Living in Palermo Village
Palermo is located in the west part of Oakville. It is separated from the City of Burlington to the west by the Bronte Creek Provincial Park which also forms the southern boundary for this neighbourhood. A green corridor runs through the middle of this neighbourhood which has a hilly terrain. The main arterial street is Colonel William parkway which meanders south from Dundas Street West and terminates at the water reservoir located at the south end of the neighbourhood. The houses in this neighbourhood are mostly detached and have a little more architectural embellishments than the older neighbourhoods to the east. Palermo West is ideal for families looking for a grander new home surrounded by parkland. There are two schools in this neighbourhood with nearby amenities on Dundas Street West.
History of Palermo Village
Palermo can trace its roots as a village back to 1806. The first known settler was Lawrence Hagar and for a long time this village was known as Hagerstown. By all accounts it was a pretty village situated in a bucolic setting with vast hills and dales, a mature forest and streams and creeks just about everywhere you looked. The land was fertile and lush and farming quickly became a way of life for the first settlers. The village was centred around Dundas Street West and Bronte Road. By 1835 it was large enough to have its own post office. This is when a Dr. Cobden, recommended the name of the village be changed to Palermo, having just returned from a visit to Sicily. Palermo would have been a popular choice as it is one of the many Halton place names with connections to the life and times of Lord Horatio Nelson, a British naval hero who is said to have at one time rested in Palermo, Italy, following a battle in the Nile.
While the name of this village may have conjured up dramatic events from across the ocean the actual Palermo village was a quiet place with a schoolhouse, two churches, a blacksmith, and a general store. Palermo’s location along Dundas Street made it a popular overland stop for weary travellers commuting between Hamilton and Toronto. Soon a hotel was added to the village. In 1842 a foundry by the name of J. lawrence & Sons Agricultural Works and Machine Shops opened up in Palermo and became its top employer. This foundry became renowned for its innovative farming equipment. The foundry operated up until 1955 when it was destroyed by fire.
Palermo lost much of its village to development with the widening of roads and encroaching subdivision. Today, the Palermo United Church at 2521 Dundas St W, the Palermo cemetery located on the south side of Dundas Street at Bronte Road and a handful of historic homes on Bronte Road are the only tangible reminders of what had once been a prosperous and thriving village. When the present day subdivision was built in Palermo the new public school was named after the old village providing some continuation between the old and the new Palermo communities.
Homes in Palermo Village
The homes in Palermo are a little more ornate than in other Oakville neighbourhoods. They look more like custom infill homes than subdivision homes. Exteriors are clad in a variety of materials including brick, stone and stucco. Windows are large with lots of Bay and Palladian windows. Many of the houses have elaborate front porticos or a small second floor balcony above the entranceway. Most of the houses are detached but there ares some towns and semis.
Arts in Palermo Village
St. Luke’s Community Centre has a variety of beautiful, multi-purpose rooms that are ideal for meetings, classes, parties, receptions, showers, concerts and performances, children’s and youth activities, and more. St’ Luke’s is conveniently located at 3114 Dundas Street West.