About the NEIGHBOURHOODS of East Gwillimbury

 Sharon is an older community that has grown significantly in the last 20 years. The north/east side of Sharon is the original community consisting of older bungalows on 1/2 lots with septic systems. The south east area was built up around 1986-1988 and was built as an estate type area with large homes with triple garages on 1/2-3/4 acre lots serviced by town water but still on septic systems. The west side of Sharon is a recent build since 2019 and is more of a modern mix of single homes, semi-detached homes and townhomes on smaller subdivision type lots with full services. Currently there is a new retirement residence under construction on the north west corner of Leslie St and Mt Albert Rd. 

Sharon is home to the historic Sharon Temple, a beautiful venue that houses historic activities, local weddings and outdoor summer music concerts. Shopping in Sharon is centered around the Vince's market complex that started out as a roadside wagon market stand and has grown into a complex that houses the current Vince's Market (grocery, fresh produce and baking) a medical centre, with walk-in, dental offices, restaurant, pizza parlor. There is also a convenience store and another pizza place just off Leslie at Mt Albert Rd. Sharon also houses the East Gwillimbury Recreation Complex with arenas, where lots of local hockey takes place, meeting rooms for local community activities and outside ball diamonds for summer fun. Sharon public school is located on Leslie St, with a new proposed location set for occupancy in 2024  within the newer area on Sharon Village on the west side of town and adjacent to the Catholic elementary school. Newmarket high schools are the feeder areas for the secondary students in Sharon. While surrounded by forests and farm fields, Sharon benefits for the Green Lane big box centres that are less than 10 minutes for the village itself, with all the big box shopping you could hope for, including Costco, Lowes, Best Buy etc.   

 Holland Landing is a community in the Town of East Gwillimbury, located in the northern part of the Regional Municipality of York, north of Toronto, in south-central Ontario, Canada.  

It is surrounded by farm land and conservation areas. The Holland River meanders west of 

Yonge Street which is the main north-south artery through this community. 

Holland Landing has a spectacular topography with some breathtaking vistas from the hilltops that frame this community to the south and to the north. 

ACCESSIBILITY: Holland Landing is strategically placed between Hwy's 404 on the east and 

Hwy 400 on the west and a new Hwy 413 proposed to connect these two major Hwys just on the northern boundary of Holland Landing. The GO train station is about 5 minutes away located on Green Lane between Yonge St. and Leslie St., with Yonge St. running directly through 

Holland Landing's north/south center, then down through Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, 

North York and south  into Toronto. The commuting options could not be better!  

The community has bus service by GO Transit Route 68 and York Region Transit Route 52. 

 HISTORY: Holland Landing is named after Major Samuel Holland, a Dutch born Royal Engineer and the first surveyor of Upper and Lower Canada. Holland Landing was a First Nations trading post. 

The First Nations used the Holland River to travel upstream to Lake Simcoe and also as a connecting route to Georgian Bay. Holland Landing was viewed as a strategic base in the War of 1812. 

Fort Gwillimbury once stood its ground here. The only memory of the War of 1812 that remains in Holland Landing is an enormous 4,000 pound anchor destined for a warship on the Great Lakes that now rests in Anchor Park, serving as a reminder of Holland Landing’s military past.

 In the early 1800's, Holland Landing had become a typical York County Village centered around a complex of wooden, grist, flour and saw mills, and supporting businesses including a blacksmith, general store, tavern and hotel. In 1832, the steamship Simcoe was built at Holland Landing 

and was a fixture of commerce and industry on Lake Simcoe for many years.

 In 1861, Holland Landing was incorporated as a Village. The population remained small 

until the early 1940’s. when development started along the Queensville Sideroad. 

The oldest section of Holland Landing is the River Drive Park Community located in the northwest section of Holland Landing, west of Yonge Street. Holland Landing currently has approximately

 9,000 residents. That population number is expected to grow to 20,000 in the coming years.

SHOPPING:  Holland Landing has its only local market, restaurants and services for neighbourhood convenience, but to the south is within minutes of a Supercentre that includes: Costco, Superstore, Michaels, Bed Bath & Beyond, Lowes, Longo's, pharmacies, car repair, photo finishing, vision care, Western Union, a McDonald’s and a host of small chain stores. 

RECREATION:  Holland Landing Park is accessible from the north side of Doane Rd., east of 

Yonge St. This park includes sports fields, picnic areas, and a bike park. Holland Landing Park also connects to a series of trails including the Anchor Park Trail and the Holland Landing Conservation area. The Recreation Centre at 19513 Yonge St. is home to The East Gwillimbury Public Library. Holland Landing Branch at 19513 Yonge St. offers a number of arts related programs in addition to hosting a Monthly Book Club and Summer Reading Club as well as special events. 

