Crosshill

A true crossroads hamlet in Wellesley Township: maple syrup country and Mennonite farms. Crosshill sits at the centre of the township, with farm fields on every side. The stone Council Chambers, built in 1855 and still in use, stands at the corner. A former stone schoolhouse, a red-brick former general store, a former hotel and a Mennonite church from 1888 line the roads nearby. From the crossroads the countryside opens out in long views across the township.

Crosshill was settled by Scottish families from 1843 and is named for Crosshill in Ayrshire. In 1853 the township decided to build its new hall here, at "the geographic centre of the Township". The Council Chambers, built in 1855, are the oldest municipal building still used by a council in Waterloo Region.

The 2021 census does not count Crosshill on its own. It is part of the Wellesley countryside, which had about 1,330 homes outside the villages. About four in five of those homes are single detached houses, and most of the rest are semi-detached. About two in five were built in 1960 or earlier. In the village itself, homes stand on large lots around the crossroads.

Crosshill is about 23 km by road from Uptown Waterloo, a drive of about 25 minutes, by Lobsinger Line and Conestoga Parkway (Highway 85). Wellesley Village is about 6 km south, and Linwood is about 7 km north. Highway 401 is reached through Kitchener. Grand River Transit does not yet serve the township.

The Township of Wellesley's offices and Council Chambers are in the village. The nearest library, arena and parks are in Wellesley Village, about 6 km south, and in Linwood, about 7 km north. Rushes Cemetery, south of the village, is one of the oldest in the township.

• Linwood Public School — JK to Grade 8. The public elementary school for the north side of the village, in Linwood.
• Wellesley Public School — JK to Grade 8. The public elementary school for the south side of the village, in Wellesley Village.
• Elmira District Secondary School — Grades 9 to 12. The public secondary school for the north side of the village, in Elmira.
• Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School — Grades 9 to 12. The public secondary school for the south side of the village, in Baden.
• St. Clement Catholic Elementary School — JK to Grade 8. The nearest Catholic elementary school, in St. Clements, about 9 km away.
• St. David Catholic Secondary School — Grades 9 to 12. The Catholic secondary school that St. Clement students go on to, in Waterloo.