Markham () is a city in the
Regional Municipality of York
The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. The region was established after the passing of then Bill 102, An Act to Establish The Regiona ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada. It is approximately northeast of
Downtown Toronto. In the
2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503,
which ranked it the largest in York Region, fourth largest in the
Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and
16th largest in Canada.
The city gained its name from the first
Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada,
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British Army general and the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796 in southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. He founded Yor ...
(in office 1791–1796), who named the area after his friend,
William Markham, the
Archbishop of York
The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers ...
from 1776 to 1807.
Indigenous people lived in the area of present-day Markham for thousands of years before Europeans arrived in the area.
The first European settlement in Markham occurred when
William Berczy, a German artist and developer, led a group of approximately sixty-four German families to North America. While they planned to settle in New York, disputes over finances and land tenure led Berczy to negotiate with Simcoe for in what would later become Markham Township in 1794. Since the 1970s, Markham rapidly shifted from being an agricultural community to an industrialized municipality due to
urban sprawl
Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...
from neighbouring
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
. Markham changed its status from town to city on July 1, 2012.
["Markham to change from town to city"](_blank)
. CBC News
CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca ...
, May 30, 2012.
, tertiary industry mainly drives Markham. , "business services" employed the largest proportion of workers in Markham – nearly 22% of its labour force.
The city also has over 1,000 technology and life-sciences companies, with
IBM as the city's largest employer. Several multinational companies have their Canadian headquarters in Markham, including:
Honda Canada,
Hyundai Hyundai is a South Korean industrial conglomerate (" chaebol"), which was restructured into the following groups:
* Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested
** Hyundai Mobis, Korean car parts company
** Hyundai A ...
,
Advanced Micro Devices,
Johnson & Johnson,
General Motors,
Avaya,
IBM,
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent public companies, Motorola ...
,
Oracle,
Toshiba,
Toyota Financial Services
The business known as Toyota Financial Services covers more than 30 countries and regions, including Japan. Financial services operations are coordinated by a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation
is a Japanese multinationa ...
,
Huawei
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ( ; ) is a Chinese multinational technology corporation headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops, produces and sells telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics and various sma ...
,
Honeywell
Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...
and
Scholastic Canada
Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...
.
History
Indigenous people lived in the area of present-day Markham since the end of the last Ice Age and the city is situated on the traditional territory of the
Haudenosaunee
The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...
(
Iroquois
The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...
),
Huron Wendat,
Petun and
Neutral people.
In the early 1600s, when explorers from France arrived, they encountered the Huron-Wendat First Nation.
The southwest corner of Markham is included in Treaty 13, known as the
Toronto Purchase of 1787, which transferred roughly 250,800 acres of land from the Mississauga people to the British Crown for 10 shillings and fishing rights on the Etobicoke river.
The remainder of Markham's land (roughly east of Woodbine Avenue/Highway 404) is covered by the Johnson-Butler Purchase of 1787-88 (aka Gunshot Treaty) and formally by the Williams Treaties, signed in 1923.
Objects recovered by local mill-owners, the Milne family, in the 1870s give evidence of a village within the boundaries of the present Milne Conservation Area.
The
Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada,
John Graves Simcoe (in office 1791–1796), named the
township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, ...
of Markham, north of the town of
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
(now
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
), after his friend
William Markham, then
Archbishop of York
The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers ...
.
William Berczy first surveyed Markham as a township in 1793, and in 1794 led 75 German families (including the Ramers, Reesors, Wheters, Burkholders, Bunkers, Wicks and Lewis) from
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York (state), New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upsta ...
to an area of Markham now known as
German Mills
German Mills is a community within the city of Markham in Ontario, Canada. The easternmost community in the historic town of Thornhill, German Mills was named for the early German settlers in the area.
History
German Mills is closely associa ...
. Each family was granted of land; however the lack of roads in the region led many to settle in
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
(present-day Toronto) and
Niagara. German Mills later became a
ghost town
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...
. Between 1803 and 1812 another attempt at settling the region was made. The largest group of settlers were
Pennsylvania Dutch, most of them
Mennonite
Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the R ...
s. These highly skilled craftsmen and knowledgeable farmers settled the region and founded Reesorville, named after the Mennonite settler Joseph Reesor. In 1825 Reesorville was renamed to Markham, having taken the name of the unincorporated
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
(see
Markham Village, Ontario).
By 1830 many
Irish,
Scottish and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
families began immigrating to
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North Americ ...
and settling in Markham. Markham's early years blended the rigours of the
frontier with the development of agriculture-based industries. The township's many rivers and streams soon supported water-powered saws and
gristmill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...
s and later wooden mills. With improved transportation routes, such as the construction of
Yonge Street in the 1800s, along with the growing population, urbanization increased. In 1842 the township population had reached 5,698; were under cultivation (second highest in the
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
), and the township had eleven gristmills and twenty-four sawmills.