The outside facilities include a skate park, kids playground, tennis courts, basketball courts

 and access to walking trails.  

HOMES: Holland Landing is extremely diverse in its sizes and types of homes and is currently 

seeing new construction in almost all directions. 

Some of these new developments include  Anchor Woods and Hillsborough. 

Mount Albert, as its name would suggest, sits atop a high plateau of land in the beautiful Oak Ridges Moraine. This community is situated in the eastern-most reaches of East Gwillimbury surrounded by countryside. Mount Albert Road is situated east off Highway 48. A long and winding road meanders up a steep hill to Centre Street where you turn north and then descend back down yet another steep hill into the heart of the Mount Albert community.

Mt. Albert has a proud history and promising future. This community is growing with a number of new home subdivisions on the periphery of the Town. Neighbourhood landmarks include the Ross Family Complex and Library off Centre Street and the Vivian Creek Park off Centre Street. 

The Mount Albert Public School is another pillar of the community. 

An ancient First Nations Trail carved out of the mountain was still intact when the first settlers arrived here in the early 1800's. That trail became Centre Street which is now the main thoroughfare in the Village. Two of the earliest settlers were brothers Rufus and Samuel Birchard who were of Quaker background. The Birchard’s arrived here in 1821 from Vermont. They were instrumental in establishing a community, that for a time, became known as Birchardville. 

In the 1840's the name was changed to Newland, and in 1864, following a visit by Prince Albert, 

the name was changed once again to the present day Mount Albert.

Most of the first settlers were farmers, however there were also a complex of mills operating along Mount Albert Creek. The railway passed through Mount Albert in the 1870's connecting it to the rest of York County. The modern era for this community began in 1967 with the opening of the Mount Albert Public School. The boundaries of Mount Albert expanded beyond Centre Street in the 1990s. These new residential developments continued on the outskirts of Mount Albert through the early 2000's right up to the present. Mount Albert currently has about 4,200 residents and is expected to grow to approximately 6,000 residents in the coming years. There is a Woodland grocery store and a Home Hardware on Highway 48. Along Centre Street in town, are a number of small restaurants serving up Chinese food, wings and pizza. There are also a number of professional service businesses. 

East Gwillimbury Sports Complex, located at 1914B Mount Albert Road, has an indoor ice rink 

and community meeting rooms. Outdoor facilities include a baseball diamond, soccer field 

and children’s playground. The Mount Albert Lion’s Club and Community Centre located

at 5057 Mount Albert Road has five mini soccer fields.

The Ross Family Complex, located at 19300 Centre Street in town, has a large gymnasium and community meeting rooms. Across the street from the Ross Family Complex, is Vivian Creek Park, 

a beautiful green space that offers picnic areas, hiking and bicycle trails, and x-country skiing.  

There is a nice collection of heritage homes around Centre Street and Mount Albert Road. The core of the community also features ranch-style bungalows and detached homes. The newer sections feature pockets of subdivisions that have their own unique identities. Some pockets feature detached 

Colonial-style homes, while other subdivisions feature semi-detached homes or townhomes. 

 Queensville is the northern part of East Gwillimbury, centered at Leslie Street and Queensville Sideroad. It is a small, older village community with an old church, cemetery, farm supply shop, country store, fire hall, general store, community centre and a park with a baseball diamond. Queensville has amazing commuter access as it is bordered by Hwy 404 on the east, 

with a Queensville on-ramp, Park & Ride and a GO transit bus stop. 

Less than 10 minutes north is Lake Simcoe, a beach and boating center for the region.

 Queensville retains its small rural village feel with a few services such as convenience stores, 

an auto repair shop, a furniture shop, restaurant and some professional offices. 

All the main shopping is done just 10 minutes south in Newmarket.  

 In the early 1800's, Queensville was known as Hackett’s Corners, named after William Hackett, 

who operated a general store at the crossroads of Queensville Sideroad and Leslie Street which 

was originally called Queen Street. A small hamlet with a post office, church, a complex of mills 

and a landmark hotel. In 1843, the name of this community was changed to Queensville, 

in honour of Queen Victoria. 

Queensville is a mix of old and new heritage homes from the 1800's, various bungalow and 

two-story designs from the 1900's and now new home subdivisions offering an affordable 

mix of townhomes and detached homes. 

 Queensville has been identified as a growth center with the population expected to rise from 

750 to 30,000 people. The residential growth will take place mostly along Leslie Street south of Queensville Sideroad where new home developments are already taking place. This master-planned community will consist of new homes, parks, recreational facilities, a community centre, 

shops and cafes. Lands have also been designated for a post-secondary institution within Queensville, on the north side of the Queensville Sideroad, east of Leslie Street. 

New employment lands are slated to straddle the Hwy 404 corridor, creating thousands of new jobs.