Pefferlaw, Ontario

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Entrance sign on Pefferlaw Road, north of the community
Entrance sign on Pefferlaw Road, north of the community

Pefferlaw is a community within the Town of Georgina, located 3 kilometres south of the southeastern shores of Lake Simcoe and in the eastern end of the town. A river, known officially as the Pefferlaw River, runs just south of the community's commercial district. Pefferlaw is passed on the north by Highway 48 and Lake Ridge Road (Durham Road 23) to the east, and is serviced by Pefferlaw Road which links these two traffic arteries. Area code 905 is bounded to the west and to the south, but Pefferlaw remains in the 705 area code. The Canadian National railway passes through Pefferlaw and, until the early 1990s, served a train station in the community's commercial district. This railway links Toronto with Orillia, as well as Northern Ontario with VIA Rail transcontinental trains heading to Vancouver.

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[edit] Geography and Information

Pefferlaw Park, located in the community's south endThe Pefferlaw Lions Community Centre is in the background.
Pefferlaw Park, located in the community's south end
The Pefferlaw Lions Community Centre is in the background.

Census information is not available for Pefferlaw. It is counted as part of the Georgina Census division.

  • Population: about 3,000 (2005 estimate)
  • Altitude: about 200 to 250 metres above sea level
    • Latitude: about 44.35 (44°21') North
    • Longitude: about 79.1 (79°6') West
  • Area code: +(00)1-705
  • Postal code: L0E 1N0

The town is largely centered around the Pefferlaw Dam, blocking the Pefferlaw River. The dam is operated by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority. Pefferlaw's commercial district lies just north of the dam, and features a supermarket, hotel, youth centre, automobile service station, Canada Post office, medical centre with pharmacy, Liquor Control Board of Ontario retail store, and a branch of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The town features several public facilities operated by the Town of Georgina, including a public library completed in 1989, community centre, fire station, and a large multi-use park. The York Region District School Board operates Morning Glory Public School, an elementary school 5 minutes north of town on Highway 48.

The Pefferlaw Dam, located just south of downtown
The Pefferlaw Dam, located just south of downtown

Pefferlaw is primarily situated in a forest setting. Farmlands are to the west, the northwest and the north. More farmlands are east of Lake Ridge Road and Pefferlaw. The forests are almost connected with the forests south of Sutton. The forests cover most of the area around Pefferlaw and to the south with a few farmlands as well as within the shoreline of Lake Simcoe. The forests are mainly composed of pine and other varieties of trees and the size is about 600 to 700 square kilometres and about 60% of the area around Pefferlaw.

[edit] Community Groups

[edit] Approximate Driving Times to Nearby Communities

[edit] Relative Location

Pefferlaw is located about 13 kilometres southwest of Beaverton, about 15 kilometres east of Sutton, and about 45 kilometres south of Orillia. It is 37 kilometres west of Lindsay, 23 kilometres north of Uxbridge, about 50 kilometres north of Whitby, about 90 kilometres northeast of Toronto, and 40 kilometres northeast of the nearest major commercial centre and seat of York Region, Newmarket.

[edit] History

Captain William Johnson, a retired naval officer from Scotland settled in Pefferlaw in 1819. Johnson chose the name Pefferlaw after a field on the old Homestead - it means "a beautiful hills". Retirement soon turned to industry, as Captain Johnson built a sawmill, woollen mill and gristmill in the recently settled area.

With the help of his brother Robert, Captain Johnson built the first Pefferlaw store in 1833. Although many of the original buildings have since been replaced, indications of Pefferlaw's historic past are clearly evident today.

[edit] External links