Caledon is the northernmost of three municipalities of Peel Region. The town is northwest of Brampton. According to Statistics Canada the land area is 688 km2 (266 sq mi)[2] and, according to the city the area is 696.04 km2 (268.74 sq mi),[3] which makes Caledon the largest municipality by area in the Greater Toronto Area.
In 1973, Caledon acquired more territory when Chinguacousy dissolved, with most sections north of Mayfield Road (excluding Snelgrove) transferred to the township.
In 1974, Peel County's 10 municipalities became the Region of Peel's 3 municipalities. The Town of Caledon was created from the villages of Bolton and Caledon East, the townships of Albion and Caledon, and the north half of Chinguacousy.
New housing development in the south of the town bordering Brampton
The primary administrative and commercial centre of Caledon is the community of Bolton, which the federal government estimated as having a population of 26,795 in 2021. [10]
Aside from Bolton, other smaller communities in Caledon include the following:
Rural service centres (i.e.:larger hamlets, villages, or new residential developments): Caledon East, Mayfield West
Industrial/commercial centres: Sandhill, Tullamore, Victoria
Other localities: Boston Mills, Castlederg, Cedar Meadows, Cedar Mills, Coulterville, Coventry, Ferndale, Forks of the Credit, The Grange, Humber, Humber Grove, Kilmanagh, Lockton, Macville, McLeodville, Glasgow, Palgrave Estates, Rockside, Rosehill, Silver Creek, Sleswick, Sligo, Star, Stonehart, Taylorwoods, Tormore, Valleywood
The municipality is otherwise sparsely populated, mostly with farms.
In the 2021 Canadian census, conducted by Statistics Canada, Caledon had a population of 76,581 living in 23,699 of its 24,795 total private dwellings, a change of 15.2% from its 2016 population of 66,502. With a land area of 688.82 km2 (265.95 sq mi), it had a population density of 111.2/km2 (287.9/sq mi) in 2021.[2]
In 2021, the median age was 40.8 years old, slightly lower than the provincial median of 41.6 years old.[11] Caledon's population is made of 49.8% women and 50.2% men.[12] There were 24,795 private dwellings. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, the median value of a dwelling in Caledon is $474,087, significantly higher than the national average of $280,552. The median household income (after-taxes) in Caledon is $83,454, much higher than the national average of $54,089. The average individual's income was $53,870.[13]
Ethnicity
According to the 2021 Census, the largest five ethnic origins of the residents of Caledon are Italian (17,630; 23.2%), English (10,320; 13.6%), Indian (9,120; 12.0%), Scottish (8,270; 10.9%), and Canadian (8,095; 10.6%).[11]
66.3% of Caledon residents were white/European, 32.8% were visible minorities, and 0.8% were Indigenous. The largest visible minority groups were South Asian (21.4%), Black (3.6%), Latin American (1.7%), Chinese (1.0%) and Filipino (1.0%)
Panethnic groups in the Town of Caledon (2001−2021)
As of 2021,[11] 58.5% of Caledon's population was Christian, down from 77.5% in 2011.[19] 38.2% of residents were Catholic, 10.5% were Protestant, 6.0% were Christian without precision, 1.8% were Christian Orthodox, and 2.0% belonged to other Christian denominations or Christian-related traditions; 19.3% of the population was non-religious or secular, up from 18.6% in 2011. All other religions and spiritual traditions accounted for 22.2% of the population, up from 3.9% in 2011. They included Sikhism (14.3%), Hinduism (4.7%), Islam (2.1%), Buddhism (0.5%), and Judaism (0.4%).
Government
The town is run by a mayor, six town councillors and two regional councillors. The mayor and the two regional councillors represent Caledon at the Region of Peel:
Per capita, Caledon has by far the largest representation on Peel Regional Council of the three municipalities, however Caledon's land mass exceeds that of Mississauga and Brampton combined.
Caledon Fire & Emergency Services provides firefighting (using both career and volunteer firefighters), and medical emergency services. It has nine stations.
Despite being part of Peel Region, Caledon has its policing conducted from Ontario Provincial Police Caledon Detachment, rather than Peel Regional Police. The OPP also patrols the provincial highways in Caledon.
Though never a provincial highway, Airport Road (Peel Poad 7), is a major north-south route to and from the Georgian Triangle for travellers from southern Peel.
Due to its largely rural nature, Caledon does not have its own transit system; however, Brampton Transit provides a rush hour-only bus line, 41 Bolton in Bolton and travels south down Highway 50 in to Queen Street/Highway 7 (at the border of Brampton and Vaughan) to make connections with other Brampton Transit routes and York Region Transit (YRT). Brampton Transit also operates three other routes short distances into suburban areas bordering Brampton within the town: Route 81 Mayfield West serves Kennedy Road in Mayfield West, and Routes 18 Dixie and 30 Airport Road provide limited service into industrial areas.[21][22]
There were two earlier privately-operated transit services running solely within Bolton with no connections to other services: In 1999 a company named Caledon Transit Incorporated ran a trial bus service in the community.[23] In 2006, the growing population of Bolton prompted local resident Darren Parberry to start a second bus service with two routes using leased school buses, called Métis Transit. One route ran briefly in 2006.[24] Both services ceased operations due to low ridership. Between 2019 and 2024, there was a third service, operated by a private contractor, Voyago, which provided minibus service in Bolton and traveled south down Highway 50 to Queen Street/Highway 7 to connect with Brampton Transit and YRT until it was replaced by the current Brampton Transit Route 41 on May 1, 2024. Adult cash fares were $4.00 and there were no free transfers with these systems.[25][26][27]
Established in 1888 as the Cardwell Observer,[31]The Caledon Enterprise is published weekly from Bolton by Metroland Media.[32] Also based out of Bolton is The Caledon Citizen, established in 1982. A MELINIUM paper, it is published by Caledon Publishing Ltd.[33] A third newspaper, launched by Rick and Shelly Sargent in 2010, The Regional, was published monthly in Bolton. In November 2012, the paper was acquired by Caledon Publishing and ceased publication. The Sargents began working with the Caledon Citizen.
In January 2015 an online publication specific to Caledon, JustSayinCaledon.com, was started by former Bolton Ward 5 Regional Councillor Patti Foley. It publishes stories about local residents and businesses, Caledon event listings, town council highlights, opinion pieces, and a food section about local markets and restaurants.
A short-lived student-run newspaper, The Caledon Underground, was published in 2010.
The creepypasta1999 depicts a fictional television station based in Caledon, called Caledon Local 21, which was on the air from 1997 to 1999 in the broadcast area of stations in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton.[34]
Minor hockey teams include the Caledon Hawks and the Caledon Coyotes.
Lacrosse in Caledon is represented by the Caledon Vaughan Minor Lacrosse Association, which operates Minor Field and both minor and junior C box teams.
Mike Fox, the winner of the 2007 Queen's Plate, was foaled in Caledon, and Peaks and Valleys currently stands there.
^Heyes, Esther (1968). The Story of Albion(PDF) (2 ed.). Bolton ON: Bolton Enterprise. p. 323. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2012-05-28. Retrieved 25 June 2012.