Orangeville

Settlement in the area began in the 1830s: John Corbit acquired land in 1829, and in 1833 Seneca Ketchum bought 200 acres on what would become Broadway, creating a settlement on Purple Hill. The town takes its name not from the fruit but from Orange Lawrence, a Connecticut-born businessman who purchased the land in 1844 and established a mill there.

County seat of Dufferin County

Orangeville received permission to incorporate in December 1863, formally doing so in January 1864 after electing a town council. Economic expansion through the 1870s and 1880s led to the town being named the county seat for the newly created County of Dufferin in 1881 — a role it still holds, anchoring the county's government on the northwestern edge of the GTA.

Sources

• Town of Orangeville — History of Orangeville
• The Canadian Encyclopedia — Orangeville