In 1846 Smith's ''Canadian Gazetteer'' indicated a population of about 300, mostly Canadians, Pennsylvanian Dutch (actually Pennsylvania Deitsch or German), other Germans, Americans, Irish and a few from Britain. There were two churches with a third being built. There were tradesmen of various types, a grist mill, an oatmill mill, five stores, a distillery and a threshing-machine maker. There were eleven grist and twenty-four saw mills in the surrounding township. In 1850 the first form of structured municipal government formed in Markham.
By 1857 most of the township had been cleared of timber and was under cultivation. Villages like
Thornhill,
Unionville and Markham greatly expanded. In 1851 Markham Village "was a considerable village, containing between eight and nine hundred inhabitants, pleasantly situated on the Rouge River. It contains two grist mills ... a woollen factory, oatmeal mill, barley mill and distillery, foundry, two tanneries, brewery, etc., a temperance hall and four churches... ." In 1871, with a township population of 8,152, the
Toronto and Nipissing Railway
The Toronto and Nipissing Railway (T&N) was the first public narrow-gauge railway in North America. It chartered in 1868 to build from Toronto to Lake Nipissing in Ontario, Canada, via York, Ontario, and Victoria counties. At Nipissing it wo ...
built the first rail line to Markham Village and Unionville, which is still used today by the
GO Transit
GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven mil ...
commuter services.
In 1971 Markham was incorporated as a town, as its population skyrocketed due to
urban sprawl
Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...
from Toronto. In 1976 Markham's population was approximately 56,000. Since that time, the population has more than quintupled, with explosive growth in new subdivisions. Much of Markham's
farmland
Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bo ...
has disappeared, but some still remains north of
Major Mackenzie Drive. Controversy over the development of the environmentally-sensitive
Oak Ridges Moraine will likely curb development north of Major Mackenzie Drive and by
Rouge National Urban Park east of Reesor Road between Major Mackenzie Drive to Steeles Avenue East to the south.
Since the 1980s Markham has been recognized as a suburb of Toronto. the city comprises six major communities:
Berczy Village,
Cornell
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
, Markham Village,
Milliken, Thornhill and Unionville. Many high-tech companies have established
head offices in Markham, attracted by the relative abundance of land, low tax-rates and good transportation routes.
Broadcom Canada, ATI Technologies (now known as AMD Graphics Product Group),
IBM Canada, Motorola Canada, Honeywell Canada and many other well-known companies have chosen Markham as their home in Canada. The city has accordingly started branding itself as Canada's "High-Tech Capital". The province of Ontario has erected a historical plaque in front of the
Markham Museum to commemorate the founding of Markham's role in Ontario's heritage.
Town council voted on May 29, 2012, to change Markham's legal designation from "town" to "city"; according to Councillor Alex Chiu, who introduced the motion, the change of designation merely reflects the fact that many people already think of Markham as a city.
Some residents objected to the change because it will involve unknown costs without any demonstrated benefits. The designation officially took effect on July 1.
Geography
Markham covers and Markham's city centre is at . It is bounded by five municipalities; in the west is
Vaughan with the boundary along Yonge Street between
Steeles Avenue and
Highway 7 and
Richmond Hill with the boundary along Highway 7 from Yonge Street to
Highway 404
The following highways are numbered 404:
Australia
- Victoria
Canada
* Manitoba Provincial Road 404
* Newfoundland and Labrador Route 404
* Ontario Highway 404
Costa Rica
* National Route 404 (Costa Rica), National Route 404
Israel
* Highway ...
and at Highway 404 from Highway 7 to 19th Avenue and
Stouffville Road. In the south, it borders Toronto with the boundary along Steeles Avenue. In the north it borders
Whitchurch–Stouffville
Whitchurch-Stouffville ( 2021 population 49,864) is a town in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada, approximately north of downtown Toronto, and north-east of Toronto Pearson International Airport. It is in area, and located in t ...
with the boundary from Highway 404 to York-Durham Line between 19th Avenue and Stouffville Road. In the east it borders
Pickering along York-Durham Line.
Topography
Markham's average altitude is at and in general consists of gently rolling hills. The city is intersected by two rivers; the
Don River and
Rouge River, as well as their tributaries. To the north is the Oak Ridges Moraine, which further elevates the elevation towards the north.
Climate
Markham borders and shares the same
climate as Toronto. On an average day, Markham is generally cooler than in
downtown Toronto. It has a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
''Dfb'') and features warm, humid summers with rainfall occurring from May to October and cold, snowy winters. The highest temperature recorded was on August 8, 2001 during the
eastern North America heat wave and the lowest temperature recorded was on January 16, 1994, during the
1994 North American cold wave
The 1994 North American cold wave occurred over the midwestern and eastern regions of the United States and southern Canada in January 1994, which caused over 100 deaths in the United States alone. Two notable cold air events took place from Janu ...
.
