Woodbridge is a very large

suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

community in

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 ...

, Ontario, Canada, along the city's border with

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 ...

. It occupies the city's entire southwest quadrant, west of Highway 400, east of Highway 50, north of

Steeles Avenue Steeles Avenue is an east–west street that stretches across the western and central Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Running from Appleby Line in Milton in the west to the Scarborough-Pickering Townline in the east, where it continue ...

, and generally south of Major Mackenzie Drive. It was once an independent village before being amalgamated with nearby communities to form the city in 1971. Its traditional downtown core is the Woodbridge Avenue stretch between

Islington Avenue Islington Avenue is a north–south route travelling through the City of Toronto and York Region. It runs from Lake Shore Boulevard West at 7th Street in the former Town of New Toronto to Highway 27 at the former town of Kleinburg, in the Cit ...

and

Kipling Avenue Kipling Avenue is a street in the cities of Toronto and Vaughan, Ontario, Vaughan in Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, 6 concessions (12 km) west from Yonge Street, and is a major north–south arterial road. It consists of thre ...

north of

Highway 7 The following highways are numbered 7. For roads numbered A7, see list of A7 roads. Route 7, or Highway 7, may refer to: International * AH7, Asian Highway 7 * European route E07 * European route E007 Afghanistan *Kunduz-Khomri Highway (A7) ...

Early History

The community had its origins with the British Crown granting the west half of lots six and seven, concession 7 of Vaughan Township to Jacob Philips and Hugh Cameron in 1802. Woodbridge had its beginnings in what is today Pine Grove. During the early half the 19th century, a school was built on Vaughan's eighth concession; and a flour mill and store flourished. A scattering of houses arose around Smith's mill (later Hayhoe Mills), Smith's mill later became known as Smithsville, and then Pine Grove. Another nearby settlement to the south, known as Brownsville, came into being around a mill run by John Brown on the Humber River at present-day Highway 7 and Islington Avenue, south of the original Woodbridge village. Woodbridge itself, however, did not begin to take the form of a settlement or village until the arrival of Rowland Burr in 1837, a local highly regarded architect and builder at the time. He moved there from Richmond Hill to reside in a log house in the growing village near the Humber River, and purchased 100 acres and mill water rights from Washington Peck, a local cooper. He proceeded to build a flour mill, then later a sawmill and woolen mill on the land, and laid out a proper plan for the village that was named "Burwick" after him. He later moved south down the Humber to

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

in 1846. Before 1855, Woodbridge had been known as the village of Burwick, but was renamed because when the town applied for a post office that year, there was already a settlement named Burwick in the province. The name "Woodbridge" was put forward by the son-in-law of John Gamble (reeve of Vaughan at the time) after his home town in England. It was also suitable due to the many bridges in the area across the Humber River. After it was incorporated in 1882, Woodbridge eventually overtook, and later included, nearby Pine Grove. Brownsville also became part of Woodbridge. John Abell was another notable early entrepreneurial figure that shaped the village of Burwick/Woodbridge, settling there in 1845. He initially started with manufacturing carriages and wagons. In 1847, he initially opened a foundry for manufacturing mill irons. In 1862, Abell opened the Abell Agricultural Works foundry, that became a major industry over time and had 200 employees by 1874, making steam-powered agricultural equipment like

traction engine A traction engine is a steam engine, steam-powered tractor used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin ''tractus'', meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any ...

s. Due to problems not being able to get a railway siding from the nearby Toronto, Grey & Bruce Railway to his factory, in 1885 he left Woodbridge and relocated his manufacturing operations to Queen & Abell Streets in Toronto, which was a blow to the village at the time. The building, south of Woodbridge Ave. and west of the Humber River, became Edwards & Edwards tannery in 1919, but was destroyed by fire in 1926. Part of the remaining plant was rebuilt and became the S.C. William Rubber Company in 1935, later M.L. Snyder & Son (rubber manufacturing). The

Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway The Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway (TG&B) was a railway company which operated in Ontario, Canada in the years immediately following the Canadian Confederation of 1867. It connected two rural counties, Grey County, Ontario, Grey County and Bruce ...

arrived from

in 1870. This line was constructed as a

narrow gauge railway A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

through Caledon and completed to

Owen Sound Owen Sound (2021 Canadian Census, 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat, seat of government of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi River, Pottawatomi and Sydenham River ...

