Oak Ridges is an unincorporated community of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, and has been part of the city since 1971. It forms the northern portion of the municipality's boundary, where it borders Aurora. Located about 20 km north of the northern border of Toronto and about 35 km from Downtown Toronto, it has a population of 18,520 (2016). The community developed around Lake Wilcox, the largest lake in the area, and has continued to expand slowly since its annexation by the Town (now City) of Richmond Hill. In the 1990s, Oak Ridges experienced moderate growth, which spurred environmental action by numerous organizations. Population has grown significantly as a result of development initiatives along Bayview Avenue. The Oak Ridges Community Center was built and completed in June 2012 to accommodate community demand.
It is located north of the main urban area of Richmond Hill (which begins just south of Lake Wilcox), east of King City, immediately south of Aurora, and west of Whitchurch-Stouffville.
Oak Ridges can sometimes be considered separate from Richmond Hill, given the differences in current and future development patterns and plans and a large natural area forming a physical separation between Oak Ridges and urban Richmond Hill.
Geography
Wholly situated on the Oak Ridges Moraine, much of its terrain is hilly, with pine forests and small creeks still prospering in the east and southwest. The hilly terrain elevates Oak Ridges above surrounding areas, with most of the area sitting above 300 metres or 1000 feet above sea level. A number of small kettle lakes are located in Oak Ridges; the largest of these is Lake Wilcox, with the smaller Bond Lake, Philips Lake, Swan Lake and Lake St. George located nearby. Lake Wilcox has a small beach area, and is used for recreational purposes and camp activities in the summer. The lakes are the origin tributaries for the East Humber River.
Until the 1990s, farmlands used to dominate the northern part of Oak Ridges, except in the east. The western edge of Oak Ridges is now entirely residential or commercial; the McLeod's Landing development in the southwest consumed the last undeveloped land in the western part of Oak Ridges. This development was part of a contentious political battle that ultimately became an issue in the 2003 Ontario provincial election. In their campaign, the Liberal party promised to halt development on the Oak Ridges Moraine, specifically in Richmond Hill (see; Politics of the Oak Ridges Moraine for a more extensive discussion and; Development in Oak Ridges for ongoing development in Oak Ridges).
The natural areas around Bond Lake, known as the Oak Ridges Corridor, is the last contiguous conservation connection along Yonge Street, connecting the eastern and western portions of the Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine. The Oak Ridges Corridor features an extensive trail system around Bond Lake and the eastern side of Lake Wilcox, with some of the best hiking and mountain biking terrain in Southern Ontario. Before earning protected land status in the 1990s and 2000s the area to the east of Lake Wilcox was a popular ATV and dirt-bike location for local residents.
History
Oak Ridges was established along Yonge Street in 1799 by Joseph Geneviève and a group of French Royalists, who were granted land to settle by the British government. They were also provided with rations and agricultural implements. It was originally named Windham in honour of Geneviève's friend William Windham, Secretary at War for Britain at the time. Geneviève soon departed to search for another site to settle, and by 1840 the settlement and the area from the King-Vaughan town line to the 15th sideroad became known as Oak Ridges. This included lots 61 to 70, the western half of which were in King, and the eastern half in the township of Whitchurch.
From 1896 until 1927, the Schomberg and Aurora Railway operated a rail service from Schomberg to Oak Ridges. The Oak Ridges station was located north of Bond Crescent on the west side of Yonge Street, and resulted in the community being split into Oak Ridges north of the station and Schomberg Junction south of the station. The latter name was discontinued sometime after the railway ceased operations. Remnants of the old Bond Lake Station can be seen around the lake. The former Bond Lake Park and Bond Lake Hotel also once stood along the shores of the lake.