History
The settlement was founded in 1804 by Abraham Stouffer and was originally named Stoufferville. Stouffer built a sawmill and grist mill on the banks of Duffin's Creek in the 1820s. The name of the community was shortened to Stouffville when its first post office opened in 1832. In 1877, Stouffville became an incorporated village. On January 1, 1971, the Village of Stouffville was amalgamated with Whitchurch Township and was designated a community within the larger town of Whitchurch-Stouffville; with amalgamation, the town boundary was extended four farm lots south of its previous limit near Main Street (the land was formerly a part of Markham Township). The population of urban Stouffville in 1971 was 5,036. In 2003, a large 16th-century Wendat (Huron-Wendat) village was discovered; approximately 2000 people once inhabited the site, dubbed Mantle Site, which included a palisade and more than 80 longhouses, yielding tens of thousands of artifacts.Archeological Services, Inc.Geography
Urban Stouffville is approximately 4.5 km long, stretching from the York-Durham Line to Highway 48, and approximately 2.7 km wide with development north and south of Main Street. Stouffville is bounded by farmland and a golf course. The community is located on the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Rouge River watershed.Transportation
GO Transit's Stouffville line passes through the community with commuter trains stopping at the Stouffville GO Station in the downtown core and terminating at Old Elm GO Station. Along with GO's Stouffville Line, GO Transit also operates route 71 from Union Station to Mount Joy GO Station or Old Elm GO Station, with limited service to Uxbridge. York Region Transit's bus 9 (9th Line) travels from the town to Markham Stouffville Hospital and before terminating service at 14th Avenue and Box Grove By-Pass. The YRT also operates YRT On-Request Stouffville; a ride-share service operated with Minivans and Minibuses. Along with YRT On-Request, they also operate a similar service specifically for the disabled; allowing disabled individuals to continue to access and utilize YRT services. Stouffville Road (Regional Road #14) is the main east–west route that passes through downtown and connects with Highway 404 in the west.Demographics
In 2006, urban Stouffville had a population of 8,000 to 10,000 people, or about one-third of the population of the larger Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville. The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville estimates that the population grew more than 58% between 2006 and 2011; most of that growth was limited to the Community of Stouffville or the Community of Ballantrae. Based on the 2021 census the town's total population is 36,753, growth of 8.8% from the 2016 population of 32,634.Growth
With connection to a massive new sewage system (also known as the Big Pipe) and a water pipe from Lake Ontario, urban Stouffville began to grow rapidly after 2005. The first of the new subdivisions were south of Main Street along Hoover Park Drive (Wheler's Mill and Wheler's on Main subdivisions), and north of Main Street along Millard Street west of Ninth Line. In 2008, construction began to widen Stouffville Road / Main Street from two lanes to four lanes, from Ninth Line to the edge of urban Stouffville at Highway 48 (the community of Ringwood), and further to McCowan Road. Construction was completed in June 2010. Stouffville Road has since been widened up to Highway 404.Notable residents
* Keith Acton, National Hockey League player and coach * Capt. Arthur Roy Brown DSC and Bar, RNAS (23 December 1893 – 9 March 1944), World War I flying ace who spent the latter years of his life running a farm in Stouffville. * Michael Del Zotto, National Hockey League player * Nicole Dollanganger, musician * Peter Gibbons, racing driver * Dalton Kellett, racing driver * Liz Knox, Canadian Women's Hockey League player; Professional Women's Hockey Players Association founding board member and player * Jeff Marek, NHL and CHL analyst for Sportsnet * Brad May, National Hockey League player; Stanley Cup winner with the Anaheim Ducks * Jane Philpott, former President of the Treasury Board and MP of the Liberal Party of Canada * K.A. Tucker, novelist * Dean Michael Wiwchar, hitman. * (See also Notable residents, Whitchurch-Stouffville)Nearest communities
Urban Stouffville is situated in the southeast corner of the town of Whitchurch-Stouffville. Neighbouring communities within the town include Ringwood and Gormley to the east, and Bloomington to the north. Claremont, Uxbridge, and the ghost town of Altona (part of Pickering) lie to the east. Stouffville is bordered on the south by the city of Markham.Heritage and culture
List of historic buildings
Stouffville Farmer's Country Market / Downtown Farmer's Market
The town was home to the Farmers Country Market, founded 1952, which sold a variety of produce, prepared foods, live animals, and household items. While once a popular town attraction, the market closed in 2016 after years of decline. The land was sold in 2001 and was slated for re-development during the decade after the sale. Current barn, silo and stalls were demolished following the closure of the site in late 2016. The Liquidation Centre was moved online with pick-up location/cash and carry in Uxbridge, Ontario. Vendors either closed or relocated across the GTA. Nearby was a downtown farmer's street market hosted by the town and ran from 2009 to 2016. It too has closed and unsure if it will be opened again.Education
Primary and secondary schools
* York Region District School Board ** Spring Lakes Public School ** Harry Bowes Public School ** Wendat Village Public School ** Barbara Reid Public School ** Summit View Public School ** Oscar Peterson Public School ** Glad Park Public School ** Stouffville District Secondary School * York Catholic District School Board ** St. Brigid Catholic Elementary School ** St. Brendan Catholic Elementary School ** St. Marks Catholic Elementary School ** St. Katherine Drexel Catholic Secondary SchoolReferences
Citations
General references
*External links