5% of the residents of King. Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
is the most predominant mother tongue for 8.6% of the population, followed by Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
(2.6%), Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
(2.0%).[
As of 2021, most reported religion among the population was ]Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
(69.3%), with Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
(47.0%) making up the largest denomination. This was followed by Islam (3.6%), Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...
(1.6%), Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
(1.6%), Sikhism
Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...
(1.4%) and Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
(0.8%). 21.2% of the population did not identify with a particular religion.[
]
Transportation
The Township of King is located between Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
and Barrie
Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically ...
, stretching from Bathurst Street to just east of Highway 50. King is accessible by Highways 400
__NOTOC__
Year 400 ( CD) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Stilicho and Aurelianus (or, less frequently, year ...
, 27, 9 and 11.
Public transportation is provided by York Region Transit
York Region Transit (YRT) is the public transit operator in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Richmond Hill, at 50 High Tech Road.
YRT operates 65 full-time, rush hour and limited routes, 35 school services, and six Viva bu ...
(bus service) and GO Transit
GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven millio ...
(bus and train services), but their services are limited in the township due to low population density. King City GO Station is the only train station in the township. York Region Transit's services are confined to the southeastern area, and GO bus serves the Nobleton and King City communities.
Most air travel is served by Toronto Pearson International Airport
Lester B. Pearson International Airport , commonly known as Toronto Pearson International Airport, is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surr ...
, Canada's largest airport, located south of the township in Mississauga. The township's only airport, King City Airport, was a general aviation airfield that closed in the 1990s.
Education
Public schools with classes from kindergarten through grade twelve are administered by the York Region District School Board
The York Region District School Board (YRDSB) is the English-language public school board for the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario, Canada. The York Region District School Board is the province's third-largest school board after Toronto' ...
and the York Catholic District School Board
The York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB, known as English-language Separate District School Board No. 42 prior to 1999) is the English-language public-separate school district authority for the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario, Canad ...
. The only public secondary school in King, King City Secondary School
King City Secondary School, or KCSS, is a secondary education facility in King City, Ontario, Canada. It is a secular public school administered by the York Region District School Board. The school is located at 2001 King Road, and the current pr ...
, serves students residing in a relatively large geographic area, including some from adjacent towns. A private Catholic high school, St. Thomas of Villanova College, and private JK -12 school, The Country Day School
The Country Day School (CDS) is an independent, non-profit, preparatory, co-educational day school in King City, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1972.
CDS is a member of Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) and the Conference of ...
, are also located in the township.
Seneca College
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a multiple-campus public college in the Greater Toronto Area, and Peterborough, Ontario, Canada regions. It offers full-time and part-time programs at the baccalaureate, diploma, certificate an ...
owns a campus located in the southeastern portion of King Township, where the College offers various programs.
Settlements
King's earliest settlement, Armitage, is now part of Newmarket. Its establishment was followed by those of Lloydtown and Kettleby. Subsequent settlements were founded near rivers, which provided the energy necessary to operate various mills. The earliest were based in Laskay, Kinghorn, and Eversley. The hamlet of Springhill was established later and flourished; it was renamed King City, now the largest community in the township.
*Eversley is a hamlet that, although it has its own historical development, has slowly been subsumed into King City. It lies on King City's north-eastern edge, south of Snowball. It was also known as Tinline's Corners in the 1800s.
*Glenville is a hamlet located in northeastern King, just south of the community of Ansnorveldt.
*Hammertown is a former hamlet located near the intersection of the 12th concession and 17th sideroad.
*Heritage Park is a community of King City. It is a natural and wildlife park characterized by ravines and creeks, some of which feed the East Humber River. Portions of the park are in the King City Trail.
*Kinghorn is a community of King City, located at the Jane Street-King Road intersection. It is a sparse residential area adjacent to Highway 400, and is home to the King Township Museum and The Kingbridge Centre.
*Laskay is a hamlet located just west of King City and south of the King Road—Weston Road intersection.
*Snowball
A snowball is a spherical object made from snow, usually created by scooping snow with the hands, and pressing the snow together to compact it into a ball. Snowballs are often used in games such as snowball fights.
A snowball may also be a large ...
is a growing hamlet located just north of Eversley, west of Aurora.
Other hamlets in King include Holly Park, Linton, and New Scotland.
Heritage sites
In the township, there are eleven sites designated ''Heritage Sites'', including:
*King Station was built in 1852 along the Northern Railway to serve ''Springhill'' (now King City). It was moved in 1989 to the grounds of the King Township Museum. It is believed to be the oldest surviving railway station in Canada, and was designated a heritage site in 1990.
*King Emmanuel Baptist Church, formerly the ''King Christian Church'' until 1931, it was moved to the grounds of the King Township Museum in 1982, and designated a heritage site in 1992.
*King City Cemetery, established in 1886, was designated a heritage site in July 2007.
*King City Cemetery Dead House built circa 1887 was designated a heritage site in 2001. It is an octagonal structure that was used to preserve the dead during the winter, during which grave-digging was not feasible. Octagonal dead house
A dead house, deadhouse or mort house, is a structure used for the temporary storage of a human corpse before burial or transportation, usually located within or near a cemetery. Such edifices were more common before the mid-20th century in area ...
s were unique to the area bordering Yonge Street
Yonge Street (; pronounced "young") is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes.
Once the southernmost leg of provincial H ...
north of Toronto during the late 19th and early 20th century.
*Eversley Presbyterian Church, a stone structure built in 1848, demonstrates the Scottish influence common in the area's early development. It was designated in 1984.
*Glenville Methodist Church, a small frame structure built in 1859, which remained operational until 1952. It was designated in 1983 as a township heritage site.
*King Christian Church Cemetery was the first burial grounds for Kettleby, built in 1850. It was designated a heritage site in 1986.
*Laskay Temperance Hall, built in 1859 by the Sons of Temperance
The Sons of Temperance was and is a brotherhood of men who promoted the temperance movement and mutual support. The group was founded in 1842 in New York City. It began spreading rapidly during the 1840s throughout the United States and parts o ...
. It had been operated by the ''Laskay Women's Institute'' since 1910, and is now operated by the municipality. It was designated a Heritage Site in 1986.
Public services
The township's municipal tax revenue is divided into three streams. One portion is combined with that from other municipalities for education purposes, a second portion is used to finance regional projects managed by York Region, and the last portion is used for local services.
The most significant cultural service provided via municipal funding is the King Township Public Library
The King Township Public Library is a public library system that serves King Township, Ontario in Canada. It consists of four branches located in King City, Nobleton, Schomberg, and Ansnorveldt.
The library rotates certain books through the ...
, which operates four branches in the township.
Waste management is provided through the region, and is co-ordinated with programs offered in other towns in York Region. Weekly green bin
A green bin is a large, movable, rigid plastic or metal container that contains biodegradable waste or compostable materials as a means to divert waste from landfills. In some local authorities, green bins are also used to contain unsorted municip ...
compost collection began in September 2007 to complement the weekly blue box
A blue box is an electronic device that produces tones used to generate the in-band signaling tones formerly used within the North American long-distance telephone network to send line status and called number information over voice circuits. ...
collection of recyclable material; collection of all other waste was reduced to once every two weeks. Water and wastewater management is operated by the township, though these services are not available ubiquitously; some areas rely on well water and septic tanks.
See also
* Kinghorn Methodist Episcopal Cemetery
* List of townships in Ontario
Notes
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{{York Region
Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario
Populated places established in 1800
Township municipalities in Ontario