Innisfil, Ontario
| Innisfil | |
|---|---|
| Town (lower-tier) | |
| Town of Innisfil | |
Town hall
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| Motto: Where Opportunity Meets Prosperity | |
 Innisfil
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| Coordinates: 44°18′N 79°35′W / 44.300°N 79.583°WCoordinates: 44°18′N 79°35′W / 44.300°N 79.583°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
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| Province |
 Ontario
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| County | Simcoe |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Gord Wauchope |
| • Member of Parliament | John Brassard |
| • Member of Provincial Parliament | Julia Munro |
| Area | |
| • Total | 284.21 km2 (109.73 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 32,727 |
| • Density | 115.2/km2 (298/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Website | www.innisfil.ca |
Innisfil is a town in Ontario, Canada, located on the western shore of Lake Simcoe in Simcoe County, immediately south of Barrie and 80 kilometres north of Toronto. It has historically been a rural area, but growth in the Barrie area and the Greater Toronto Area has meant greater residential development in Innisfil.
The name Innisfil comes from the Irish Inis Fáil, an ancient mythological name for Ireland.
The history of Innisfil spans a period in excess of 170 years. The Town was hewn from almost unbroken virgin forests which had been home to the Huron Indians, and was first surveyed in 1820. The area encompassed 68,653 acres (278 km²), including the villages of Allandale, Tollendal, Painswick, Minets Point, and Holly at the time.
The first settlers were the Hewson & Soules families who came by way of the East Holland River and Lake Simcoe to settle at Point Endeavour that they then renamed Hewson's Point (later named Big Bay Point). The Hewsons settled on March 30, 1820 and the Soules in 1822. The Warnica family settled the following year, in 1823, in the area now known as Painswick. The first sawmill in the Township was built at Tollendal by George McMullen in 1829. At this time James Soules owned a sawmill on the south half of lot 26 concession fourteen (Big Bay Point), Innisfil where he made the lumber for the construction of the first frame house in Innisfil for Lewis J. Clement.
John and George Warnica completed the clearing of the bush between Barrie and Churchill. John Cayton had won the contract to open the road between Churchill and the 11th line of West Gwillimbury but only made it one mile north to the 12th, known as Cayton's Corners. Owing to his slight acquaintance with the forest, he sub-let the work to John and George Warnica who completed Cayton's contract between the 4th line of Innisfil (Churchill) and the 12th line of West Gwillimbury, north of Bradford. This opened the land route, known as Penetanguishene Road, which later became Highway 11 and is now Yonge Street. This route between York (now Toronto) and Barrie was completed in the fall of 1825.
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Wikipedia