in 1873. Owing to financial difficulty, it was operated by the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; ) was a Rail transport, railway system that operated in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the List of states and territories of the United States, American sta ...

until 1883, when it was leased to the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

. Conversion to standard gauge required realigning some of the track curves, particularly around Woodbridge (the mainline was shifted to the east through town, and a new Woodbridge Station built to replace the original TG&B station, that became a farmer's supply store). In 1908 this line was linked to the transcontinental route through

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario ** Sudbury (federal electoral district) ** Sudbury (provincial electoral district) ** Sudbury Airport ** Sudbury Basin, a meteorite impact cra ...

at Bolton, with the original TG&B route between Bolton and Orangeville being abandoned in 1934. By 1880, the settlement had two general stores, a carriage works, two churches, a school, two hotels, a library, two newspapers and a post office. As the population increased it was pressured by the citizens to add a post office so there would be no confusion with another settlement in

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

. By 1882, Woodbridge had over a thousand residents and was incorporated as a village. Some of the notable hotels for horse-drawn commercial travelers passing through town included the Queen's Hotel, Inkerman House, Dominion House, and Prentice Hotel. Woodbridge was also served by a branch of the

Toronto Suburban Railway The Toronto Suburban Railway was a Canadian electric railway operator with local routes in west Toronto, and a radial (interurban) route to Guelph. History Corporate timeline The Weston, High Park and Toronto Street Railway Company was incor ...

from 1914 until 1926. The

radial railway The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...

from Weston came in to downtown Woodbridge along the west side of the Humber River, north of Humber Summit, after descending from its route along Albion Road and Kipling Avenue. It handled passenger traffic until 1925, and freight traffic (express runs for farmers shipping milk into the city) for a time later but the line was abandoned in May 1926. It was closed due to increased competition from the private automobile, and replaced with a bus service that was eventually run by the

Toronto Transit Commission The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the primary public transport agency in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operating the majority of the city's transit bus, bus and rail services. It is the oldest and largest of the urban transit service providers ...

until 1975, when

Vaughan 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 ...

took over. Historically, 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 (North America), Great Lakes. The name c ...

once passed through Woodbridge along the Humber River, and became two trails where the main branch and east branch of the river split north of town. It was used by indigenous

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

(such as the Huron-Wendat that lived in the area) and early explorers for over-land travel from Toronto to Holland Landing (Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe), and was the only portage path in the area in the 1700s until roads started opening up in the 19th century. There were a series of indigenous settlements once located along the Humber River around and north of Woodbridge. As European settlement and agricultural activity increased, many grist, flour and saw mills were established in the area along the Humber River. The Wallace Brothers established the Wallace Brothers Roller Mills on the site of John Brown's old mill in 1877, at the southwest corner of present-day Highway 7 and Islington. The buildings lasted into the early 1980s before being demolished for the current plaza. Early muddy, difficult-to-navigate roads gave way to road improvements in the mid-19th century, including converting some muddy trails and paths into planked roads. The Vaughan Plank Road Company was formed in 1860, that built a planked road through Woodbridge from Thistletown through Woodbridge, Pine Grove and Kleinburg to the King township border. The road had tollbooths at various points, and travelers were made to pay a toll for the road upkeep, which often was not very good. There was local opposition from farmers in later years, and the municipality took over in 1896, eliminating the tolls. Gravel roads, and eventually paved roads, followed.