Neighbourhoods
Markham is made up of many original 19th-century communities, each with a distinctive character. Many of these, despite being technically suburban districts today, are still signed with official "city limits" signs on major roads:
* Almira
*
Angus Glen
*
Armadale
* Bayview Glen
*
Berczy Village
*
Box Grove
*
Brown's Corners
* Bullock
*
Buttonville
*
Cachet
*
Cashel
*
Cathedraltown
*
Cedar Grove
* Cedarwood
*
Cornell
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
* Crosby
*
Dollar
*
Downtown Markham
*
Dickson's Hill
*
German Mills
German Mills is a community within the city of Markham in Ontario, Canada. The easternmost community in the historic town of Thornhill, German Mills was named for the early German settlers in the area.
History
German Mills is closely associa ...
*
Greensborough
*
Hagerman's Corners
*
Langstaff
* Legacy
*
Locust Hill
*
Markham Village
* Middlefield
*
Milliken Mills
*
Milnesville
*
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million ...
*
Mount Joy
*
Quantztown
*
Raymerville – Markville East
* Rouge Fairways
* Sherwood – Amber Glen
*
South Unionville
*
Thornhill
*
Underwood, Ontario
*
Unionville
* Uptown Markham
*
Victoria Square
*
Vinegar Hill
Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to eth ...
*
Wismer Commons
Thornhill and Unionville are popularly seen as being separate communities. Thornhill straddles the Markham-Vaughan municipal boundary (portions of it in both municipalities). Unionville is a single community with three sub-communities:
* Original Unionville is along Highway 7 and Kennedy Road
* South Unionville is a newer residential community (beginning from the 1990s onwards) south of Highway 7 to Highway 407 and from McCowan to Kennedy Road
* Upper Unionville is a new residential development built on the northeast corner of 16th Avenue and Kennedy Road
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultu ...
, Markham had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
In the 2021 census, the most reported ethnocultural background was
Chinese (47.9%), followed by
European (17.7%),
South Asian (17.6%),
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...
(3.1%),
West Asian
Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes An ...
(2.9%),
Filipino (2.7%),
Korean (1.3%),
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
(1.0%),
Latin American (0.8%), and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
n (0.7%).
The most common ethnic or cultural origins as per the 2021 census are as follows: Chinese (43.3%), Indian (7.0%), Canadian (4.0%), English (3.8%), Hong Konger (3.7%), Sri Lankan (3.3%), Tamil (3.1%), Irish (3.1%), Scottish (3.1%), Filipino (2.9%), Italian (2.8%), Pakistani (2.1%), and Iranian (2.0%).
In 2021, 40.8% of the population did not identify with a particular religion. The most reported religions were
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
(35.1%),
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
(9.2%),
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
(7.9%),
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
(4.0%),
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...
(1.4%), and
Sikhism
Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...
(1.1%).
Government
City Council
Markham City Council consists of
Frank Scarpitti as mayor, four regional councillors and eight ward councillors each representing one of the city's eight wards. Scarpitti replaced
Don Cousens
W. Donald Cousens (20 July 1938 – 23 February 2017) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1994, and briefly served as a cabinet minister in the gover ...
, a former
Progressive Conservative MPP for
Markham and a
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...
church minister. The community elects the mayor and four regional councillors to represent the City of Markham at the regional level. The municipality pays the Councillors for their services, but in many municipalities, members of council usually serve part-time and work at other jobs. Residents elected the current members of council to a four-year term of office, in accordance with standards set by the province. The selection of members for the offices of mayor and regional councillors are made town-wide, while ward councillors are elected by individual ward.
Markham Civic Centre
The city council is at the
Markham Civic Centre at the intersection of York Regional Road 7 and
Warden Avenue. The site of the previous offices on
Woodbine Avenue has been redeveloped for commercial uses. The historic town hall on
Main Street is now a restored office building. The Mayor's Youth Task Force was created to discuss issues facing young people in the city and to plan and publicize events. Its primary purpose is to encourage youth participation within the community.
Elections
Municipal elections are held every four years in Ontario. The most recent election took place in October, 2018, and the next is scheduled for October, 2022. The links listed below provide the results of recent election results:
*
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
*
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...
*
2010
*
2006
By-laws
The city is permitted to create and enforce by-laws upon residents on various matters affecting the town. The by-laws are generally enforced by City By-Law enforcement officers, but they may involve
York Regional Police if violations are deemed too dangerous for the officers to handle. In addition the by-laws can be linked to various provincial acts and enforced by the town. Violation of by-laws is subject to fines of up to $20,000 CAD. The by-laws of Markham include:
* Animal Control (see Dog Owners' Liability Act of Ontario)
* Construction Permits
* Cannabis
* Driveway Extensions
* Fencing and Swimming Pools
* Heritage Conservation (see
Ontario Heritage Act)
* Home-Based Businesses
* Noise
* Parking
* Property Standards
* Registration of Basement Apartments and Second Suites
* Sewers
* Site Alteration
* Waste Collection
* Water Use
City services
Courts and police
There are no courts in Markham, but the city is served by an
Ontario Court of Justice
The Ontario Court of Justice is the provincial court of record for the Canadian province of Ontario. The court sits at more than 200 locations across the province and oversees matters relating to family law, criminal law, and provincial offenc ...
in
Newmarket, as well as an Ontario Small Claims court in Richmond Hill. There are also served by a Provincial Offence Court in Richmond Hill. The
Ontario Court of Appeal
The Court of Appeal for Ontario (frequently referred to as the Ontario Court of Appeal or ONCA) is the appellate court for the province of Ontario, Canada. The seat of the court is Osgoode Hall in downtown Toronto, also the seat of the Law So ...
is in Toronto, while the
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...
is in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...
