Bolton (
2021 population 26,795)
is an
unincorporated town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
and is the most populous community in the town of
Caledon,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada, in the
Regional Municipality of Peel. It is located beside the
Humber River, approximately 50 kilometres northwest of
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
. In regional documents, it is referred to as a 'Rural Service Centre'. It has 26,795 residents in 9,158 total dwellings.
[(Town of Caledon Population Distribution - June 30, 2006 - http://www.town.caledon.on.ca/contentc/townhall/statistics/Caledon_Population_Distribution_30JUN06.pdf )] The downtown area that historically defined the village is in a valley, through which flows the Humber River. The village extends on either side of the valley to the north and south.
Geography
The conservation lands' forests dominate a large part of the north and the east, including along the Humber valley. These conservation lands have created several recreational areas, including parts of the Humber Valley Heritage Trail. Farmland and the protected
Oak Ridges Moraine dominate the landscape surrounding the village.
There are two
400-series highways
The 400-series highways are a network of controlled-access highways in the Canadian province of Ontario, forming a special subset of the provincial highway system. They are analogous to the Interstate Highway System in the United States or th ...
nearby, including
Highway 427, about 9 km southeast (the highway's northern terminus being at Major Mackenzie Drive), and
Highway 400, about 14 km east (exit at King Road).
To the northwest is the community of Glasgow, which pays homage to an earlier planned settlement also called Glasgow. The older settlement was established in 1855 but merged into Bolton in 1872. Old Glasgow was supposed to house mill workers, it later served as a summer getaway for Toronto’s Jewish community from 1925 to 1950, then home to Edelweiss Ski Club. The planned community has naturalized again and now exists as Edelweiss Park and Humber Valley Heritage Trail.
History
The community, formerly known as Bolton Mills, was founded around 1822 when James Bolton helped build a flour mill for his relative George Bolton. By 1857, Bolton was a village with a population of 700 in the
Township of Albion in
Peel County.
George Evans was a prominent early settler in the area.
It was established on the Humber River, on the line of the proposed
Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway. There were stages to and from Weston. The average price of land was $40 to $50 per acre.
Transportation
Roads
Queen Street, formerly
Highway 50, and now
Peel Road 50, runs north-south through the community and is its
main street. King Street (Peel Road 9) is the main east-west cross street. It continues outside Bolton beyond both ends and runs across the full width of Caledon.
Public transit
The Town of Caledon does not operate its own public transit system; however, transit service is provided by
Brampton Transit (the transit system of the nearby City of
Brampton
Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...
), which operates Route 41 Bolton, serving the community and travelling south down Highway 50 to
Highway 7/
Queen Street (Brampton) at the border of
Brampton
Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...
and
Vaughan
Vaughan ( ) (2022 population 344,412) 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 increa ...
to make connections with other Brampton Transit routes and
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 ...
.
Route Caledon Community Services Transportation and Transhelp (operated by
Region of Peel Accessible Transportation Services) provides
paratransit services for the elderly, disabled, and infirm in Bolton and Caledon as a whole, and travels to select major destinations in Peel and
York
York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
Regions.
History
There were three earlier privately-operated transit services running within Bolton: In 1999 a company named Caledon Transit Incorporated ran a trial bus service in the community. In 2006, the growing population of Bolton prompted local resident Darren Parberry to start a second bus service with two routes using leased school buses, called Métis Transit. One route ran briefly in 2006. Both services ceased operations due to low ridership. Later, a private contractor,
Voyago, formerly provided bus service in Bolton, but also travelled south to make wider transit connections. Adult cash fares were $4.00 and there were no free transfers with other connecting transit agencies. This service was replaced in May 2024 by the present Brampton Transit service.
[
]
Demographics
As of the 2021 census, the top three ethnic groups in Bolton are Italian (11,480; 43.4%), English (3,540; 13.4%) and Canadian (3,120; 11.8%).
Organizations
* Freemasonry
Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
* Kinsmen Club of Bolton, chartered in 1964
Media
The 1996 Warner Bros. film '' Twister'' and the 2005 film '' Four Brothers'' were partially shot here.
Education
Bolton is home to several public and Catholic schools:
Public Elementary Institutions:
* Allan Drive Middle School
*Ellwood Memorial Public School
*James Bolton Public School
*Macville Public School (just outside Bolton located in Caledon)
Public Secondary Institutions:
* Humberview Secondary School
Catholic Elementary Institutions:
*Holy Family Elementary School
*St. John Paul II Elementary School
*St. John the Baptist Elementary School
*St. Nicholas Elementary School
Catholic Secondary Institutions:
*St. Michael Catholic Secondary School
Private Institutions:
*King's College School (Just outside Bolton located in Caledon)
*Creative Children's Montessori School
Notable residents
* Lorne Duguid – hockey player
* Keith McCreary – hockey player, former Chairman of the NHL Alumni, politician
* James East – politician
* Todd Elik – hockey player
* Organik – musician and founder of King of the Dot
* Steven Halko – hockey player
* Peter Holland – hockey player
* Andrew Mangiapane – hockey player
* Skye Sweetnam – singer
* Jason Saggo – UFC Fighter
* Joseph Shabason – ambient jazz musician
* Josh Alexander – professional wrestler
References
External links
Town of Caledon – official website
{{Coord, 43, 53, 50, N, 79, 44, 17, W, display=title
Neighbourhoods in Caledon, Ontario
Populated places established in 1794
1794 establishments in the British Empire