Vaughan

Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto with a population of 288,301 people. Vaughan is one of southern Ontario’s fastest growing cities. According to Statistics Canada, the population grew 37.3% in a mere four-year period and also has a younger age profile than the Canadian average as 22.3% is under the age of 14, while those over 65 constitute 8.15%, one of the lowest in Ontario resulting in an average age of 34.1.

Vaughan is reputably known as having some of the highest concentrations of southern Europeans (notably Italians), Eastern Europeans (chiefly Russians and Poles) and Jewish people in Ontario, while those who are of British and/or Irish origin form a smaller proportion than in many other southern Ontario cities.

The City of Vaughan is ranked as one of the top fastest growing Canadian cities and best places to business and live, according to Canada’s business and research publications:

  • No.10 – Vaughan – Infrastructure for Small Cities – fDi Magazine, American Cities of the Future 2011/2012
  • No.2 – Vaughan – Fastest population growth among cities over 100,000, Statistics Canada, 2011
  • No.10 – Vaughan – Top Ontario investment towns, Real Estate Investment Network, 2011
  • No.12 – Vaughan – Best city to do business in Canada, Canadian Business Magazine, 2011
  • No.10 (out of 180 cities and towns) – Vaughan – Household Income Rank, Moneysense – Canada’s Best Places to Live, 2011
  • A-Grade, No.2 – Vaughan – Benchmarking the Attractiveness of 50 Canadian Cities, Conference Board of Canada, 2010

York University in North York, Ontario lies on the Toronto side of the Toronto-Vaughan border. It is a major comprehensive university, with more than 43,000 students enrolled through ten different faculties.

There are also a number of Elementary and High Schools in Vaughan which operate under the York Region District School Board and the York Catholic District School Board and there are also some private schools.

Vaughan is home to the Ontario Soccer Association. The OSA is the largest sports organization in Canada, with over 500,000 registered players. It is also home to the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum.

Other major attractions:

  • Boyd Conservation Area, park located between Woodbridge and Kleinburg
  • Canada’s Wonderland, Canada’s largest amusement park, located in Maple
  • Kortright Centre for Conservation, located in Woodbridge
  • McMichael Canadian Art Collection, located in Kleinburg
  • Vaughan Mills, a large shopping mall
  • J.E.H. MacDonald House