, Ontario.
Policing is provided by
York Regional Police at a station (5 District) at the corner of
McCowan Road McCowan can refer to the following:
* McCowan Baronets, British baronetcy
* Millar McCowan, Scottish confectionery company
* McCowan (surname)
* McCowan Road, a major thoroughfare in Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
** A local name for York ...
and Carlton Road and Highway 7. Highway 404,
Highway 407
The following highways are numbered 407:
Canada
* Manitoba Provincial Road 407
* Newfoundland and Labrador Route 407
* Ontario Highway 407
King's Highway 407, commonly referred to as Highway 407 and colloquially as the "four-oh-seven", is a ...
and parts of
Highway 48 are patrolled by the
Ontario Provincial Police.
Toronto Police Service is responsible for patrol on Steeles from Yonge Street to the
York—Durham Line.
Fire
Markham Fire and Emergency Services was established in 1970 as Markham Fire Department and replaced various local volunteer fire units. Nine fire stations serve Markham.
Toronto/Buttonville Municipal Airport
Buttonville Municipal Airport or Toronto/Buttonville Municipal Airport is a medium-sized airport in the neighbourhood of Buttonville in Markham, Ontario, Canada, north of Toronto. It is operated by Torontair. Due to its proximity to Toronto's ...
is also served by Markham's Fire service.
Hospitals
Markham Stouffville Hospital in the city's far eastern end is Markham's main healthcare facility, located at the intersection of Highway 7 and 9th Line (407 and Donald Cousens Parkway). Markham is also home to
Shouldice Hospital, one of the world's premier facilities for people suffering from
hernia
A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the groin. Groin her ...
s. For those living near
Steeles, they sometimes will be able to receive treatment at
The Scarborough Hospital Birchmount Campus in Toronto/
Scarborough.
North York General Hospital also serves for 24/7 care, serving
North York and the lower
Markham area.
Garbage collection
Garbage collection
Waste collection is a part of the process of waste management. It is the transfer of solid waste from the point of use and disposal to the point of treatment or landfill. Waste collection also includes the curbside collection of recyclabl ...
is provided by
Miller Waste Systems since the company's founding in 1961. Different areas of the city are assigned different garbage collection days.
Recycling
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The Energy recycling, recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability t ...
is collected weekly, while
household trash and
yard waste is collected every other week. The last week of May is "Bulk Collection", where residents can put out as much waste as needed without limits.
To promote recycling, Markham mandated the use of clear garbage bags in 2013 to let Miller Waste staff see the contents of trash bags. Bags containing high amounts of recycling mixed with regular trash will not be collected.
Winter operations
Winter operations are conducted on all City-owned roads according to the following criteria:
* Primary roads plowed and salted 24/7 when snow reaches 5 cm
* Secondary roads plowed between the hours of 7am and 6pm when snow reaches 5 cm
* Local roads,
cul-de-sacs, and private lanes plowed when snow reaches at least 7.5 cm
* Salting is done when roads are found to be slippery
Plowing of all roads takes around 16 hours to complete after the end of a snowfall, which exceeds provincial standards.
Winter operations are conducted on all City-owned sidewalks according to the following criteria:
* Plowed and sanded when snow reaches 5 cm
Plowing of all sidewalks takes around 17 hours to complete after the end of a snowfall.
Parking is only permitted on the odd numbered side of a street from November 15 to April 15 and parking is banned when snow is falling.
Education
Post-secondary
Seneca College has a campus in Markham, at Highway 7 and the 404 near Woodbine Avenue/Leslie Street, in the York Region business district. This location opened in 2005, offering full and part-time programs in business, marketing and tourism, and also the college's departments of Finance, Human Resources and Information Technology Services. Since 2011 the campus has also housed the
Confucius Institute.
York University
York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,000 faculty and sta ...
has plans to open a new campus in Downtown Markham on Enterprise Dr and Kennedy Rd (near Markham YMCA). It will serve the entirety of
York Region and upper
Scarborough.
Primary and secondary schools
Markham has a number of both
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
and Catholic
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
s. All have consistently scored high on standardized tests and have some of the highest rate of graduates attending universities.
The
York Region District School Board operates secular English public schools. The
York Catholic District School Board operates English Catholic schools. The ''
Conseil scolaire Viamonde'' operates secular French schools, and the ''
Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir'' operates Catholic French schools.
* York Region District School Board
**
Bill Crothers Secondary School
Bill Crothers Secondary School is an athletic based High school in the community of Unionville in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It was the newest secondary school in the York Region District School Board for a number of years, since 2008. Named for ...
