PRESTON, ONTARIO

'Preston' is a community in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. Prior to its amalgamation with Galt and Hespeler to form the new city in 1973, it was an independent town. It is located near the confluence of the rivers Grand and Speed. Downtown Preston is commomly considered to be from the entrance of Riverside Park on King Street to the King and Bishop plaza. It was originally formed on land belonging to the German Company Tract, which was purchased earlier from the Six Nations Indians. It was John Erb who bought the 7 500 acres of land and settled it in 1805. He later built a sawmill in 1806 and a gristmill in 1807. This settlement became known as Cambridge Mills. The settlement grew and by 1879 there were many industries such as a foundry, carriage manufacturer, potteries and a furniture company. This was also the year that the Cherry Flour Mills started, which would later become the Dover Flour Mills. A Preston company that still operates today. Preston became a town in 1900, and had a population just under 11 000 by 1959

Contents

Education

Businesses

Parks and Trails

See also

External links

Education

Preston Is home to one high school, which is very aptly named Preston High School. With approximately 1200 students this high school boasts a new science wing and enthusiastic teachers.
William G Davis is the the single middle school that Preston has and it is constantly working to improve its standards of education.
There are the elementary schools of Grandview, Parkway, and Preston all of which have excellent playgrounds.

Businesses

There are constant changes that are improving the Preston downtown. Currently Preston has many stores that cater to all different desires. For cafes we have the Cafe on King, The City Cafe and Bakery and two Tim Hortons. For restaurants there are too many to write down but a town favorite is the Cambridge Restaurant which has been serving up classic food since 1930. Along with the delicious places to eat Preston has many real estate offices, investment brokers, and insurance offices. When discussing the shopping in Preston the possibilities are endless. From the chic and stylish Home-N-T-T to the country fashioned decor of Excetera to the great decorating worrk of Special Events and Flowers every houshold whim can be fufilled. If you are a sports enthusiast Ontario Sports has been serving Preston since 1957. The great thing about downtown Preston is that there is always something new to check out, so it is fun to visit often.

Parks and Trails

The main park in Preston is Riverside Park. It is Cambridge's largest community park at approximately 102 hectares of land. The park contains a splash pad, two playgrounds,tennis courts, soccer pitch, a petting zoo, a skateboard park , picnic areas that can be reserved and a multitude of walking trails. The baseball fields are used often and on Canada Day there is always an event at the field whether it is a fair, bands at a bandstand, or fireworks. Riverside Park also hosts a fishing derby on Canada Day when support is available. The start of the Mill Run Trail to Hespler begins in Riverside Park. This 7.5 km trail is great for a bike ride and goes under a high way, through meadows, forests and beside a waterfall.
Also in Preston is the Linear Park which has extensive trails for walking, running or biking. At some points going right beside the Grand and Speed rivers this trail gives a perfect view of the confluence of the Grand and the Speed Rivers. With countless trails to be discovered off the beaten path Linear Park is a great place to explore on a quiet afternoon.

See also

★ Cambridge, Ontario

External links

★ cambridgeweb.net: Brief History of the community of Preston