Uxbridge (Ontario)

Uxbridge is a a mostly suburban community of 21,000 people (2016) in northern Durham region of the Greater Toronto Area, in Ontario. It has a museum in the former home of Lucy Maud Montgomery, the famed author of the Anne of Green Gables novels.

Understand
The main centre in the township is the namesake community of Uxbridge. Other communities within the township include Coppins Corners, Goodwood, Leaskdale, Sandford, Siloam, Victoria's Corner, and Zephyr.

Major manufacturing employers include Pine Valley Packaging (packaging, containers and portable shelters), Koch-Glitsch Canada (mass transfer systems) and Hela Canada (spice and ingredient manufacture). Many residents commute to other centres in Durham and York Regions and beyond.

History
It was named for Uxbridge, England, a name which was derived from "Wixan's Bridge".

The first settlers in the area were Quakers who started arriving in 1806 from the Catawissa area of Pennsylvania. The community's oldest building, the Uxbridge Friends Meeting House, was built in 1820 and overlooks the town from Quaker Hill, a kilometre to the west.

The first passenger-carrying narrow-gauge railway in North America, the Toronto and Nipissing Railway arrived in Uxbridge in June 1871, and for over a decade Uxbridge was the headquarters of the railway.

Get in
Uxbridge has no major highways and railways that run through it, though major highways are in neighbouring townships. Highway 407 and 401 run through Pickering, just south of Uxbridge; Highway 48 runs in Stouffville, to the west of Uxbridge.

GO Transit's Stouffville line commuter trains run from Toronto's Union Station to Old Elm (formerly Lincolnville) where buses connect to Uxbridge.

Durham Region Transit has service on Route 905 from Port Perry and Whitby.

Get around
Travel through the town may be done on foot, but the increasingly sprawling nature of the town necessitates car travel. Durham Transit provides intermittent shuttle service between Uxbridge, Port Perry, and north Oshawa. GO buses connect Uxbridge to Stouffville, allowing access to Toronto. Some limited taxi service is available. The traditional 'downtown' is demarcated by an area known as the Four Corners, which delineates the intersection of Hwy. 47 (Toronto Street) with Durham Road 8 (Brock Street).

Buy
Uxbridge is becoming the familiar suburban blend of older, boutique-style stores in the traditional downtown, with larger, big-box type stores located on the periphery.

Near the downtown core, you will find small businesses such as Blue Heron books, Rutledge Jewellers, SugarFX candy and AudioVision electronics.

On Hwy 47, you will find a Zehr's supermarket which also sells electronics, books, housewares and clothing. Next door are a Canadian Tire store, and a medium-sized iteration of WalMart.

Other chain stores you will find in Uxbridge include: M&M Meat Shops, Mark's Work Wearhouse, Coles bookstore, Hallmark gift shop, Home Hardware, Global Pet Foods, PetValu pet foods, Dollarama, Staples/Business Depot.

Eat
Uxbridge generally caters to family style restaurants with a few bistro-style fine dining establishments. There are numerous Pub 'n Grub style restaurants, including: Jersey's, the Fox and Fiddle, and the Hobby Horse Arms.



Sleep

 * See Pickering