**
Bill Hogarth Secondary School
Bill Hogarth Secondary School is a public high school in Markham, Ontario, Canada operated by the York Region District School Board. It opened in November 2017 for students in grades 9 and 10, some of whom were transferred from Pierre Elliott Tru ...
**
Bur Oak Secondary School
**
Markham District High School
Markham District High School (or MDHS) is a public high school in the city of Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is one of 32 high schools in the York Region District School Board. Until the 2016–17 academic year, it was the only publicly funded ...
**
Markville Secondary School
Markville Secondary School (commonly known as MSS or Markville) is a public high school located in the community of Unionville within the city of Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is one of 32 high schools administered by the York Region District Sch ...
**
Middlefield Collegiate Institute
Middlefield Collegiate Institute (MCI) is a semestered, public high school in the neighbourhood of East Milliken in the city of Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the York Region District School Board. It is located in southeast Markham, bor ...
**
Milliken Mills High School
Milliken Mills High School is a high school in the city of Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is one of 33 high schools in the York Region District School Board.
The high school's construction was not scheduled to finish until January 1989 because ...
**
Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School
Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School (french: École secondaire Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau, commonly known as PETHS, PET, or Trudeau) is a public, bilingual English and French-immersion secondary school in Markham, Ontario. It was named in honour ...
**
Thornhill Secondary School
Thornhill Secondary School (TSS) is a secondary school in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1955, the school is administered by the York Region District School Board system.
History
Originally it served as an elementary school, but in 19 ...
**
Thornlea Secondary School
**
Unionville High School
* York Catholic District School Board
**
St. Brother André Catholic High School
**
St. Augustine Catholic High School
**
St. Robert Catholic High School
**
Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy
Economy
In the 19th century Markham had a vibrant, independent community with mills, distilleries and breweries around the intersection of Highway 7 and Markham Road. The
Thomas Speight Wagon Works
Thomas Speight Wagon Works was a Canadian carriage builder based in Markham, Ontario and was the biggest supplier of horsecars for the Toronto Street Railways, but took orders as far west as Winnipeg, Manitoba.
History
In 1830, Thomas Speight o ...
exported products (wagons, horsecars) around the world, and Markham had a reputation as being more active than York (the former name for Toronto) early on. Most of these industries disappeared leaving farming as the main source of business.
Light industries and businesses began to move into Markham in the 1980s attracted by land and lower taxes. Today, it claims to be "Canada's Hi-Tech Capital" with a number of key companies in the area, such as IBM, Motorola, Toshiba,
Honeywell
Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...
, Apple,
Genesis Microchip, and is home to the head office of graphics card producer
ATI Technologies (in 2006 merged with AMD). Over 1,100 technology and life science companies have offices in Markham, employing over one fifth of the total workforce. In 2014, the top five employers in the city in order are IBM Canada, the City of Markham,
TD Waterhouse Inc.,
Markham Stouffville Hospital and
AMD Technologies Inc.
Yogen Früz has its headquarters in Markham.
General Motors Canada Canadian Technical Centre has been located in Markham since 2017, in the building which was formerly the Canadian head office of
American Express from 1985–2015.
Performing arts
Markham is home to several locally oriented performing arts groups:
* Kindred Spirits Orchestra
* Markham Little Theatre
* Markham Youth Theatre
* Unionville Theatre Company
* Markham Concert Band
A key arts venue is the 'Markham Theatre For Performing Arts', at the Markham Civic Centre at Highway 7 and Warden Avenue. The facility is owned by the City of Markham and operates under the city's Culture Department.
Culture
Until the 1970s, Markham was mostly farmland and marsh, as reflected in events like the
Markham Fair. Markham has several theatres, Markham Little Theatre at the
Markham Museum, the ''Markham Youth Theatre'', and the
Markham Theatre
The Flato Markham Theatre is a public arts complex located at 171 Town Centre Boulevard in the city of Markham, Ontario, Canada.
The theatre initially opened in 1985 for local and school based productions. The theatre is best known for its perf ...
.
The
Varley Art Gallery is the city of Markham's art museum. The gallery hosts rotating exhibits, public events, art camps and art classes, among other opportunities for citizens to get involved in the community and learn about local and
Canadian art.
The
Markham Public Library system has eight branches. Some branches offer unique digital tools such as a
Digital Media lab with
graphic designs software, a recording studio with
video editing /
audio editing software and a green screen, and a maker space with
3D printers,
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), edu ...
, and
laser cutters
Laser cutting is a technology that uses a laser to vaporize materials, resulting in a cut edge. While typically used for industrial manufacturing applications, it is now used by schools, small businesses, architecture, and hobbyists. Laser cutt ...
. With a library card, user can take free
online courses
Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, edtech, it often refer ...
, borrow household tools and equipment and educational toys.
