These villages developed as local service centres for the immediate rural areas, which were characterized by farms and orchards.

The first settlers of Applewood Acres included the Church, Haines, Graham, Stewart and Hedge families.

During the first half of the twentieth century, the villages of Dixie and Burnhamthorpe began to decline as a result of improved access to larger centers such as Port Credit and Cooksville.

[3] A school, park, church and shopping mall were all constructed in the 1950s to provide service and amenities for the Applewood Acres families.

Today Applewood is an established residential community, providing a variety of housing types including single and semidetached dwellings, townhouses, apartments and mobile homes.