AREA HISTORY: WOODBRIDGE Woodbridge is a large suburban community in the City of Vaughan, just north of the City of Toronto. Located west of Highway 400 and east of Highway 50, north of Steeles Avenue, and south of Major MacKenzie Drive, Woodbridge’s initial settlement began in in 1837 with the Town being incorporated in 1888. The name was taken from the wooden bridge that crossed the Humber River as an entry point into the Town, located close to what is today Islington Avenue and Langstaff Road. Woodbridge remained largely farmland with limited construction beginning in the 1920’s during the construction of Highway 7. Much of Woodbrdige’s initial development centered around its traditional downtown core along Woodbridge Avenue between Kipling and Islington Avenue where many historic buildings remain today. The increase in immigration experienced by Canada as a whole in the post-World War II era also helps to account for Woodbridge's growth. Between 1951 and 1956 a total of ten sub-divisions were constructed in the area and this trend of rapid growth was to continue. As development increased, Woodbridge was amalgamated with nearby communities to form the City of Vaughan in 1971. The onset of suburbanization in the 1970s combined with improvements in transportation intensified Woodbridge’s expansion which continued largely through to the mid-1990s with the expansion of Martin Grove Road northward, and housing developments reaching to Rutherford Road by 1996. In addition to residential development, Woodbridge has a strong commercial and retail core. Restaurants, cafes, and a wide variety of stores and specialty shops are located in pockets throughout the community and Market Lane, located on Woodbridge Avenue, provides a unique pedestrian focused shopping experience. Today Woodbridge is a safe, affluent and diverse community with a strong business sector, located in close proximity to major highways and transportation links.