Sports
Community centres and recreational facilities
Recreation Department runs programs in these facilities and maintained by the city's Operations Department:
*
Aaniin Community Centre – library, indoor pool, multi-purpose rooms
* Angus Glen Community Centre – library, tennis courts, indoor pool
* Armadale Community Centre – multi-purpose rooms, outdoor tennis courts
* Centennial Community Centre – multi-purpose rooms, indoor ice rink, indoor pool, squash courts, gym
*
Cornell Community Centre
Cornell University is a Private Ivy League university, private Statutory college, statutory Land-grant university, land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and ...
– library, indoor pool, multi-purpose rooms, gym, indoor track, fitness centre
* Crosby Community Centre – indoor ice rink, multi-purpose rooms
*
Markham Pan Am Centre – indoor pools, gym, fitness centre
* Markham Village Community Centre – library, indoor ice rink
* Milliken Mills Community Centre – library, indoor pool, multi-purpose rooms, indoor ice rink
* Mount Joy Community Centre – outdoor soccer pitches, indoor ice rink, multi-purpose rooms
* R.J. Clatworthy Community Centre – indoor ice rink, multi-purpose rooms
* Rouge River Community Centre – multi-purpose rooms, outdoor pool
* Thornhill Community Centre – indoor ice rink, multi-purpose rooms, indoor track, library, squash court, gym
Parks and pathways
Markham has scenic pathways running over 22 km over its region. These pathways include 12 bridges allowing walkers, joggers, and cyclists to make use and enjoy the sights it has to offer. Markham's green space includes woodlots, ravines, and valleys that are not only enjoyable to its residents, but are important for the continued growth of the region's plants and animals. These natural spaces are the habitats for rare plant and insect species, offering food and homes essential for the survival of different native insects and birds.
Parks and pathways are maintained by the City's Operations Department.
Attractions
Markham has retained its historic past in part of the town. Here a just few places of interest:
*
Frederick Horsman Varley Art Gallery
*
Heintzman House – Home of Colonel George Crookshank, Sam Francis and Charles Heintzman of
Heintzman & Co., the piano manufacturer.
*
Markham Museum
* Markham Village
* Markham Heritage Estates – a unique, specially designed heritage subdivision owned by the City of Markham
Reesor Farm Market*
Cathedral of the Transfiguration
*
Thornhill village
Heritage streets preserve the old town feeling:
*
Main Street Markham (Markham Road/Highway 48)
*
Main Street Unionville (
Kennedy Road/Highway 7)
There are still farms operating in the northern reaches of the town, but there are a few 'theme' farms in other parts of Markham:
* Galten Farms
* Forsythe Family Farms
* Adventure Valley
Markham's heritage railway stations are either an active station or converted to other uses:
*
Markham GO Station – built in 1871 by
Toronto and Nipissing Railway
The Toronto and Nipissing Railway (T&N) was the first public narrow-gauge railway in North America. It chartered in 1868 to build from Toronto to Lake Nipissing in Ontario, Canada, via York, Ontario, and Victoria counties. At Nipissing it wo ...
and last used by CN Rail in the 1990s and restored in 2000 as active GO station and community use
*
Locust Hill Station – built in 1936 in
Locust Hill, Ontario and last used by the CPR in 1969; relocated in 1983 to the grounds of the Markham Museum; replaced earlier station built in the late 19th century for the
Ontario and Quebec Railway and burned down in 1935.
*
Unionville Station – built in 1871 by the
Toronto and Nipissing Railway
The Toronto and Nipissing Railway (T&N) was the first public narrow-gauge railway in North America. It chartered in 1868 to build from Toronto to Lake Nipissing in Ontario, Canada, via York, Ontario, and Victoria counties. At Nipissing it wo ...
, later by
Via Rail and by
GO Transit
GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven mil ...
from 1982 to 1991; it was sold to the city in 1989 and restored as a community centre within the historic Unionville Main Street area. The building features classic Canadian Railway Style found in Markham and (old) Unionville Stations.
Annual events
Events taking place annually include the Night It Up! Night Market,
Taste of Asia Festival, Tony Roman Memorial Hockey Tournament, Markham Youth Week, Unionville Festival, Markham Village Music Festival, Markham Jazz Festival, Milliken Mills Children's Festival, Markham Ribfest & Music Festival, Doors Open Markham, Thornhill Village Festival,
Markham Fair, Olde Tyme Christmas Unionville, Markham Santa Claus Parade and Markham Festival of Lights.
Shopping
Markham is home to several large malls of 100+ stores. These include:
*
CF Markville
CF Markville, also known as Markville Shopping Centre in the Cadillac Fairview chain of malls, is a shopping mall of over 140 stores in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the intersection of Highway 7 East and McCowan Road. Its anchors ...
(160+ stores)
*
First Markham Place (180 stores) and Woodside Power Centre
*
King Square Shopping Mall (500+ mini-shops)
*
Langham Square (700 stores)
*
Pacific Mall (450 mini-shops)
There are also a lot of higher-profile malls in nearby Toronto, and elsewhere in York Region.
East Asian businesses
Many shopping centres in Markham are also ethnically Chinese and East Asian-oriented. This is a reflection of Markham's large
East Asian, particularly
Chinese Canadian, population making it an important
Chinese community in the GTA. They carry a wide variety of traditional Chinese products, apparel, and foods.
