Bradford, Ontario

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This article is about the town in Ontario. See Bradford (disambiguation) for other entries about other places named Bradford.

Bradford is the primary urban area of the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ontario, in Canada. It overlooks the beautiful and famous Holland Marsh Gardens, located on the Holland River that flows into Lake Simcoe. Within the municipal boundaries are a number of smaller communities, including: Bond Head, Dunkerron, Green Valley, Pinkerton, Fisher's Corners, Newtwon Robinson, Coulson and Deerhurst.

Contents 1 History 2 Demographics 3 Education 4 Transportation

[edit] History

The first sign of Bradford's existence was in 1799 when Samuel Holland crossed the Holland River and established a settlement of log cabins along it. A tavern was constructed that served as quarters for those fighting in the War of 1812. More people would begin to settle in the town when a sawmill was built along the Holland River, after which a mill was constructed at Scanlon Creek, about 2 km north of Bradford. A trunk road was constructed at this time that went all the way to Churchill in present day Innisfil.

Bradford was incorporated as a Town in 1857, with a population of about 1,000 people. Only a few years prior to this, the CNR constructed a railway that reached the town. A train station was constructed which is being renovated in 2006.

In 1923, William Henry Day began the drainage system that turned the wetlands of the Holland Marsh into arable land, which now consists of thousands of acres where fresh vegetables are grown.

One of its famous historical landmarks that still operates to this day is the Village Inn Hotel.

The Downtown Core has survived two fires. The first, in the second half of the 19th century destroyed many businesses and homes leaving the downtown in ashes. However, a new downtown area arose where most buildings were made of brick. Today many of the buildings still exist and make up the downtown core. The second fire was in the 1960s with damage only to the northwest corner of the intersection at Highway 11 and Highway 88.

[edit] Demographics

Official 2005 data lists the population of Bradford West Gwillimbury as 24,500^{[citation needed]}. Unofficial estimate for mid year 2006, is 25,600. Bradford West Gwillimbury is the local census unit. Bradford West Gwillimbury is a multicultural community with backgrounds ranging from Portugal, Italy, Holland, Germany, United Kingdom and Ukraine.

[edit] Education

There are 12 schools in the town, including two secondary schools:

• Bradford District High School (Public)
• Holy Trinity High School (Catholic).

Elementary Schools include:
Fred C. Cook Public School
Bradford Elementary School
WH Day Elementary School
Fieldcrest Elementary School
Sir William Osler Public School
Hon. Earl Rowe Public School
St. Charles Catholic School
St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic School
Marie of the Incarnation Catholic School
Mother Teresa Catholic School

There are no university or college campuses in Bradford.

[edit] Transportation

Bradford's downtown core is situated at the intersection of former King's Highway 11 and 88. Highway 88 intersects with Ontario's Highway 400, a limited-interchange multi-lane thoroughfare that connects to Toronto in the south and "cottage country" in the north.

Public transit in Bradford is very limited. GO Transit has bus routes that connect the town to Barrie and Newmarket, and Bradford also has the northernmost station of GO Transit's commuter train network. The GO Train service had its first inaugural run through Bradford in 1982. At the time, the commuter train went as far north as Barrie. Over the years the service to Barrie has stopped. This has caused Bradford to be a terminus for the commuter trains to Toronto. However, the City of Barrie purchased the rail line north of Bradford with the hope of reintroducing rail service to Barrie.