Sunderland, Ontario is a charming community nestled approximately 100 kilometers northeast of Toronto. It is situated in Brock Township, within the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, Canada. This community is one of the few populated areas in the Greater Toronto Area that is near the Trans Canada Highway, making it the closest point from the highway to the City of Toronto.
The land on which Sunderland was built was granted to United Empire Loyalists in the early 1820s. Sir Isaac Brock's Estate was given 1,400 acres of free land in the vicinity. The town slowly grew around the Brock Hotel, a popular stop for travelers owned by Lorenzo Jones. The first post office, called Brock, was run by Andrew Hill and was located at the modern junction of Highway 12 and 7th Concession.
Originally known as Jones Corners, Sunderland was renamed in 1871 when the Toronto - Lindsay Line of the Toronto and Nipissing Railway was built. The town's population grew rapidly during this time. Sunderland's name is thought to come from Charles Spencer, the Third Earl of Sunderland in England. He helped move Palatine German families to London and then, with Queen Anne's aid, to Ireland in the early 18th century. These early Palatine settlers included surnames like: Shier, Baker, Bagshaw, Switzer, Lowe, St. John, Lodwick, Brethour, and Doble.
Sunderland faced significant challenges when Hurricane Hazel struck in 1954, and another storm in 1957 destroyed the skating arena and tore out many trees. Despite the railway ceasing operations through Sunderland in the 1980s, the town has remained vibrant, thanks to its close proximity to Toronto, Lindsay, and Newmarket.
The region around Sunderland is characterized by rolling farmland, dense first-growth deciduous forests, and rich agricultural soil. Sunderland displays many typical traits of a temperate humid climate. Its altitude and proximity to the Canadian Shield allow for much deciduous forests with beginning sprouts of coniferous trees.
Sunderland hosts the annual Maple Syrup Festival at the beginning of April each year. The town also hosts the annual Sunderland Agricultural Fall Fair in September, which has been held annually since the 1850s and is the longest continuously running fair in Ontario. Sunderland also hosts Orange Parades with the Orange Order, usually during the month of July.
Sunderland has been home to a local Lions Club since 1955. As of 2011, the club has approximately 60 members, making it one of the largest in its Lions International District known as A-16. The club runs various fundraisers throughout the year and hosts a Blue Rodeo concert annually. All profits from these events are put back into service projects and used for community betterment. One of the club's largest service projects is the annual Sunderland Lions Music Festival, held over three weeks, beginning in mid-April.
Sunderland is surrounded by several communities including Beaverton to the north, Oakwood to the east, Pefferlaw to the northwest, Vroomanton to the west, Port Perry to the southeast, Uxbridge to the southwest, and Cannington to the northeast.
Sunderland is accessible via Highway 7/12 and GO Bus 81, which connects Sunderland to Whitby GO Station. There is also a small private registered aerodrome, Blackwater Creek (Sunderland) Aerodrome, located 2 nautical miles west of town.
The area code for Sunderland is +(00)1-705 and the postal code is L0C 1H0. There are about 30 homes on the extreme southwest corner of Brock Township with Sunderland mailing addresses and a 905 North American area code.
