Innisfil, Ont, town, pop 28 666 (2001c), 24 711 (1996c), 21 249 (1991cA), 15 334 (1986c), area 284.18 km2, inc 1991 as a town. Innisfil is located 60 km north of Toronto on the shores of LAKE SIMCOE. The name is a poetic name for Ireland. The area, formerly used by the Huron Indians, was surveyed in 1820. The first settlers arrived soon after by way of the Holland River and Lake Simcoe to the farm in the Big Bay Point area.
Innisfil Township grew slowly through the 1830s and 40s, but when railway lines began to be built through the area in the 1850s it experienced a spurt of growth. A number of lumber mills and ports developed on Lake Simcoe, but the area remained primarily agricultural until recent years, when cottages and other recreational uses of Lake Simcoe have assumed greater importance.
In 1991 the Town of Innisfil was formed when the Township of Innisfil amalgamated with the Village of Cookstown and parts of the Townships of West Gwillimbury and Tecumseh. The area is currently a mix of residential, rural, retirement and summer residents. Highway 400, the main route between Barrie and Toronto, passes through the town's area. Attractions include the Village of Cookstown with its historic buildings, several provincial parks and wildlife areas, and the recreational pastimes of Lake Simcoe.