On Highway 7, between Woodbine and Warden Avenues, is First Markham Place, containing numerous shops and restaurants; this is several kilometres east of Richmond Hill's Chinese malls. Further east along Highway 7 is an older plaza is at the southwest quadrant with the intersection with Kennedy Road.
Pacific Mall is the most well-known Chinese mall in Markham, at Kennedy Road and Steeles Avenue East, which, combined with neighbouring Market Village (now closed) and
Splendid China Mall, formed the second largest Chinese shopping area in North America, after the
Golden Village
Golden Village is a cinema operator based in Singapore, fully owned by Orange Sky Golden Harvest of Hong Kong. It was initially set up as a 50:50 joint venture between Golden Harvest (predecessor of Orange Sky Golden Harvest) and Village Ro ...
in
Richmond, British Columbia. In close proximity, at Steeles Avenue and Warden Avenue, there is the New Century Plaza mall and a half-block away there is a plaza of Chinese shops anchored by a
T & T Supermarket
T&T Supermarket () is a Canadian supermarket chain that sells primarily Asian foods. The company is headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia. In 1993, the first T&T was opened in Burnaby's Metropolis at Metrotown, a shopping centre in the ...
.
There are also some smaller shopping centres in Markham, such as:
* Albion Mall
* Alderland Centre
* Denison Centre
* J-Town
* Markham Town Square
* Metro Square
* Peachtree Centre
* New Kennedy Square
*
The Shops on Steeles and 404
The Shops on Steeles and 404 is a small 70-store community mall at the corner of Steeles Avenue East and Don Mills Road in Markham, Ontario. Aside from a few chains, the mall is mostly independent stores.
History
Sears Canada used to be a major ...
* Thornhill Square Shopping Centre
Local media
* ''Markham Review'' – local monthly newspaper
* ''TLM The Local Magazine'' – local satire & lifestyle magazine
* ''
Markham Economist and Sun'' – community paper owned by
Metroland Media Group
* ''The Liberal'' – serving Thornhill and Richmond Hill – community paper owned by
Metroland Media Group
* ''The York Region Business Times'' – business news
* ''York Region Media Group'' – Online news which includes some Metroland Media papers
* ''North of the City'' – magazine for York Region
* Rogers Cable 10 – community TV station for York Region, owned by
Rogers Media
* ''Markham News24' – Hyper-local, video-based news website focusing on municipal politics, crime, lifestyle and business features
*
''Sing Tao Daily'' – an ethnic Chinese newspaper that serves the
Greater Toronto Area
Transportation
Roads
Road network
Markham's road network is based on the concession system. In 1801, Markham was divided into 10
concessions, with a north–south road separating each one. The concessions were further divided by a number of east–west sideroads. This formed a
grid plan road network, with an intersection occurring approximately every two kilometers. Even though some of these roads have been realigned, Markham's present road network for the most part still follows the original grid plan.
Markham's concession (north–south) arterial roads are listed below, ordered from west to east (former numbers in parenthesis):
*
Yonge Street (boundary with the City of Vaughan)
*
Bayview Avenue
* Leslie Street
*
Woodbine Avenue
* Warden Avenue (5th Concession Road)
* Kennedy Road (6th Concession Road)
* McCowan Road (7th Concession Road)
* Markham Road (8th Concession Road)
Highway 48 north of Major Mackenzie Drive
* Ninth Line (9th Concession Road)
* Reesor Road (10th Concession Road)
* Eleventh Line (11th Concession Road)
* York-Durham Line (boundary with the
City of Pickering)
Reesor Road and Eleventh Line are the only north-south roads to not be regional roads. These two roads are rural routes with very few homes and minimal traffic and Eleventh Line ends just south of Highway 407 with road rerouted (old section fenced off with partial gravel bed) to intersect with York-Durham Line.
Markham's sideroad (east–west) arterials are listed below, ordered from south to north (former numbers in parenthesis):
*
Steeles Avenue (original Scarborough Townline, boundary with the
City of Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
)
* 14th Avenue
* Regional Road 7 (formerly
Highway 7 and originally 15th Avenue)
* 16th Avenue
* Major Mackenzie Drive East (17th Avenue)
* Elgin Mills Road East (18th Avenue)
* 19th Avenue (boundary with the
Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville)
Most of Elgin Mills Road in Markham (east of Woodbine) is not be regional road. East of Donald Cousens Boulevard serves new residential developments and east is named rural and/or agricultural.
Important thoroughfares
Major highways that pass through Markham include
King's Highway 404 (from Toronto to just south of Lake Simcoe), which marks Markham's boundary with the
City of Richmond Hill, and the
407 ETR (more commonly known as Highway 407), a privately owned
toll highway that passes north of Toronto and connects Markham with
Burlington and
Oshawa. Highway 404 is one of the most important routes used for travel to and from the City of Toronto. Highway 407 primarily serves Markham from
Yonge Street to
York-Durham Line. The highway connects Markham with
Clarington
Clarington ( 2021 population 101,427) is a lower-tier municipality in the Regional Municipality of Durham in Ontario, Canada. It was incorporated in 1973 as the town of Newcastle with the merging of the town of Bowmanville, the Village of Newca ...
to the east, and
Burlington to the west.
