[9] In 1812 the United States declared war on Great Britain and invaded Upper Canada on several occasions.

[10] The Royal Navy schooner HMS Nancy was scuttled in the Nottawasaga River to prevent the Americans from capturing her and her stores.

[9] Because Wasaga Beach had sandy soil unsuitable for cultivation, it did not attract early European settlement.

In the late 1830s and throughout the rest of the century, the logging industry was key to the economy and integral to development of the area.

[12] The first permanent settler was John Van Vlack, who arrived in 1869 and founded a settlement on the south side of the Nottawasaga River near its mouth and named it after himself.

The beach gradually became a place for family picnics and holidays during the summer months, and the first cottages were built.

[15] Two waterparks, both named Waterworld, opened that year, but were closed in the mid-2000's due to multiple cost issues, with the location at Beach One converted into a splash pad.

This proved controversial; so the province scaled down plans and settled for separated parks, which are today's Beach Areas 2-6.

[9] On November 30, 2007, a major fire destroyed 90 per cent of the buildings along the street mall in the Beach One area.

About 17 seasonal businesses were said to have been affected, including bikini shops, ice cream parlours, a restaurant, a motel, and an arcade.

The Toronto Star later reported that "Twenty-one businesses in eight buildings overlooking Georgian Bay were destroyed, causing an estimated $5 million in damages.

"[20] Controversy also arose over whether or not the fire was deliberately set in order to allow unobstructed progression with the planned development or whether it was simply an accident.

Two young men (one from Barrie and the other from Springwater) were charged with arson, although there was no evidence that the fire was deliberately set to remove the old buildings in advance of planned development.

[25] The long-term plans after the fire, by Armand and Dov Levy's Blue Beach Avenue corporation, included a rebuild of the area in a modern style with shopping and the aforementioned indoor/outdoor theme park, two major hotels and monorail.

[26] Armand Levy was subsequently charged with fraud in 2012 after an investigation of misappropriation of the insurance money paid out after the 2007 fire but was ultimately acquitted.

The town council agreed to a one-time opportunity for businesses to break their leases without a penalty; requests to do so had to be submitted no later than September 23, 2016.

[30][31] There has been a great deal of controversy (among the public and council members) about the previous strategies used by the Town of Wasaga Beach, including the 2015 purchase of the seven properties for $13.8 million, using borrowed money.

[32] An entirely new Downtown Development Master Plan[33] was released by town council in late January 2017, with an estimate for capital investment of $625 million and a 20 plus year time frame for completion.

The council agreed to let the Letter of Intent the town had with FRAM Building Group Ltd. lapse at the end of December 2018 as a first step in the review process.

[34] In September 2021, the Wasaga Beach Ratepayers Association opposed the scope of what they perceived to be excessively high densities in the development plans, and the association's president was accused by the Town of spreading false information and exaggerating said densities, as well as claiming residents were being shut out of Town Hall.

[35] By June 2024, the years-long plan for the beachfront redevelopment was finally approved, and was unveiled at a public meeting attended by hundreds at the RecPlex on June 20 by Mayor Brian Smith and the project leader from FRAM Building Group – who had initially pulled out of the project in 2019 before rejoining – and Sunray Group of Hotels.

Development of the first phase is expected to begin in Spring 2025 with demolition of many of the old buildings along Beach Drive and the construction of a 150-room hotel.

[36] The Playtime Casino Wasaga is located on Mosley Street just east of Highway 26, and opened on November 23, 2022.

The visitor centre provides access to the Nancy Island Historic Site with a theatre, a museum and a lighthouse.

Beach 1 is the most touristy, with bars, beach-themed shops and fast food restaurants, attracting primarily young adults.

Due to these heavy snowfalls, activities include snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and other winter sports.

Older residential areas typically have a semi-rural, "woodsy" character, although more recent (post-1990) developments are suburban in nature.

Buses transport over 760 students to high schools located in the nearby communities of Stayner, Elmvale, and Collingwood.

[54] On November 6, 2023, the portion of Route 1 between Wal-Mart and Archer Road was changed to an on-demand service format, with booking required in advance.