East Gwillimbury · Community Guide
From Lee
Sharon sits right in the heart of East Gwillimbury, and that central location is the first thing that sets it apart from Holland Landing, Queensville and Mount Albert. It is the community people pass through on their way to the rest of the town, and once you live here you realize it has a character all its own, part village, part growing modern community.
The housing tells that story best. There are established homes on mature, tree-lined streets with a settled feel, and right around them newer development with a fresher, more finished look. The different pockets of Sharon can feel surprisingly different from one another, and that variety is honestly one of the things I like most about the community.
I have worked across East Gwillimbury for years, and I have sold more homes in East Gwillimbury than any other Realtor over the past 10 years. I say that not to make this page about me, but because knowing how the different parts of the town compare is exactly what helps someone understand Sharon. Whether you are drawn to the character of an older street or the modern layout and finishes of a newer home, Sharon has both, and the right fit depends on how you actually want to live.
Sharon's housing splits between established areas and newer development, and that split is one of the first things I point buyers to. The older parts of the community have a mix of detached homes on mature streets, many on larger lots with plenty of space between neighbours. The newer areas bring in more recent builds, including detached homes and townhomes, with the finished, move-in feel that comes with new construction. Around the edges of the community you also find larger properties, where the town starts to give way to the rural East Gwillimbury countryside.
The practical difference between older Sharon and the newer pockets is real. Older streets tend to have bigger lots and more established character, while newer areas offer modern layouts and less upkeep. Neither is better; they simply suit different households. What I tell every buyer is to understand the individual streets and pockets rather than treating Sharon as one uniform market, because two homes in Sharon can sit in genuinely different neighbourhoods. Sharon is one of East Gwillimbury's main communities, and if you're comparing it with Holland Landing, Queensville, Mount Albert or the surrounding rural areas, my East Gwillimbury page is a good place to see how the different parts of the town fit together.
Sharon is a community you get to know street by street. It sits around the Leslie Street and Mount Albert Road intersection, and it manages to feel like a village and a growing family community at the same time. Day to day, life here centres on the community's own services and facilities, with Newmarket close by when you want more choice.
For local character, the Sharon Temple National Historic Site is the anchor. The Temple, at the heart of the Sharon Museum and Gardens, dates back to the 1830s and sits in garden grounds right in the community, with heritage buildings around it. It is one of those places worth knowing about even if you have lived nearby for years.
For recreation, the East Gwillimbury Sports Complex is on Mount Albert Road, between Woodbine and Leslie, with ice pads that operate through the winter and programming through the rest of the year. The East Gwillimbury Civic Centre sits nearby, and if you enjoy walking or cycling, East Gwillimbury has an extensive trail system, with the Nokiidaa Trail along the Holland River corridor connecting into Newmarket and Aurora.
Sharon has a growing mix of local shops and services, and Newmarket is just south of East Gwillimbury when you need more. Upper Canada Mall, Southlake Health and all of the shopping, restaurants and services throughout Newmarket are close enough that you don't feel disconnected from anything.
Sharon's location around Leslie Street and Mount Albert Road puts it in a fairly central spot within East Gwillimbury, which makes getting around the town genuinely convenient. Leslie Street runs north-south, Mount Albert Road crosses east-west, and the different parts of the town are reachable in different directions without the whole trip being on one crowded corridor.
For the highway, Highway 404 is the major north-south connection for the area, reached from Green Lane with its interchange on the highway. From Sharon, Highway 404 is easily accessed via Green Lane, giving residents a direct north-south connection through York Region and toward the GTA.
The East Gwillimbury GO Station, at 845 Green Lane East, is on GO Transit's Barrie line, with weekday train and bus service toward Toronto and York Region Transit connections to the station. Schedules vary by day and season, so the right move is to check current times at gotransit.com rather than rely on a printed timetable.
Sharon students are served by the York Region District School Board and the York Catholic District School Board. Sharon Public School, the York Region board's local elementary school, serves kindergarten through Grade 8, and moved into a new facility in 2024 to serve the town's growing population.
School attendance boundaries are tied to the individual property address and can change as communities grow, so the school assigned to one house is not necessarily the one assigned next door. Always confirm the school for a specific address directly with the school boards.
Both boards publish official online locators where you can enter an address and see the assigned schools, and those are the resources to use rather than third-party lists: the YRDSB School Locator at https://schoollocator.yrdsb.ca/ and the YCDSB School Locator at https://locator.ycdsb.ca/schoollocator/. Both links open in a new tab.
Whether you are buying or selling, the thing that matters most in Sharon is understanding that it is not one uniform market. The older parts of the community and the newer development are genuinely different, and the right fit depends on which one you actually want. Lot sizes, the age and style of the homes, and the character of the individual streets all vary from pocket to pocket, so I get buyers to compare properties the way they should be compared: home by home and street by street, against what each household actually needs. My buying page walks through how I help buyers make that comparison.
On the selling side, I will be direct about why my record matters when you are selling in Sharon: I have sold more homes in East Gwillimbury than any other Realtor over the past 10 years. What that gives you is first-hand knowledge of the local market from the inside. I know the homes Sharon sellers are competing with, how the different pockets of the community are valued, and what buyers are comparing when they look at a Sharon property. That is how a property gets positioned properly for the local market instead of priced in isolation. My selling page explains how I prepare and market a home.
Sharon has a mix of established homes on mature, larger lots in the older parts of the community, newer detached homes and townhomes in more recent development, and larger properties around the edges of the community where the town starts to give way to the countryside.
Both, really. Sharon's older areas carry the character of a long-settled village, while newer development has brought in more recent builds. The two sit close together, which is part of what makes the different pockets of the community feel so different from one another.
Yes. Newmarket sits directly south of East Gwillimbury, so the shopping, restaurants and services throughout Newmarket, including Upper Canada Mall and Southlake Health, are close by for Sharon residents.
Green Lane is the main route. From Sharon you take Green Lane to its interchange with Highway 404 for a direct north-south connection through York Region and toward the GTA.
Sharon is served by the York Region District School Board and the York Catholic District School Board, with Sharon Public School on the public side serving the community at the elementary level. School assignments depend on the individual address, so it is always worth confirming with the boards' official school locators.
Understand that Sharon is not one uniform market. The older and newer pockets differ in lot size, home age and style, and street character, so comparing individual properties and specific streets matters more than assuming one area looks like another.
Lee Lander has sold more homes in East Gwillimbury than any other Realtor over the past 10 years. That ranking is specific to East Gwillimbury and based on number of homes sold; it is not a York Region-wide ranking.