, including the communities of Schomberg and
Lloydtown Brownsville was founded by Irish settlers who had
immigrated to Canada from
Pennsylvania in the United States. It was named for its founder, businessman Thomas Brown (born 13 May 1802), who was one of twelve siblings born in Pennsylvania, and one of four who emigrated to
Upper Canada. About 1830, his farmer brother John R. Brown (born 3 June 1811) settled on lot 26, concession 8, establishing the rural community. Thomas built the community's only
flour mill in 1836, stimulating development. The mill was eventually bought by their brother Garrett, who also established the first bank in the community. For postal service, residents used the
post office in the nearby community of
Lloydtown. In 1861, the community applied for a post office, but was rejected because another post office with the name Brownsville was already in operation in
York County. (That community is now part of
Woodbridge in
Vaughan.) In 1862, the community was renamed Schomberg, a name suggested by
Thomas Roberts Ferguson, and its post office was established. The name was likely for
The 3rd Duke of Schomberg and 1st Duke of Leinster,
K.G. (1641–1719), a general under
King William III of England. On 6 June 1890, the town was one of many flooded as a result of a storm in the eastern United States and Canada. The flood destroyed buildings, leaving many residents homeless and businesses ruined, and swept away two mill dams. It also carried one building downstream, where it came to rest on a farm. In Ontario, the storm also caused flooding in
Barrie,
Brooklin,
Greenwood, and
Orangeville. On 25 March 1899, the community was established as a
police village. In 1902, the
Traders Bank of Canada (now part of the
Royal Bank of Canada) established the first commercial bank in Schomberg, and in January 1920 the
Imperial Bank of Canada (now part of the
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce) established a branch. For some time in the early 20th century, the town was the terminus of the
Schomberg and Aurora Railway that connected to the
Toronto and York Radial Railway on
Yonge Street, some distance to the east. The railway was constructed to bring shoppers and day-trippers from Toronto to the town, but was never very popular. Opened for traffic in 1902, it was electrified in 1916 and closed in 1927. The rails were removed the next year, but the
right of way can still be seen to the east of the town. Urbanization of the community occurred primarily in the southwestern part, with small developments. In the 1950s and 1960s, housing was developed near the centre, and in the 1990s in the Roselena Drive area. Two developments in the 2010s added 147 detached homes, 52 semi-detached homes, 29
townhouses, and a 127-unit six-storey condominium.
Climate Schomberg has a
continental climate moderated by the
Great Lakes and influenced by warm, moist
air masses from the south, and cold, dry air from the north. The Oak Ridges Moraine affects levels of precipitation: as an air mass arrives from
Lake Ontario and reaches the elevated ground surface of the moraine, it rises causing precipitation. ==Demographics==