Post-War History

Construction of

from Woodbridge to Thornhill took place between 1928 and 1932, passing south of the business section of town via the Canadian Pacific Railway underpass built in 1929-1930 (the original roadway followed a portion of McKenzie Street, and once crossed the tracks at-grade before looping south down the hill to Wallace St. and the Humber River bridge). Other important transportation corridors included construction of Highway 27 to the west in 1937–1938, and Highway 400 to the east completed in 1951. Another important employer came to town when W. Robinson & Sons (later Robinson Cotton Mills Ltd) established a textile and cotton mill in the mid-1920's. The company expanded into moulded products and foams in the 1950s as Robinson Foams Ltd, and is now known as Woodbridge Foam. The Elm Park Pavilion opened in 1927 at the northwest corner of present-day Highway 7 and Islington Avenue. A popular entertainment venue, it caught fire in 1950 and was replaced with the Woodbridge District Memorial Arena (today known as the Woodbridge Pool & Memorial Arena) in February 1951, built to commemorate the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It was built on land donated by the Robinson Cotton Mills. It has since been modernized and expanded over the years as a key community centre. A Canadian Legion branch, the MacKenzie Branch 414, was formed in May 1946 and a new Legion building was built in 1948 on the former MacKenzie farm lands, along Mill Road (present-day Legion Court). It was named after Ross and Alex MacKenzie, who fought in the first world war. The branch was closed in February 2024 due to biker gang association. As Woodbridge is on the Humber

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...

Hurricane Hazel Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest, second-costliest, and most intense hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed at least 469 people in Haiti before it struck the United States near the border between North and Sou ...

in 1954 devastated the community as the Humber River swelled from its usual width of at its narrowest point to , and left hundreds homeless and nine dead. This included washing away mill damns in Woodbridge and Pine Grove, major flooding in the Clarence Street area downtown, ravaging a trailer park along Islington Avenue, and washing downstream some old streetcars used at a Polish Camp near Kleinburg. Post-Hazel, a number of initiatives were undertaken by the Humber Valley Conservation Authority (today the Toronto Region Conservation Authority), including diversions and reroutings of the Humber River that included construction of a diversion channel north of town in 1962 (at the same time Islington Avenue was extended north of Highway 7). Land around parts of the Humber was acquired and flood plain zones were established to prevent development in low-lying areas around the river that were prone to flooding. At this time, the land around much of Woodbridge was agricultural. Slowly, rural homes were built in the surrounding areas.

Suburban Growth and Development

In the 1950s, Woodbridge experienced spillover growth from suburban

Metropolitan Toronto The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was an upper-tier level of municipal government in Ontario, Canada, from 1953 to 1998. It was made up of the old city of Toronto and numerous townships, towns and villages that surrounded Toronto, whic ...

, which ultimately led to its defined area expanding far beyond the village's then-incorporated boundaries. Later, many Italians that settled in Toronto neighbourhoods such as

Little Italy Little Italy is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an Urban area, urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian cul ...

, moved to the suburbs and

exurbs An exurb (or alternately: exurban area) is an area outside the typically denser inner suburban area, at the edge of a metropolitan area, which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing-density, and relatively hi ...

, in particular Woodbridge. The suburban expansion began east of the Humber and East Humber and to the northeast. Prior to the expansion, the urban area was up to Kipling Avenue and to the Humber. It later expanded in the west up to present-day Martin Grove Road and north to northeast of Langstaff Road in the 1960s. It later expanded further north in the 1970s and 1980s. A drive-in theatre was situated on Langstaff Road east of Highway 27. Operating from 1967 to 1997, the site was developed for housing in 1998. The Village of Woodbridge, along with other communities within Vaughan Township, was amalgamated to form the new Town (now City) of

in 1971. The housing developments in the west expanded north to Langstaff. Development continued in the central part of Woodbridge (including the transformation of older stores in the village into smaller units of housing) in the early 1980s and west to Highway 27 in the late 1980s and early 90s. Development extended north to just south of Rutherford Road in the 1980s and east up to

Weston Road Weston Road is both a contour street and a north–south street in western Toronto and western York Region in Ontario, Canada. The road is named for the neighbourhood and former Town of Weston, which is located near Weston Road and Lawrence Ave ...

from Highway 7 to south of Rutherford Road and south to north of the present-day

Highway 407 King's Highway 407, commonly referred to as Highway 407 and colloquially as the "four-oh-seven", is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Comprising a tolled privately leased segment and a publicly owned segment, the route s ...

