Land for sale in York Region, Ontario

About York Region

The area

York Region lies north of Toronto and reaches up to Lake Simcoe. It had about 1.17 million people in 2021 on about 1,760 km² of land, most of them in Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Newmarket and Aurora. Rural land is concentrated in the northern towns. King (about 27,300 people on 332 km²) is the region's largest municipality by area and its least populated. East Gwillimbury (about 34,600) says about three-quarters of its area is farms, forest and green space, around villages such as Holland Landing, Queensville, Mount Albert and Sharon. Georgina (about 47,600) runs along the southeast shore of Lake Simcoe, with Keswick, Sutton and Jackson's Point, Pefferlaw and many lakefront communities. Whitchurch-Stouffville (about 49,900) has rolling moraine land, forests and kettle lakes.

History

York Region is within the Williams Treaties of 1923, which seven First Nations signed and which reach from the north shore of Lake Ontario to Lake Nipissing. The Chippewas of Georgina Island, an Anishinaabe nation and a Williams Treaties First Nation, live on Lake Simcoe. The Holland Marsh in King is one of Ontario's two specialty crop areas; it grows a large share of the province's vegetables, including about 90% of the Asian vegetables eaten in Ontario.

Services and access

Southlake Health in Newmarket has a 24/7 emergency department and regional cancer and cardiac programs. Highway 400 runs through King, giving quick access to Toronto Pearson Airport; Highway 9 crosses the north of King and Highway 27 its west side.

Land and climate

King has more than 41,000 acres in farming and 239 farms, with vegetables, nursery and tree growing, cash crops, livestock and many horse farms. York Region's water comes from Lake Ontario, Lake Simcoe and groundwater, and some rural homes use private wells.

Before you buy

The local town or township sets zoning and issues building permits. Much of the rural north falls under the provincial Greenbelt Plan, which protects farmland, water and natural areas; check its maps for a given lot. The Oak Ridges Moraine, part of the Greenbelt, runs 160 km from the Niagara Escarpment to the Trent River; under the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, land is designated Natural Core, Natural Linkage, Countryside or Settlement, and King reviews proposals on the moraine for conformity. Near a vulnerable municipal wellhead, York Region's Risk Management Official may need to issue a source water protection permit before a development application proceeds. Building near wetlands, watercourses or the Lake Simcoe shore needs a permit from the conservation authority, such as the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, under Ontario Regulation 41/24.

Sources

• Statistics Canada, 2021 Census population and dwelling counts (tables 98-10-0002, 98-10-0007)
• Township of King, location, agriculture and development planning
• Town of East Gwillimbury, about
• Town of Georgina, community profile
• Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, about
• Government of Ontario, map of Ontario treaties and reserves
• Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation
• Southlake Health
• York Region, municipal water supply and source water protection permits
• Government of Ontario, Greenbelt Plan
• Government of Ontario, Oak Ridges Moraine maps and plan
• Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, planning and permits

Written by AcreScout from the sources listed; facts checked September 30, 2026. Rules change: confirm anything that matters with the municipality.