Orangeville and Shelburne – small-town living, new home opportunities

By Wayne Karl
August 11, 2021

If you’ve ever driven north of the GTA, en route to say, Blue Mountain, Sauble Beach or elsewhere in the Georgian Bay area, you’ve quite likely passed through Orangeville and Shelburne along the way. While these locales might have been little more than rest stops during your trek, they are, of course, also communities unto themselves. And these days, they are thriving towns with their own development and growth – complete with new-home buying opportunities.

Indeed, this part of south-central Ontario boasts an abundance of quaint little towns, beyond Orangeville and Shelburne. Horseshoe Valley, Innisfil, Holland Landing, Oro Medonte, Beeton, Dundalk, Flesherton, Markdale, Wasaga and more all have their own unique local histories, and many of them are becoming popular destinations for Ontarians looking for alternatives to big-city living.

New home development is taking place to cater to the growing demand, with prominent GTA builders such as Fieldgate Homes, Flato Developments, Georgian Communities, Democrat Homes, Rosehaven Homes, Geranium and Stonebridge Building Group all active in the area.

Fieldgate Homes, for example, offers freehold townhomes and 36- and 40-ft. single-detached homes at Emerald Crossing in Shelburne; and Flato Developments has master-planned Edgewood Greens in Dundalk – and believes so strongly in the town it is also building rental and commercial projects. Further north in Collingwood, Georgian Communities has a number of prominent developments, including Mountain House at Windfall.

“When Fieldgate Homes learned about this parcel of land, we realized the great potential with a fully developed commercial area to deliver the needs for our purchasers in a very central location on Hwy. 10 and County Road 124,” Jim Andrews, director of sales and marketing at Fieldgate Homes, told nexthome.ca. “Also, the perimeter of the community is surrounded by a Natural Heritage Area, which gives tree protection and a beautiful, protected woodlot for all purchasers to enjoy.”

Now open, Emerald Crossing also features a park in the centre of the community, but is located just minutes from big brand outlets, restaurants, expansive greenspaces and more.

All of these features are contributing to fast-rising home values in Shelburne, Canada’s second-fastest growing municipality.

One of the most charming characteristics of small-town living is the local heritage, often brought to life by festivals. Every August (well, at least during non-COVID times), Shelburne morphs into “Fiddleville” – the population literally multiplies by two or three, as thousands come from all over for the Heritage Music Festival – the main attraction of which is the Canadian Open Fiddle Contest. Dating back to 1951, the event returns in August 2022.

And in Orangeville, the annual Orangeville Blues & Jazz Festival returns from a pandemic hiatus in June 2022. In the meantime, Island Lake Conservation Area offers year-round activities, with more than 300 hectares of lake, wetland and forest.

And just 36 kms to the west of Orangeville is the Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area, a biological treasure in the Grand River watershed. The 5,900-hectare property is surrounded by wetlands, fields and forests that provide habitat to a variety of birds, animals, plants and trees.

Location, location, location

Orangeville population 28,900, located in Dufferin County, 80 kms from Toronto; Shelburne, 8,126, 25 kms north of Orangeville.

Key landmarks
• Boyne Valley Provincial Park
• Dufferin Glen Golf Club
• Hockley Valley Resort
• Island Lake Conservation Area
• Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area
• Orangeville Golf & Country Club
• Osprey Wetlands Conservation Area
• Primrose Trout Farm

Select housing developments
Beeton Village
By Flato Developments
flatogroup.com

Edgewood Greens
By Flato Developments
flatogroup.com

Emerald Crossing
By Fieldgate Homes
fieldgatehomes.com

Hyland Village
By Tribute Communities
myhylandvillage.com

About Wayne Karl

Wayne Karl is an award-winning writer and editor with experience in real estate and business. Wayne explores the basics – such as economic fundamentals – you need to examine when buying property. wayne.karl@nexthome.ca

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