. The industrial areas began appearing first to the west and then to the southwest and east. After the aforementioned drive-in was closed, Martin Grove Road was extended northward through the former property to serve more developments. Woodbridge Highlands was formed in the northwest, east of Highway 27 in the 1990s. In 1994 housing developments reached to Rutherford and continued until 1996 except for the northeast and the southeastern part. Condominiums were also constructed in the old village along Woodbridge Avenue. Sonoma Heights at Islington and Rutherford and Vellore (built around the former hamlet of Vellore, and today including Vellore Village and Vellore Woods) around Weston and Rutherford were developed. Development in the north end of Woodbridge then followed with Weston and Rutherford Roads becoming a major focal point for the building of additional residential units stretching north to

Major Mackenzie Drive Major Mackenzie Drive, often shortened to Major Mac, is a major east-west arterial road in southern York Region, Ontario, Canada, just north of Toronto. It is a York regional road, numbered as York Regional Road 25, and passes through the three ...

. Land on both sides of Weston Road to Major Mackenzie were completely filled in. Development continued north of Major Mackenzie (possibly outside Woodbridge's accepted boundary) in the 2010s north to the former hamlet of Purpleville (Pine Valley Drive and Teston Road) and is still ongoing in the 2020s. Woodbridge contains many industrial developments, mostly along Steeles east of the Humber and running north along the west side of Highway 400 east of Weston. These were mostly built during the 1980s. Another major industrial area began development west of Highway 27 in the 2000s in anticipation of the construction of Highway 427, and is still ongoing, bolstered by the opening of the highway in 2021. Woodbridge Avenue (formerly known as Pine Street) between Islington Avenue and Kipling Avenue is historically the downtown of Woodbridge, and was once home to some of the historical buildings from the late 19th century in addition to newer 1920s–1960s buildings, but is rapidly being redeveloped. Many older shops were demolished in the late 1970s and 1980s for the Fairground Lane and Market Lane shopping developments. Two examples of historic buildings include a Tinsmith Shop and Masonic Lodge (c. 1850) and the Burwick family home (from 1844 on Pine Street) that were moved to Black Creek Pioneer Village.Black Creek Pioneer Village Buildings, Accessed 16 January 2010 Market Lane remains the commercial hub of this area, with several other shops and stores lining Woodbridge Avenue. Woodbridge was chosen as the new location for a research based mental health facility, the OCD and Anxiety Clinic of Ontario. First of its kind, it offers specialized psychological care by offering case by case care, as opposed to a volume patient care model. An F2 tornado tore through the city of Vaughan during the Southern Ontario Tornado Outbreak on 20 August 2009. The tornado also ripped up trees, flipped cars, and left thousands of people without power. No one was killed.

Geography

Situated in hilly terrain of the Humber River Valley, historic Woodbridge rests at an average elevation of 200 metres between Highway 27 and Pine Valley Drive. The terrain can be described as a series of rolling hills and valleys. There are numerous valley intersections that demonstrate the geography of the area, notably Highway 7 and Islington and Highway 27 and Rutherford. The area was mainly

farmland Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bot ...

before the onset of

suburbanization Suburbanization (American English), also spelled suburbanisation (British English), is a population shift from historic core cities or rural areas into suburbs. Most suburbs are built in a formation of (sub)urban sprawl. As a consequence ...

in the 1970s, but the residential communities are interspersed with forests along the Humber River and its eastern branch. Today, much of the area is residential with commercial and industrial properties to the south, close to

and to the east near Pine Valley Drive. The area commonly considered to be Woodbridge today covers a very large portion (roughly one-third) of Vaughan, and is usually seen as being bounded by Highway 50 or Highway 27 to the west, Steeles Avenue to the south, Highway 400 to the east, and Major Mackenzie Drive to the north, However, its boundaries are somewhat unclear and appear to be expanding north of Major Mackenzie along Highway 400 as urbanization progresses.

Climate

Woodbridge has a humid continental climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

Dfb), with warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. Woodbridge winters feature cold snaps where maximum temperatures remain below −10 °C (14 °F), often made to feel colder by wind chill. Accumulating snow can fall any time from October until April. Summer in Woodbridge is characterized by long stretches of humid weather. Spring and autumn are transitional seasons, with generally mild or cool temperatures and alternating dry and wet periods. According to the USDA plant hardiness level, Woodbridge is 5a.

Surrounding communities

Kleinburg Kleinburg is an unincorporated village in the city of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, an art gallery with a focus on the Group of Seven (artists), Group of Seven, and the Kortright Centre for Conserva ...

, N *

Maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

, NE *

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other words Arts and media * ''Concord'' (video game), a defunct 2024 first-person sh ...

