Uxbridge Information & Events

Do You Remember as a child while enroute to the cottage stopping in at a little general store to purchase some penny candy or perhaps some worms for your fishing over the weekend. Do you remember listening in fascination as the locals, in to pick up their mail, discussed the latest newsworthy event. If you are one of those who still take your children out for a Sunday drive and are looking for a stop along the route, then Udora just might be the place

Take a step back in time to the mid 1800's and visit Udora a waypoint for the distribution of mail.

One of the last original General Stores in Ontario still in operation and still distributing mail to the local residents is looking for new owners. The 145 plus year old store has had only six family owners in all that time. Even today it is the hub of this small hamlet just north of Uxbridge, Ontario. A place where the "locals" come to get their mail and catch up on all the local news.

A Place where neighbours have time to help neighbours. The current owner Lyn Mallon will reminisce about the big blackout in the summer of 2003 when a local farmer offered her his generator to save the food in her coolers and freezer. Some of her neighbours took what the generator would not handle and moved the frozen items to their freezers. The little general store lost nothing.

The business today is not all that different then it was all those years ago. It still serves as the local post office, and as such is still the source of all the local news and views. Customers share their sightings of the black bears that sometimes frequent the area scrounging food from the bird feeders. The portable notice board provides all the details of and welcomes the newest (baby) arrival to the community. As in Years of Old It still caters to the needs of the community providing a selection of staples, fresh produce from local Farmers and a deli counter. Of course there is plenty of candy, they still have penny candy, and snack food for the youngsters. When you finish that new novel, there is even a book rack to exchange it for one you have not read.

A place that few know exists even though it appears on the Ontario Road Maps. Udora is a community where there are more private roads than public roads. Chances are if you know where Udora is you either live there, or pass through on the way to your summer cottage, perhaps even stopping in to the general store for the delicious home baked goods.

Sitting in the outer reaches of Georgina and Uxbridge Udora may be a community, divided by the 905 and 705 area codes, by local Municipal and Regional boundaries, and by Provincial and Federal electoral boundaries but the little general store is still the Hub of a community that cares.

With an estimated population of over 1500, Udora is a small community that straddles the boundary between the south east corner of Georgina and the north east corner of Uxbridge. Originally known as Snoddon Corners it was renamed in the early 1860s when it came time to select a name for the post office. Growth was slow until the early 1950's when the Independent Toronto Estonian Woman's Association purchased land and divided it into 150 lots for summer cottages for Estonians living in Toronto. The grounds, named Jõekääru which means river bend in English, straddle the Pefferlaw river as it winds its way through the community. With the cottages also came the Estonian Children's Camp, Which is still active today as an Estonian language immersion camp for part of the summer.

With two rivers winding there way through Udora there are several small historical dams in and around the community three of which were used to control the water levels for J.E.Peers Mill.

Over time many of the original cottages have been modernized or replaced with new housing providing a pleasant and attractive blend of housing.

Wikipedia tells us there are less than 300 homes in Udora.

Housing ranges from homes built in the 1800's to cottages built in the 50's to the latest addition, a small estate subdivision that overlooks the Pefferlaw river valley on the west side of the community.

Udora is located only 15 Minutes from Lake Simcoe know for its; swimming, boating, fishing and fishing competitions.

To learn more about the general store visit The Udora General Store