Vaughan

Named for Benjamin Vaughan, a key negotiator in the treaty of Paris which ended the American Revolutionary War, Vaughan was founded in 1792 as a township for British Loyalist seeking refuge from persecution south of the border. The first settlers however were mainly Pennsylvania Germans and French Royalists. British immagrants found their way to the area shortly after, and over the next century communities such as Kleinburg, Maple, Purpleville, and Woodbridge were established within the township’s limits.

The modern City of Vaughan was created in 1971 when the surrounding County of York reformed as a “Regional Municipality” with every community therein being streamlined into just a few large districts. The city has become a suburban enclave bordering the northwest edge of Toronto and is known as a haven for many peoples - particularly of Italian, Jewish, and Eastern European descent.