Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 64.231.242.98 (talk) at 00:33, 31 October 2005. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For the people whose names are Vaughan, see List of people by name: Vao-Vaz#Vau-Vaz.

Vaughan (2005 population 235,000) is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada, having nearly doubled in size since 1991. Vaughan is part of the Greater Toronto Area.

History

The first European to make his way through Vaughan was the French explorer Étienne Brûlé, who traversed the Humber Trail in 1615. However, it was not until the townships were created in 1792 that Vaughan began to see any settlements, as it was considered to be extremely remote and the lack of roads through the region made travel difficult.

Despite the hardships of pioneer life, settlers came to Vaughan in considerable numbers. The population grew from 19 men, 5 women, and 30 children in 1800 to 4300 in 1840. The first people to arrive were mainly Pennsylvania Germans, with a smaller number of families of English descent and a group of French Royalists being represented. This migration from the United States was by 1814 superseded by an influx of immigrants from Britain. While many of their predecessors had been agriculturalists, the newer immigrants proved to be highly skilled tradespeople, which would prove useful for a growing community.

Around the facilities established by this group arose a number of hamlets, the oldest of which was Thornhill, which witnessed the construction of a saw-mill in 1801, a grist mill in 1815, and boasted a population of 300 by 1836. Other such enclaves included Kleinburg, Coleraine, Maple, Richmond Hill, Teston, Claireville, Pine Grove, Carrville, Patterson, Burlington, Concord, Edgeley, Fisherville, Elder's Mills, Elgin Mills, Jefferson, Nashville, Purpleville, Richvale, Sherwood, Langstaff, Vellore and Burwick (Woodbridge).

Vaughan Township changed relatively little, from the 1840s when the number of inhabitants stood at 4300 to 1935 when it had 4873 residents. However, World War II sparked an influx of immigration, and by 1960 the population stood at 15,957.

As well, the ethno-cultural composition of the area began to change with the arrival of different groups such as the Italians, Jews and Eastern Europeans to name but a few.

Law/Government

Vaughan's mayor since 2002 is Michael DiBiase. He became involved in the city's political sphere when elected local councillor in 1985. In the 2003 Municipal Election, Di Biase won his first official term since the passing of Mayor Lorna Jackson. Vaughan is facing heavy media scrutiny for the first time, which is revealing serious questions in the leadership of DiBiase as Mayor. The City of Vaughan's Council is made up of nine members; a mayor, three regional councillors and five local councillors. The mayor, elected at large by electorate, is the head of Vaughan council and a representative on York Region Council. Three regional councillors are elected to represent Vaughan at both local and regional levels of government. Five local councillors are elected, one from each of Vaughan's five wards, to represent those wards on Vaughan Council.

The current members of Vaughan City Council are:

• Mayor- Michael Di Biase
• Regional Councillor- Mario Ferri
• Regional Councillor- Linda Jackson
• Regional Councillor- Joyce Frustaglio
• Ward 1- Peter Meffe
• Ward 2- Tony Carella
• Ward 3- Bernie di Vona
• Ward 4- Sandra Racco
• Ward 5- Alan Shefman

Geography

Vaughan is bounded by Caledon, Ontario and Brampton, Ontario to the west, King, Ontario and Richmond Hill, Ontario to the north, Markham, Ontario and Richmond Hill, Ontario to the east, and Toronto, Ontario to the south. It is located at 43°50′N 79°30′W / 43.833°N 79.500°W / 43.833; -79.500.

Culture

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg is home to the largest collection of art by the Group of Seven.

Attractions

• Paramount Canada's Wonderland, a large amusement park, is located in Vaughan.
• Vaughan Mills, the largest mall in the Greater Toronto Area, was recently constructed in Vaughan.

Education

York University in North York, Ontario lies on the Toronto side of the Toronto-Vaughan border. It is a major comprehensive university, with more than 43,000 students enrolled through ten different faculties. Seneca College has four campuses in Vaughan.

There are also a number of Elementary and High Schools in Vaughan which operate under the York Region District School Board.

External links

• City of Vaughan Official Site
• Vaughan Watchdog Site

• Cities in Ontario
• York Regional Municipality, Ontario