Holland Landing
Holland Landing is an unincorporated suburban community within the Town of East Gwillimbury in the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada, located about 50 kilometres north of Toronto at the head of navigation on the Holland River.[1][2] Historically, it functioned as a critical landing and portage site for Indigenous peoples and early European traders navigating from Lake Ontario via Yonge Street to Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay, facilitating fur trade and military logistics.[2][3] During the War of 1812, the British Royal Navy established a supply depot there on the east bank of Soldiers' Bay to support naval operations on the upper Great Lakes.[2] The community, incorporated as a village in 1861, remained small until mid-20th-century development along nearby sideroads, evolving into a residential area integrated into the Greater Toronto commuter belt.[4] Notable residents include Samuel Lount, a local blacksmith and Reform politician executed in 1838 for his role in the Upper Canada Rebellion against oligarchic rule.[5] The surrounding Town of East Gwillimbury, encompassing Holland Landing, recorded a population of 34,637 in the 2021 census, reflecting ongoing growth projected to exceed 127,000 by 2051.[5][6]
Geography and Environment
Location and Boundaries
Holland Landing is an unincorporated village community within the Town of East Gwillimbury, situated in the northern part of the Regional Municipality of York, south-central Ontario, Canada.[7] It lies approximately midway between Newmarket to the south and Bradford to the north, roughly 50 kilometres north of downtown Toronto.[7] The community's central geographic coordinates are 44°05′51″ N, 79°29′19″ W.[8] The boundaries of Holland Landing are informally defined by Queensville Sideroad to the north, 2nd Concession Road to the east, Mount Albert Road to the south, and Bathurst Street to the west, covering an area of approximately 3,300 acres (1,335 hectares).[7] Yonge Street functions as the main north-south thoroughfare bisecting the village, while the East Holland River traverses its central region, shaping local topography with flat plains interspersed by modest elevation changes of 10 to 20 metres.[7] Surrounding the community are agricultural farmlands, conservation areas such as the Rogers Reservoir to the south, and forested tracts including maple-beech and cedar stands.[7]