Woodbridge, Ontario, a large suburban community in Vaughan, Canada, is a place where history and modernity coexist. Located along the city's border with Toronto, Woodbridge occupies the entire southwest quadrant of Vaughan. It stretches west of Highway 400, east of Highway 50, north of Steeles Avenue, and generally south of Major Mackenzie Drive.
Woodbridge's history dates back to 1802 when the British Crown granted the west half of lots six and seven, concession 7 of Vaughan Township to Jacob Philips and Hugh Cameron. The community had its beginnings in what is today Pine Grove. During the early half of the 19th century, a school was built on Vaughan's eighth concession, and a flour mill and store flourished.
The settlement was later named Burwick after its founder, Rowland Burr, but was changed again to Woodbridge in 1855. The name comes from the wooden bridge that crossed the Humber River as an entry point into town. The historic bridge was located close to what is today Islington Avenue and Langstaff Road, on Langstaff looking north.
A major industry over time, Abell Agricultural Works opened in 1862 and had 200 employees by 1874, making steam-powered agricultural equipment. The Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway arrived from Weston in 1870. This line was constructed as a narrow gauge railway through Caledon and completed to Owen Sound in 1873.
By 1882, Woodbridge had over a thousand residents and was incorporated as a village. Woodbridge was also served by a branch of the Toronto Suburban Railway until the 1930s.
Situated in the 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.
The area was mainly farmland before the onset of suburbanization 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 Steeles Avenue and to the east near Pine Valley Drive.
Woodbridge has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification 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.
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 (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%).
Woodbridge is home to two natural preserves along the Humber River: Boyd Conservation Area and Kortright Centre for Conservation. Other green spaces include Doctors McLean District Park, Rainbow Creek Park, Woodbridge Fairgrounds, and Fundale Park.
Sites of interest in Woodbridge include Market Lane, Memorial Hill with a tower, Pierre Berton Library, Boyd Conservation Area, and Kortright Centre.
The song "The Woodbridge Dog Disaster" by Canadian folk singer Stan Rogers, detailing a fictional occurrence in the community, was recorded in the 1970s.
