Wilsonton, a residential suburb, is generally six km north-west of central Toowoomba. A post World War II suburb, Wilsonton adjoined the former Jondaryan Shire. The suburb was possibly named after James Wilson, a businessman and supporter of the Toowoomba Agricultural Society.
The Wilsonton primary school was opened in 1894 for a community of farmers, several with German names. The post office directory, 1902, recorded over 50 farm families, along with a general store, a postal receiving office and a soap maker. The directory of 1925 also recorded a Lutheran church, which had been in Wilsonton since 1889, and several milk vendors and dairymen.
Wilsonton had ample space for the Toowoomba Airport, an industrial estate and a centre for agricultural education. In 1972 the Wilsonton Hotel-Motel on the Warrego Highway was opened, soon becoming Queensland's leading outlet for liquor sales. A shopping complex was added in 1976. A Catholic primary school, Sacred Heart, was opened in 1970, but State schools were not opened for another 25 years or more. Fairview Heights primary, not far from Jondaryan Shire's border, opened in 1995 and a long-awaited Wilsonton campus of Toowoomba High opened in 1998 on the former agricultural education centre. It was Toowoomba's fourth high school.
Wilsonton's census populations have been:
| Census Date | Population |
|---|---|
| 1911 | 218 |
| 1933 | 233 |
| 2006 | 8640 |
| 2011 | 5986 |