, E *

Etobicoke Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district and former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west end, Etobicoke is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River (Ontario), Humber River, on the ...

, S (Toronto) * Claireville, W (

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 ...

) *

Rexdale Rexdale is a neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located north-west of the central core, in the district of Etobicoke. Rexdale defines an area of several official neighbourhoods north of Highway 401 and east of Highway 427. Rexdale was ori ...

, S (Toronto)

Demographics

As of the 2021 census, the population of Woodbridge is 106,810, a 1.5% increase from the 105,228 population in 2016. As of the 2021 census, the top three ethnic groups in Woodbridge are

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

(49,660; 46.7%; which, until the most recent census, was the highest concentration in Canada, now second to Nobleton), East Indian (5,815; 5.5%), Canadian (5,655; 5.3%).

Attractions

Greenspace

Woodbridge is home to two natural preserves along the Humber River: *

Boyd Conservation Area Boyd Conservation Area (sometimes referred to as Boyd Conservation Park) is a suburban land preserve owned and operated by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority in the city of Vaughan, Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada. It als ...

Kortright Centre for Conservation The Kortright Centre for Conservation is a suburban conservation area and educational facility in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada in the northern part of the Greater Toronto Area. It is operated by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. The area ...

* Doctors McLean District Park * Rainbow Creek Park * Woodbridge Fairgrounds where the fall fair has occurred since 1847https://www.woodbridgefair.ca/ * Fundale Park * Maxey Park

Sites of interest

*Market Lane *Memorial Hill with a tower * Pierre Berton Library *Boyd Conservation Area *Kortright Centre

Education

*Blue Willow Public School * Emily Carr Secondary School * Father Bressani Catholic High School * Fossil Hill Public School *Elders Mills Public School *

Holy Cross Catholic Academy Holy Cross Catholic Academy (or Holy Cross) is a Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Secondary school, high school. It was first established in September 1986 to serve western Woodbridge, Ontario, Woodbridge, a community in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. ...

*Immaculate Conception Catholic Elementary School *Lorna Jackson Public School *North Hill Private School *Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Elementary School *Pine Grove Public School *Pierre Berton Public Elementary School *San Marco Catholic Elementary School *St. Agnes of Assisi Elementary School *St. Andrew Catholic Elementary School *St. Angela Merici Catholic Elementary School *St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Elementary School *St. Clare Catholic Elementary School *St. Clement Catholic Elementary School *St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Elementary School *St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Elementary School *St. Gregory the Great Academy * St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic High School *St. Emily Catholic Elementary School *St. John Bosco Catholic Elementary School *St. Margaret Mary Catholic Elementary School *St. Padre Pio Catholic Elementary School *St. Peter Catholic Elementary School *St. Stephen Catholic Elementary School * Tommy Douglas Secondary School * Toronto District Christian High School * Vellore Woods Public School *

Woodbridge College Woodbridge College is a secondary school in Vaughan, Ontario, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Woodbridge, Ontario, Woodbridge district, from where it gets its name; and opened its doors in 1958 as Woodbridge High School when Woodb ...

*Woodbridge Montessori School (Private Elementary) *Woodbridge Public School *Glenn Gould Public School * St.Michael the Archangel Catholic Elementary

Notable people

Elizabeth Arden Elizabeth Arden (December 31, 1881 – October 18, 1966), also known as Elizabeth N. Graham, was a Canadian-American businesswoman who founded what is now Elizabeth Arden, Inc., and built a cosmetics empire in the United States. Backg ...

, founder of cosmetic company of the same name *

Robert Barbieri Robert Julian Barbieri (born 5 June 1984) is a Canadian-born Italian retired rugby union player. He played as a flanker. He decided to represent Italy. Club career He played for Yeomen (2000–03) in Canada, before moving to the Italian side O ...

, professional rugby player *

Mark Bocek Mark Bocek (; born October 24, 1981) is a Canadian retired mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor for ten years from 2004 to 2014, Bocek has also formerly com ...

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

fighter *

Jesse Carere Jesse Carere (born June 6, 1993) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing Ofe, a recurring character in the MTV series '' Finding Carter''. He is also known for his role as Adam Jones in the Netflix / City series '' Between''. Carere al ...

