Thornhill is located about 70 miles north of the City of Toronto. Today Thornhill has become a bedroom community for those working in the Greater Toronto Area, however the community of Thornhill can trace its roots back to the mid 1790’s, when after the opening up of Yonge Street, a grist mill and a saw mill were operating on the Don River. In 1829 Benjamin Thorne built a tannery a store and a large flour mill. Within a year the tiny community boasted a school, a tavern and a post office which was named “Thornhill”. Thornhill's location along Yonge Street, a major transportation route, proved to be beneficial to the community's growth throughout much of the twentieth century.