White Oaks

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The entrance to White Oaks Mall

White Oaks is a neighbourhood in the City of London, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the south-west end of London and just north of Highway 401. It is both a residential area and a commercial area. It is populated with about 20,235 residents, as of 2016.[1] There are a variety of dwellings in this area including single family homes, townhouses, and apartment buildings.[2] The average household income in White Oaks is $67,781, and it is considered to be a middle-income area.[1]

History

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The White Oaks community was first established as part of the city's annexation in 1961.[3] The area was primarily farmland, but started developing more over the years, mostly surrounding the development of White Oaks Mall in 1973. Most of the homes in white oaks were built over the 1970s and early 1980s.[4] In 1991, White Oaks officially became a location for new Canadian immigrants to settle in and over the years, it has become a very diverse area with many newcomer resources, such as South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre.[3]

The name of the area, "White Oaks", was inspired by a series of books called Jalna, written by a Canadian author Mazo de la Roche.[3] The novel series had a 1972 CBC television adaptation, which brought it to the limelight just before the time White Oaks was being developed.[3] De La Roche also grew up in Southwestern Ontario, which could be a reason the land developer paid homage to her series, while developing this subdivision.[3] The names of the streets in the area such as Ernest Avenue, Meg Drive, Archer Crescent, Alayna Crescent and more, were all named after characters from the novel series.[3]

Education

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Elementary Schools

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There are 5 publicly funded schools located in White Oaks. The first three listed are a part of Thames Valley District School Board while the last two are part of the London District Catholic School Board:

  • Rick Hansen P.S.
  • White Oaks P.S.
  • Ashley Oaks P.S.
  • Sir Arthur Carty Catholic Elementary School
  • St. Anthony French Immersion Catholic Elementary School

High Schools

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There are no high schools located within White Oaks, however the high schools designated for this district are Westminster Secondary School, which is the feeder school for TVDSB elementary schools in the area[5], and Regina Mundi Catholic College, both of which have bus routes that pass through the area.[2]

Attractions

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White Oaks Mall

White Oaks has a variety of different attractions such as parks, restaurants, shopping areas, etc. London is home to White Oaks Mall, the largest shopping mall in South London, with over 160 stores.[6] White Oaks mall has large department stores such as Walmart and Hudson's Bay, and has been a shopping staple in the area since 1973 when it first became an enclosed mall.[3]

There are a number of other family-friendly attractions in the White Oaks area including Landmark Cinemas, South London Community Centre, Jalna Library, South London Community Pool, and much more. White Oaks is notable for the many parks and outdoor nature areas it offers. There are children's outdoor parks scattered through the area such as White Oaks Park, Cheswick Park, Ashley Oaks Park, and White Oaks Optimist Park.[7] Westminster Ponds is a conservation area located in White Oaks and is the largest publicly-owned Environmentally Significant Area in London.[8] The conservation area offers 200 hectares of ponds, trees, plants, as well as trails for hiking.[9]

Politics

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White Oaks is a part of the federal electoral district of London—Fanshawe. The current member of parliament is Lindsay Mathyssen of the New Democratic Party, first elected in 2019.[10]

Provincially, the area is in the riding of London—Fanshawe. The current member of provincial parliament is Teresa Armstrong of the New Democratic Party, first elected in 2011.[11]

In city council, White Oaks lies within Ward 12 and is represented by Councillor Elizabeth Peloza.[12]

Location

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White Oaks is a neighbourhood in South West London, Ontario, and is bordered roughly by Southdale Road and Wellington Road (East), Exeter Road (South), and White Oak Road (West).[4] This area is located north of Highway 401 and the close proximity to the highway exit makes it very accessible.

White Oaks also has access to many LTC routes, as there are many bus stops located throughout the area, giving residents public transportation access to almost anywhere in the the city.

References

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  1. ^ a b "White Oaks Neighbourhood Profile" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ a b "The Ultimate Guide to Living in White Oaks Ontario in 2020". Homesinlondonontario.ca. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Brown, Vanessa (2021-03-05). "London Neighbourhood Histories: White Oaks — More Than A Mall". LondonFuse. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  4. ^ a b "Jeffrey Reed Reporting :: Journalism :: Horses in London". www.jeffreyreedreporting.com. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  5. ^ "About Us". westminster.tvdsb.ca. 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  6. ^ "Stores Archive". White Oaks Mall. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  7. ^ "White Oaks". NeighbourGood London. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  8. ^ McNaughton, Ryan. "Westminster Ponds/Pond Mills Conservation Area". Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  9. ^ "Westminister Ponds Trails | Ontario Trails Council". www.ontariotrails.on.ca. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  10. ^ "Lindsay Mathyssen - Member of Parliament - Members of Parliament - House of Commons of Canada". www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  11. ^ "Teresa Armstrong | Legislative Assembly of Ontario". www.ola.org. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  12. ^ "Councillor Elizabeth Peloza - Budget Chair | City of London". london.ca. Retrieved 2021-11-29.