TopNational Historic Site · 1929–1990Royal Botanical Gardens680 Plains Road WestPhoto: Nhl4hamilton | Chit-Chat · Public domain · Commons file
Royal Botanical Gardens · Photo: Nhl4hamilton | Chit-Chat · Public domain1historic place on the registers
History of Burlington · Canada’s heritage registers
Burlington’s 1 historic place is a top designation
Royal Botanical Gardens, from 1929, is Burlington’s national historic site. For the municipality itself, Wikidata has 1874, which can be an incorporation or a merger rather than a founding. Scaled to its population, Burlington’s 0.1 per 10,000 residents beats 71% of Canadian towns.
Historic places
1
0.1 per 10,000 residents
Highest designations
1
National Historic Sites and Classified Federal Heritage Buildings
Oldest building
1929
the first construction date on its record
Homes built before 1961
14%
typical town: 18%
Through time
Burlington from 1896 to 1912
Oldest first: 6 old photographs of the town. The dots mark each picture’s year; tap one to enlarge it.
c. 1896
c. 1896
1905
c. 1910
1910
1912Public domain or CC0, made before 1950, from Wikimedia Commons; old views of places can be drawings, prints or maps of their time. Each credit opens the image’s page.
The map
Where Burlington’s history is
Every place on the registers inside the town, by its designation.
Highest designations
Names show on hover, and a tap takes you to the place’s page.
The 1, by tier
1 Highest designations
Federal designations come from Parks Canada’s directory; a province’s or a council’s own listing shows here only when Wikidata holds it and an encyclopedia covers it.
Points from Wikidata (Parks Canada’s files carry none) and from Québec’s register, as mapped there.
Highest designations
One place in Burlington with the highest designation
National Historic Sites and Classified Federal Heritage Buildings, Canada’s highest federal recognition. Each one opens its own page.
Around the town
The heritage closest to Burlington: HMCS Haida, at 10 km
Battlefield House, 16 km off, is the oldest: 1796. Within 25 km there are 21 in all. Their towns number 14: Beasley, Corktown and Strathcona first.
The 12 nearest, within 25 km
| HMCS HaidaNational Historic Site · 1942–1943 · 10 km away, in North End East |
| Former Hamilton Railway Station (Canadian National)National Historic Site · 1929–1932 · 12 km away, in Beasley |
| Former Hamilton Customs HouseNational Historic Site · 1858–1861 · 12 km away, in Central |
| Burlington HeightsNational Historic Site · 1813–1814 · 12 km away, in Strathcona |
| Christ's Church CathedralOntario Heritage Trust easement · 1873 · 12 km away, in Beasley |
| Dundurn CastleNational Historic Site · 1834–1836 · 12 km away, in Strathcona |
| John Weir Foote ArmouryNational Historic Site · 1887–1889 · 12 km away, in Beasley |
| Hamilton WaterworksNational Historic Site · 1856–1860 · 12 km away, in Parkview West |
| Victoria HallNational Historic Site · 1887–1889 · 13 km away, in Corktown |
| St. Paul's Presbyterian Church / Former St. Andrew's ChurchNational Historic Site · 1854–1858 · 13 km away, in Corktown |
| McQuesten House / WhitehernNational Historic Site · 1848–1849 · 13 km away, in Durand |
| Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway Station, Former, Hamilton, OntarioHeritage Railway Station · 1931–1934 · 13 km away, in Corktown |
Homes by age
Burlington built the most from 1961 to 1980, 34% of today’s homes
Homes from before 1961 are 14% of Burlington’s housing, below the typical 18%. 21% of Burlington’s homes date from 2001 to 2015, well above the typical 15%. New building in Burlington runs at the usual pace: 3.9% of homes from 2016–21, the typical town 4.1%.
14%
Before 1961
34%
1961–80
28%
1981–2000
21%
2001–15
3.9%
2016–21
BurlingtonTypical town
2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.
Born here
4 people born in Burlington before 1914
The earliest is Red Long, born in 1876. At the other end is George Prudham, from 1904. Fame, by Wikipedia: Mona Bates first, in 3 languages. Hughes Cleaver lived longest, to 88, dying in 1980.
Red Long
Mona Bates
Hughes Cleaver
George Prudham
18501875190019251950
MB
Mona Bates1889–1971 · Canadian pianist and music educator
GP
George Prudham1904–1974 · Canadian politician
Hughes Cleaver1892–1980 · Canadian politician
RL
Red Long1876–1929 · Canadian baseball player
Everyone born in Burlington → Born before 1914 (the page’s periods: Confederation to the First World War). Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s Wikipedia article.
Neighbours
Burlington and its neighbours
| Town | People | Places | Highest | Oldest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington | 197,737 | 1 | 1 | 1929 |
| Waterdown | 23,858 | 0 | 0 | — |
| North End East | 4,816 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Industrial Sector A and Keith | 3,723 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Beasley | 6,338 | 3 | 2 | 1873 |
| Central | 3,698 | 1 | 1 | 1858 |
| Parkview West | 3,686 | 1 | 1 | 1856 |
In brief
Burlington in brief
All told, Burlington has 1 historic place, one with the highest designation; Royal Botanical Gardens heads the list. Mona Bates (1889), George Prudham (1904) and Hughes Cleaver (1892) lead its people of the past. Its homes are mostly newer: 14% were built before 1961, against 18% in the typical town. For the rest, one historic place is about usual for its size (the median is 2); and its one place was designated in 1994.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Protection. National historic designation honours a place but binds only federal owners; a private building’s protection depends on its province or municipality.
- The grade. History is described, not graded, for every Canadian town.
- People and events. The open directory puts its national historic persons nowhere, so a town shows one only on firm ground: a birth there, matched by name and life years, or a historic place there named for the person whose record says so. Events are left out.
- The tiers. Three tiers: the top for National Historic Sites, classified federal buildings and Québec’s classements, a second for the other federal designations, a third for provincial and municipal listings.
- The federal register. Parks Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations lists every National Historic Site, federal heritage building, heritage railway station and lighthouse; the Canadian Register of Historic Places adds their statements in English and French.
- Provincial and municipal lists. The local and provincial lists outside Québec aren’t published openly, so this page counts what Wikidata records and pages only the places an encyclopedia describes.
- Map points. Pins for federal places come from Wikidata rather than Parks Canada, which gives no points.
Questions about Burlington’s history
Which places in Burlington have the highest designation?
It is Royal Botanical Gardens.
What is the oldest building in Burlington?
Royal Botanical Gardens (National Historic Site): the first construction date on its record is 1929.
How old are the homes in Burlington?
Before 1961: 14% of its homes; the typical town has 18%.
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).
Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (homes by period of construction). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).