, actor *

Anthony Cirelli Anthony Cirelli (, ; born July 15, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Lightning in the third round (72nd overall) of t ...

, hockey player *

Andrew Cogliano Andrew Cogliano (born June 14, 1987) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks, and Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). On December 31, ...

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

player *

Frank Corrado Francesco Corrado (born 26 March 1993) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the fifth round, 150th overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Corrado made his NHL debut for the Canucks d ...

player * Mark Cundari,

player *

Chris DiDomenico Christopher DiDomenico (born February 20, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for HC Ambrì-Piotta of the National League (NL). DiDomenico was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the sixth round (164th overall) of the 2007 NHL ...

player *

Natalie Di Luccio Natalie Di Luccio (born 29 June 1989) is an Italian-Canadian classical-crossover singer from Toronto, Ontario. She is often referred to as "Bollywood's Soprano" because of her unique renditions of Indian classics. Her career began in 2010 whe ...

, international multilingual singer *

Sergio Di Zio Sergio Di Zio is a Canadian actor. He starred in the television series '' Flashpoint'' as Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti until the show concluded on December 13, 2012. His other works include '' The Lookout'', ''Cinderella Man'', '' Senior Trip ...

, actor *

Steve Eminger Steve Eminger (born October 31, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Eminger, who is also known for his physical play, started his hockey career with the Kitc ...

player *

Danny Fernandes Daniel "Danny" Fernandes (born September 16, 1985)Danny Fernandes
. Maple Music. Retrieved December 6, 2 ...

, singer *

Mike Harris Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. Taking the PC ...

, 22nd premier of Ontario * Jimmy Jones,

player *

Stephen Lecce Stephen Francis Lecce (; born November 26, 1986) is a Canadian politician and Ontario's current Minister of Energy and Mines. Lecce served as the Ontario Minister of Education from 2019 to 2024. A member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) ...

, Ontario minister of education *

Mike Liambas Michael Liambas (born February 16, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He is currently an unrestricted free agent who most recently played with the Iowa Wild in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract with the Mi ...

player * Marc Liegghio,

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

player *

Victor Mete Victor Joseph Mete (born June 7, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract ...

player * Steve Nease, cartoonist *

Michael Petrasso Michael Alexander Petrasso (born 9 July 1995) is a Canadian professional soccer player as a winger and is currently a free agent having last played for York United. Early life Petrasso was born in Toronto, and grew up in Woodbridge, just north ...

, soccer player *

Dina Pugliese Dina Pugliese (; born May 22, 1974) is a Canadian television personality. She has served as a co-host of Citytv's morning show ''Breakfast Television'', initially from 2006 to 2023, and returning in 2025. Career Born in Toronto, Pugliese grew ...

, television personality *

Marco Reda Marco Reda (born June 22, 1977) is a Canadian former association football, soccer player who began his professional career in the USL A-League with the Toronto Lynx where he developed his skills as a solid defender. This led to his transfer to Eur ...

, professional soccer player *

David Rocco David Rocco (born July 27, 1970) is a Canadian author, cook, and host of several internationally syndicated television series. He is most known for producing and hosting the television series ''David Rocco's Dolce Vita'', and publishing four co ...

, actor and television cooking show host * Vince Rocco, ice hockey player * Arthur Evans Snell, 10th Canadian

Surgeon General Surgeon general (: surgeons general) is a title used in several Commonwealth countries and most NATO nations to refer either to a senior military medical officer or to a senior uniformed physician commissioned by the government and entrusted with p ...

Marco Terminesi Marco Terminesi (born September 5, 1984) is a Canadian former soccer player. Career Youth and college Terminesi attended Holy Cross Catholic Academy, and played club soccer for Woodbridge Soccer Club, guiding them to the 1994 and 2000 Robbie In ...

, soccer player

In popular culture

The song " The Woodbridge Dog Disaster" by Canadian

folk singer Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

Stan Rogers Stanley Allison Rogers (November 29, 1949 – June 2, 1983) was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter who sang traditional-sounding songs frequently inspired by Canadian history and the working people's daily lives, especially from the fishin ...

, detailing a fictional occurrence in the community, was recorded in the 1970s.

References

{{Authority control Neighbourhoods in Vaughan Italian Canadian settlements