York
Vanished settlement · British Empire
- Abandoned
- 1834
- Founded
- 1793
- Population
- —
- Coordinates
- 43.650, -79.372
Why it was abandoned
❔ Cause unknown
Open sources don't name a cause. If you know it, add it to Wikidata or Wikipedia.
History
York was a town and the second capital of the colony of Upper Canada. It is the predecessor to the old city of Toronto (1834–1998). It was established in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe as a "temporary" location for the capital of Upper Canada, while he made plans to build a capital near today's London, Ontario. Simcoe renamed the location York after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, George III's second son. Simcoe gave up his plan to build a capital at London, and York became the permanent capital of Upper Canada on February 1, 1796. That year Simcoe returned to Britain and was temporarily replaced by Peter Russell.