In my hometown of Brampton, suburban development has continued to erode the old country landscape that even up to about 20 years ago, made up most of the city’s land mass. The ever-creeping urban frontier of the GTA has finally hit a road with an ironic name, Countryside Drive.
Countryside Drive used to be known as part of 15th Sideroad, Chinguacousy Township, and 15th Sideroad, Toronto Gore Township. Chinguacousy Township, now a historical name that remains in some local landmarks, was eliminated in 1974 with the municipal restructuring that turned the County of Peel into the Peel Regional Municipality. Chinguacousy was split between Brampton and the new Town of Caledon, and Toronto Gore was joined with the Town of Brampton to create the City of Brampton.
Brampton, like most other towns and cities in Ontario that resulted in amalgamations of townships and villages, named all the remaining numbered lines and concessions in the 1980s. Second Line West of Hurontario Street became Chinguacousy Road. The name given to Countryside Drive at the time was probably appropriate – the nearest subdivisions were at least four kilometres away, and the road was a two-lane, only recently paved, country lane. But the urban frontier advanced, and Countryside Drive became a misnomer.
By 2005, the subdivisions of Springdale caught up. The transitional landscape created by the advancing bulldozers and work crews is rather strange and eerie – farmhouses and outbuildings are often still standing, but abandoned and left to fall apart, or boarded up. Ubiquitous white zoning proposal signs and survey markers are common. And not too far behind are bulldozers clearing land, excavators digging basements (leaving temporary hills of fill), and then road crews, carrying out the latest widening to convert the now over-burdened country lanes into four and six lane arterials. 
Probably the most unintentionally ironic sign I found.
When surveying Chinguacousy Township, errors in the otherwise perfect land-parcelling caused jogs in the concessions half-way between the lines.
The advancing urban frontier from the four-lane Countryside Drive bridge over the new Highway 410 extension. The Brampton Civic Hospital is at the far left background.
Countryside Drive bridge over Highway 410, currently being extended past Mayfield Road (formerly Concession Road 17) to Highway 10.
9 comments
Too automobile oriented. When the price of crude oil goes over $200 a barrel in a few years, all that land could end up either deserted or used only by the very rich people who could buy expensive gasoline.
Godspeed!
I never really wanted to say goodbye.
Too funny all the ironies. Good thing Spacing has an urban audience, because I assure you the parents of the kids I taught in Heart Lake, Brampton, wouldn’t see any irony.
“Brampton, like most other towns and cities in Ontario that resulted in amalgamations of townships and villages, named all the remaining numbered lines and concessions in the 1980s.”
Not all towns did, however. In Oakville, north of the QEW, most of the old line numbers still persist. At this point I can’t see them ever being changed.
Our own rural frontier, Dundas (Hwy 5), has also recently been pierced by development.
I don’t know whether Countryside wants to be the Passmore of Brampton, or the McNichol of Brampton. Or neither.
They’ll pave every last unprotected acre with car-oriented subdivisions. Then we’ll spend billions on public transit when the roads can’t be widened further. And the public transit won’t be that successful because the communities weren’t set up to sustain it.
Adma: Since I don’t see Countryside broken up in pieces like Passmore was (even if Mayfield becomes the “Steeles” of Brampton)m I don’t see your prediction coming true. But Sandlewood has become the McNicoll of Brampton with a semi-major bus route along its length.
A couple of years ago, communities along Countryside Drive used to be such nice rural places where you could go to escape the city. It still retains this feeling between Highway 50 and The Gore Road. The road is dotted with historical farmhouses and large estate homes. Its too bad that the City of Brampton keeps urbanizing itself in such an unsustainable way. New neighborhoods in Brampton all look the same, and have no character. Public transportation is also very poor. I cant wait to get out of this city!!!!!
I agree with Mir…having grown up in Btown, and now living downtown, each time I return, I see more and more neighborhoods springing up, with no effective way to provide transportation for these sprawling areas. Aside from that, it’s just saddening to see quality country land being converted into ugly power malls to support the suburban growth…case in point, lobbing off a chunk of Heart Lake Conservation Area for an Esso at Sandalwood and Kennedy….Poor countryside (and Countryside Dr) !! 🙁