Mount Albert, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Mount Albert is an exurban community located within the Town of East Gwillimbury
and is part of northern York Region. It is located about 65 km N of Toronto
, about 15 km NE of Newmarket
, about 15 km S of Sutton
, W SW of Beaverton
and N of Markham
. Mount Albert is accessible by the nearest superhighway (Highway 404) which currently terminates 11 km away at Green Lane just north of Newmarket. There are plans, however, to extend the 404 to Ravenshoe Road, roughly 10 km from Mount Albert, within the next 10 years.
The population is currently about 2,700. Housing developments are slowly continuing in the north east and south west quadrants. The downtown area is centred at Centre Street and Main Street. The town itself is bordered on the west by Highway 48
, which connects Markham and Beaverton and on the east by Durham Regional road 31, which serves as a regional border between York Region and Durham Region. The Mount Albert Creek passes through Mount Albert. The outlying area is forested mainly by private woodlots and some regionally owned and maintained pine
forests while farmlands are found throughout the area. Major industries include aggregate
production (near Holt) and farming (livestock, feed, and potatoes).
, the governing council of Upper Canada
. In 1821, Samuel and Rufus Birchard, Quakers from Vermont
, bought parcels of land, and by 1850, a village had developed. Originally the settlement was called Birchardville. The name was later changed to Mount Albert, named after then Prince Albert, Prince of Wales
(later Edward VII
) son of Queen Victoria
and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, in honour of his visit to Upper Canada
in 1860. Industries were primarily agricultural, with grist, flour, woollen and lumber mills located along the Mount Albert Creek. The first known store was built in 1850 to supply dry goods to the villagers and surrounding farmers. The main north-south road in the village, Centre Street, was built along the path of an Algonquin Indian trail.
Housing developments slowly expanded the original village in the mid-to-late 20th century. First during the 1970s in the south and east quadrants. Housing development returned in the late 1990s expanding to lands north west of the heart of Mount Albert. This subdivision was first created in 1995, with the third phase still under construction in the north east. A new development began in the south west in 2009.
Children were originally schooled in two local Grammar Schools, one to the north, and one south of the village.
A Public School opened in 1890, and served the surrounding community until 1968.
A continuation school was constructed in 1926 and taught public school graduates until 1948 when students were bussed to Newmarket High School
.
Mount Albert is now serviced by just one school, Mount Albert Public School, which opened in 1967 and currently has over 700 students, junior kindergarten to grade 8.
East Gwillimbury, Ontario
East Gwillimbury is a town on the East Holland River in the Regional Municipality of York. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area of south-central Ontario, in Canada. It was formed by the amalgamation of the Township of East Gwillimbury with all the previously incorporated villages and hamlets...
and is part of northern York Region. It is located about 65 km N of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, about 15 km NE of Newmarket
Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...
, about 15 km S of Sutton
Sutton, Ontario
Sutton is a suburban community located nearly 2 km south of Lake Simcoe in Ontario, Canada. The community was formerly a village but is now part of the Town of Georgina after amalgamation with it and North Gwillimbury in 1971.-Geography and information:...
, W SW of Beaverton
Beaverton, Ontario
Beaverton is a community in Brock Township in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, Canada.Originally part of Thorah Township in Ontario County, Beaverton was first settled in 1822. The settlement is located on Lake Simcoe at the mouth of the Beaver River...
and N of Markham
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
. Mount Albert is accessible by the nearest superhighway (Highway 404) which currently terminates 11 km away at Green Lane just north of Newmarket. There are plans, however, to extend the 404 to Ravenshoe Road, roughly 10 km from Mount Albert, within the next 10 years.
The population is currently about 2,700. Housing developments are slowly continuing in the north east and south west quadrants. The downtown area is centred at Centre Street and Main Street. The town itself is bordered on the west by Highway 48
Highway 48 (Ontario)
King's Highway 48, also known as Highway 48, is a provincially-maintained highway in southern Ontario that extends from Major Mackenzie Drive in Markham, through Whitchurch-Stouffville, to Highway 12 south-east of Beaverton, Ontario. Prior to 1998, Highway 48 extended from Highway 401 in Toronto to...
, which connects Markham and Beaverton and on the east by Durham Regional road 31, which serves as a regional border between York Region and Durham Region. The Mount Albert Creek passes through Mount Albert. The outlying area is forested mainly by private woodlots and some regionally owned and maintained pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
forests while farmlands are found throughout the area. Major industries include aggregate
Aggregate (composite)
Aggregate is the component of a composite material that resists compressive stress and provides bulk to the composite material. For efficient filling, aggregate should be much smaller than the finished item, but have a wide variety of sizes...
production (near Holt) and farming (livestock, feed, and potatoes).
Nearest communities
- SharonSharon, OntarioSharon is a former village which has been incorporated into the municipality of the Town of East Gwillimbury, Ontario, Canada, formerly the Township of East Gwillimbury...
, west - Holt, Ontario, west
- SuttonSutton, OntarioSutton is a suburban community located nearly 2 km south of Lake Simcoe in Ontario, Canada. The community was formerly a village but is now part of the Town of Georgina after amalgamation with it and North Gwillimbury in 1971.-Geography and information:...
, north - Zephyr, north-east
- Musselman LakeMusselman Lake, OntarioMusselman Lake is a community settled adjacent to a kettle lake of the same name in the town of Whitchurch–Stouffville, Ontario, Canada. It is located about 6 km north-northwest of urban Stouffville, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area....
, south - NewmarketNewmarket, OntarioNewmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...
, south-west - UxbridgeUxbridge, OntarioUxbridge is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Durham, in the Greater Toronto Area.The main centre in the township is the namesake community of Uxbridge...
, south-east
History
The establishment of what is now Mount Albert began in the early 19th century, when land in the area was granted by the Crown to friends of the Family CompactFamily Compact
Fully developed after the War of 1812, the Compact lasted until Upper and Lower Canada were united in 1841. In Lower Canada, its equivalent was the Château Clique. The influence of the Family Compact on the government administration at different levels lasted to the 1880s...
, the governing council of Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
. In 1821, Samuel and Rufus Birchard, Quakers from Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, bought parcels of land, and by 1850, a village had developed. Originally the settlement was called Birchardville. The name was later changed to Mount Albert, named after then Prince Albert, Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
(later Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
) son of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, in honour of his visit to Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
in 1860. Industries were primarily agricultural, with grist, flour, woollen and lumber mills located along the Mount Albert Creek. The first known store was built in 1850 to supply dry goods to the villagers and surrounding farmers. The main north-south road in the village, Centre Street, was built along the path of an Algonquin Indian trail.
Housing developments slowly expanded the original village in the mid-to-late 20th century. First during the 1970s in the south and east quadrants. Housing development returned in the late 1990s expanding to lands north west of the heart of Mount Albert. This subdivision was first created in 1995, with the third phase still under construction in the north east. A new development began in the south west in 2009.
Children were originally schooled in two local Grammar Schools, one to the north, and one south of the village.
A Public School opened in 1890, and served the surrounding community until 1968.
A continuation school was constructed in 1926 and taught public school graduates until 1948 when students were bussed to Newmarket High School
Newmarket High School
Newmarket High School is an Ontario secondary school located at 505 Pickering Crescent, off Mulock Drive in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. It is one of four high schools in Newmarket under the jurisdiction of the York Region District School Board and currently educates approximately 1214 students from...
.
Mount Albert is now serviced by just one school, Mount Albert Public School, which opened in 1967 and currently has over 700 students, junior kindergarten to grade 8.