Living in Bayview Wellington
The Bayview Wellington neighbourhood is the home of the Aurora Town Hall municipal offices, Aurora Seniors Centre, Aurora Family Leisure Complex, and the Aurora Arboretum. This is a wonderful neighbourhood for families of all ages with a nice mix of housing from detached homes and townhomes to condominium apartments. There is an abundance of recreational facilities. Shopping and restaurants are plentiful both on Bayview Avenue and Wellington St. East. This neighbourhood also offers great convenience for commuters. There is a Go Transit station conveniently located at 121 Wellington St. East that offers both bus and train service. Highway 404 east of Leslie Street connects motorists to the 400 series highways providing access to the Greater Toronto Area.
History of Bayview Wellington
Bayview Wellington was mostly rural farmland up until the 1970s. Livestock, dairy and crop farms all operated here at one time. There was also a brewery and a mill that operated on the East Branch of the Holland River which runs through the neighbourhood. This part of Aurora was originally part of the Township of Whitchurch but was ceded to the Town of Aurora when the Regional Municipality of York was formed in 1971.
The present day neighbourhood began to emerge in 1989 with the opening of the Lester B. Pearson Public School. This elementary school is named in honour of Canada’s 16th Prime Minister, and 1957 Nobel Peace Prize winner. Pearson resided in Aurora as a child. When the school had its official opening in 1989 Mr. Pearson’s son, Geoffrey was in attendance. In 1991 the Bayview Wellington neighbourhood grew in prominence when Aurora Town Hall opened at 100 John West Way, in the heart of the neighbourhood.
Recreation in Bayview Wellington
Tim Jones Trail is Aurora’s longest trail corridor stretching from the Aurora Town limits just east of Yonge Street, to Sheppards Bush south of Wellington, and just west of Bayview Avenue. The terrain on this trail includes forest, meadows and wetland habitats. This trail corridor links municipal facilities including the Aurora Family Leisure Complex, the Aurora Town Hall and the Aurora Senior’s Centre as well as passing through the Aurora Community Arboretum, Lambert Willson Park, and Sheppards Bush.