Aldershot Community Profile from The Best Realtor in Toronto & The GTA.*
Overview
Nestled into the western corner of Lake Ontario and overlooking beautiful Burlington Bay, Aldershot is a Burlington neighbourhood on the western extremity of the Greater Toronto Area just across the bay from Hamilton.
This vibrant community is often described as a commercial corridor between the GTA and Hamilton/Niagara, but it has much more to offer residents. Attractions like the botanical gardens and nearby conservation areas and greenspaces provide a great balance between city living and natural splendor in this mid-size Ontario community.
Commuters love Aldershot’s top notch accessibility via Highway 403, which provides easy access to Hamilton and the Niagara Region to the south and Toronto & the GTA to the north east. Aldershot is also accessible by VIA Rail and the GTA’s inter-city GO Train network. These transportation amenities allow residents to enjoy a more relaxed local lifestyle without sacrificing access to everything on offer in Canada’s largest metropolitan area.
Read on to learn more about what life is like in Aldershot, how it came to be the community it is today, and how to navigate the real estate market if you’re thinking of buying or selling real estate in the area.
History of Aldershot, Ontario
Before the amalgamation of the Greater Toronto Area and the supremacy of Toronto as a cultural and commercial centre, Aldershot was known as East Flamborough. It was named by William Applegarth, the area’s second recorded Western settler who emigrated from Durham, England in the 1790’s.
Other settlers like David Fonger, the Chisholms, George Gallagher, Aaron Emery, and Charles King helped develop and cultivate the community by building wharves along the southern shoreline of modern day Aldershot. In addition to maritime infrastructure, these early settlers formed market gardens and farms north of the settlement which contributed important economic strength to the region. Continued development brought more settlement and East Flamborough grew into a community known as Aldershot Corners.
Economic Development in Aldershot
While nearby Hamilton was investing in heavy maritime infrastructure in the form of seaports and harbours, Aldershot’s wharves allowed for a fast flow of goods and people. This economically efficient transportation hub encouraged the flow of activity in Aldershot and contributed to its success as a settlement.
Businesses saw Aldershot’s potential and took advantage of its transportational capacity. Colonel Brown, and agent for the North Western Fur Trades Company out of New York was one such savvy business person. He constructed one of the more well-known wharves in the 1840’s, using it to ship lumber and stone from the quarries of nearby Waterdown. Economic factors like the wharves allowed goods and passengers to reach not only the Great Lakes but also far off destinations in the Maritimes.
It was this reputation as an exporter of natural products that helped give Burlington a reputation as, “The Garden of Canada.” Fittingly, the final shipment from Brown’s Wharf was up to 20,000 barrels of apples just before it closed at the turn of the 20th century.
From Garden Markets to Farmer’s Markets
Today, Canadians can enjoy purchasing fresh produce and products from farmer’s markets as an alternative to chain stores and supermarkets. 100 years ago, the farmer’s markets were the contemporary version of a grocery store and were referred to as “Garden Markets.”
Those garden markets helped make Aldershot and Burlington economically sustainable, with farmers taking advantage of the rich regional farmland and selling the fruits of their labours to locals in town.
Settlers like the Gallaghers were keen entrepreneurs famous for their produce, even developing scientific techniques for better yields and more sustainable farming. We can still see traces of the region’s robust agricultural heritage in the farmer’s markets, orchards, and farms in the area today.
Modern Day Aldershot
Another family who left their mark on Aldershot were known as the Filmans. Their contribution to local culture was the “Birdland” neighbourhood, a collection of Aldershot streets named after various birds for which the family had some affection.
By 1958, Aldershot was amalgamated with the City of Burlington. The municipality invested heavily in improving critical services and amenities like street lighting and irrigation. While Aldershot now blends seamlessly with Burlington, remnants of its past are still prominent in some of the homes along Plains Road and others.
Far from being the critical transportation and agricultural hub it once was, Aldershot today serves as a charming community with world-class livability where many residents choose to live even if they commute out of town for work.
Aldershot, Ontario Real Estate
Much of Aldershot’s available real estate falls into the single-family detached or semi-detached category. The remaining original homes in Aldershot date back from the middle of the last century and are mostly modest homes associated with working class people of the time.
These include bungalows, cottages, and ranches which contribute to the neighbourhood’s unique charm. Around the 2000’s many new homes were built in the suburban style, with higher-density homes clustered on quiet crescent streets on smaller lots.
You can browse current real estate listings in Aldershot using our handy MLS Search Tool, or feel free to reach out to one of our experienced real estate agents if you’re thinking of buying real estate in the area.
Our team will be happy to help you find the ideal home for sale in Aldershot, Ontario.
What is There to Do in Aldershot, Ontario?
If you love nature, wildlife, and the great outdoors then Aldershot might be the place for you. Whether it’s enjoying a local farmer’s market on the weekend or exploring Royal Botanical Gardens, residents who appreciate the convenience and community of living in a tight-knit community will feel right at home in Aldershot.
The Royal Botanical Gardens is Canada’s largest botanical garden, and spans over 2,450 acres that include manicured gardens, marshland, forests, and trails. It even features multiple watercraft launch sites and spectacular views of Burlington Bay from the shore and the water.
More culturally-minded residents enjoy walking the downtown shopping strip and perhaps stopping by the Art Gallery of Burlington to participate in some of the arts events on offer there. This atelier features artists guilds, exhibition spaces, plus school programs, lectures, and more.
Burlington also includes a performing arts centre with world-class acoustics and the performs to take advantage of it.
Ready to Come to Aldershot?
If you’re ready to learn more about Aldershot, get in touch with one of our seasoned representatives. We can help ease the transition between your current home and buying a new home in Aldershot, ensuring that you sell your current home at the highest possible price.
Send us a message to get started, or call (416) 917-5466 to speak with someone about your real estate goals today.