Woodstock was first settled by European colonists and United Empire Loyalists in 1800, starting with Zacharias Burtch and Levi Luddington,[5] and was incorporated as a town in 1851.

The city plays host to a number of cultural and artistic exhibits, including the Woodstock Museum, a national historic site.

[6] The community was first settled in 1800 after it was determined by Sir John Graves Simcoe, governor of what was then known as Upper Canada, that the area would make a good townsite.

Increased immigration from Great Britain followed in the 1820s and 1830s, including the half pay officers Henry Vansittart and Andrew Drew.

Admiral Vansittart commissioned Col. Andrew Drew to build a church (Old St. Paul's) in a new area of Oxford that was known as the "Town Plot".

As well a carved insert with the words "Ontario Hospital" remains in the stone wall on the west side of Highway 59 north of Fairway Road.

A polished black granite memorial to the institution sits at Dr. J. J. Williams Park on Lakeview Drive east of Highway 59.

The Art Gallery, which originally started in the basement of the Woodstock Public Library, proudly showcases the work of Florence Carlyle.

Canada's first elected female mayor of a City, Bernadette Smith, served here from 1952 to 1965, and the original town council chamber used from 1871 to 1968 inside has been restored.

(Start, Turner, Gardhouse, Bennett, Historic Buildings of Woostock, Ontario) The Woodstock Market was built in 1895 by the architect W.B.

Ford, using 140,000 feet of lumber, 1+1⁄4 tons of nails, and 1+1⁄4 miles of putty on a site previously occupied by wooden market sheds.

The low roof and wide canopies are typical of market construction in this period, and interesting features included the twin towers, the drinking fountain at the front door, and the use of stone in the trim.

(Start, Turner, Gardhouse, Bennett, Historic Public Buildings of Woodstock, Ontario) The old jail was built in 1854 by Hamilton architects Clark and Murray in the Italianate style, with many arches, and an octagonal 2+1⁄2-storey tower; in this case, the architecture camouflages the function of the institution.

It is in classical revival style, with a graceful entrance, bi-chromatic brickwork, and well-balanced windows; the rotunda inside is beautifully proportioned and dramatic.

William Bettridge of Old St. Paul's Church as president, and possesses the only complete set of minute books in the province dating back to 1835.

The current City Hall was originally built in 1901 as a post office during the term of Alexander McClenaghan, postmaster for thirty years.

Built of warm sandstone, with decorative trim in the gables and a bold corner tower with four clocks, it was converted to municipal offices in 1968.

Start, Turner, Gardhouse, Bennett, Historic Public Buildings of Woodstock, Ontario The Perry Street firehall was built in 1899 at a cost of $7,500 to house the horse-drawn wagons.

On Saturday evenings, people would gather to see the horses rush out of their stalls at the sound of the regular 9 o'clock bell, race around the building and back themselves into the shafts ready to be harnessed by firefighters as they slid down the pole from their upstairs quarters.

(Start, Turner, Gardhouse, Bennett, Historic Public Buildings of Woodstock, Ontario) The old Armouries was erected in 1904 by Nagle and Mills of Ingersoll as the home of the Oxford Rifles until 1954.

The crenelated towers give it an appearance of heavy fortification, and its architecture reveals function through its exterior form, making interesting use of stone and brick.

In 1971, after being declared surplus to Department of National Defence needs, it was transformed into offices for the Oxford County Board of Education, at which times its two wrought-iron spiral staircases (valued at $3000) were sold at public auction for $250 apiece.

Its walls are two feet thick and its roof is said to be filled with sand, making the structure fireproof, and conforming to design plans common to registry offices of that era in Ontario.

A plaque for James Hay, a well-known industrialist born in Woodstock, who was one of the founders of the Board of Trade in 1878, elected to Town Council in 1880 and Mayor between 1893 and 1894.

Most notable is Southside Park, which has a playground, baseball diamonds, public washrooms, soccer fields, gardens, and a new Skatepark.

In June 2005, Toyota announced plans to build a new, $1.1 billion CAD automobile assembly plant in Woodstock on a 1,000-acre (4.0 km2) undeveloped site in the city's northeast end.

The plant was expected to employ 2000 people and begin full production of the Toyota RAV4 SUV in November 2008, at the rate of 150,000 a year.

However, because of slowing car sales and bleeding market share to South Korean marques, Toyota cut production by 50% to 75,000 a year and reduced the work force 40% to 1,200 people.

In early March 2006, Hino Motors, a Toyota Motor Co. subsidiary, announced that it will be the first Japanese truck manufacturer to build its vehicles in Canada with a new Woodstock plant slated to begin production in April 2006, in the former General Seating plant in the Pattullo Ridge Business Park near Highway 401 and Highway 59.

[22] For intercity travel Via Rail operates a train station in the city, offering Quebec City-Windsor corridor service to Toronto, Windsor, and points in between.