Langstaff, Ontario Explained

Official Name:Langstaff
Settlement Type:Neighbourhood
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Ontario
Subdivision Type2:Regional municipality
Subdivision Name2:York
Subdivision Type3:City
Subdivision Name3:Markham
Timezone:EST
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Coordinates:43.8308°N -79.4283°W
Elevation M:184
Area Code:905 and 289
Blank Name:NTS Map
Blank Info:030M14
Blank1 Name:GNBC Code
Blank1 Info:FBWGE

Langstaff is a residential area at the tripoint of the cities of Richmond Hill, Markham, and Vaughan in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Located near Highway 7 and Yonge Street, the homes in the area date to the 1960s and 1970s.[1] The East Don River and CN Rail Bala subdivision runs through the area.

Langstaff is a former hamlet likely named for John Langstaff (1774-1865), a settler who arrived sometime between 1803 and 1808 from Piscataway, Middlesex, New Jersey and established a farm along Yonge Street.[2] The living members of the family are longer living in the area, as descendants of James Langstaff have moved out of Ontario. The old farm became the notorious Langstaff Jail Farm,[3] which has since disappeared and the area is now dominated by a retail strip. The only reminder of the Langstaff family is Langstaff Road.

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Notes and References

  1. For a fuller account of Langstaff's history, cf. Isabel Champion, ed., Markham: 1793-1900 (Markham, ON: Markham Historical Society, 1979), pp. 245-246; 70-73. See the detailed 1878 map, "Township of Markham," Illustrated historical atlas of the county of York and the township of West Gwillimbury & town of Bradford in the county of Simcoe, Ont. (Toronto: Miles & Co., 1878).
  2. Web site: Langstaffs of York County – OurLifeHistory.net.
  3. Web site: Early Days in Richmond Hill: A History of the Community to 1930 : Electronic edition. : The Flowering of Richmond Hill.