One of the most heavily travelled arterial roads in Markham is Regional Road 7, a major east–west artery. This road is more commonly referred to as
Highway 7, a name which comes from the time when it used to be a
provincial highway. The road is still officially Highway 7 east of Reesor Road. Other major east–west routes include
16th Avenue,
Major MacKenzie Drive, the combination of John Street/Esna Park Drive/14th Avenue, and
Steeles Avenue which forms Markham's southern boundary with Toronto.
Rail
The
GO Transit
GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven mil ...
Stouffville line, a
commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
line stretching from
Lincolnville to downtown Toronto, provides passenger rail service in Markham. It operates only at rush hour and uses tracks owned by
Metrolinx, the provincial transit agency. Five stations on the
Stouffville line serve Markham, of which 4 are within the municipal borders. In 2015, Metrolinx announced that the Stouffville Line would get an expansion in service, bringing all day both directional trains from
Union Station to
Unionville GO Station
Unionville GO Station is a train and bus station in the GO Transit network located in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is a stop on the Stouffville line. The station is also served by Highway 407 East Express buses, which run westbound to Highway ...
. Markham's section of this GO line also came under the spotlight in 2015 as
City of Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
Mayor John Tory's announced
SMART Track plan for rapid transit expansion in Toronto includes the rail spur between Union Station and the Unionville GO.
On April 8, 2019, GO Transit added ten midday train trips to
Mount Joy GO Station
Mount Joy GO Station is a railway station and bus station in the GO Transit network located in the City of Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the community of Mount Joy, north of the old town of Markham, at the intersection of Markham ...
, replacing the need for passengers to change to buses at Unionville GO.
Public transit
York Region Transit (YRT) connects Markham with surrounding municipalities in York Region, and was created in 2001 from the merger of
Markham Transit,
Richmond Hill Transit,
Newmarket Transit and
Vaughan Transit. YRT to connects to the
Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway system by way of
Viva
Viva may refer to:
Companies and organisations
* Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator
* Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia
* Viva Air Dominicana
* VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company
* V ...
bus rapid transit from Finch station along Yonge Street, and Don Mills station through Unionville and on to Markville Mall.
YRT has two major terminals in Markham:
Unionville GO Terminal and the new
Cornell Terminal
Cornell Terminal is a York Region Transit bus terminus on a site immediately south of Markham Stouffville Hospital in Markham, Ontario, Canada. The station opened in September 2022 and includes a passenger pick-up and drop-off area, a public pl ...
, replacing
Markham Stouffville Hospital Bus Terminal.
The
TTC also provides service in Markham on several north–south routes, such as
Warden Avenue,
Birchmount Road,
McCowan Road McCowan can refer to the following:
* McCowan Baronets, British baronetcy
* Millar McCowan, Scottish confectionery company
* McCowan (surname)
* McCowan Road, a major thoroughfare in Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
** A local name for York ...
and
Markham Road Markham may refer to:
It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873.
Biology
* Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia
* ...
. These routes charge riders a double fare if they are travelling across the Steeles border.
GO Transit
GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven mil ...
provides train service on the old trackbed of the
Toronto and Nipissing Railway
The Toronto and Nipissing Railway (T&N) was the first public narrow-gauge railway in North America. It chartered in 1868 to build from Toronto to Lake Nipissing in Ontario, Canada, via York, Ontario, and Victoria counties. At Nipissing it wo ...
, which connects Markham with downtown Toronto on the
Stouffville
Stouffville () is the primary urban area within the town of Whitchurch-Stouffville in York Region, Ontario, Canada. It is situated within the Greater Toronto Area and the inner ring of the Golden Horseshoe. The urban area is centred at the in ...
commuter rail service. The line has stops at several stations in Markham, namely
Unionville GO Station
Unionville GO Station is a train and bus station in the GO Transit network located in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is a stop on the Stouffville line. The station is also served by Highway 407 East Express buses, which run westbound to Highway ...
,
Centennial GO Station,
Markham GO Station, and
Mount Joy GO Station
Mount Joy GO Station is a railway station and bus station in the GO Transit network located in the City of Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the community of Mount Joy, north of the old town of Markham, at the intersection of Markham ...
. The
Richmond Hill commuter rail line provides service to the
Langstaff GO Station
Langstaff GO Station is a train and bus station in the GO Transit network located in Richmond Hill, Ontario in Canada. It is a stop on the Richmond Hill line train service.
In May 2005, construction of a new and more modern station building was ...
, which straddles Markham and Richmond Hill but is used primarily by residents of west-central Markham and southern Richmond Hill.
Air
Toronto/Buttonville Municipal Airport
Buttonville Municipal Airport or Toronto/Buttonville Municipal Airport is a medium-sized airport in the neighbourhood of Buttonville in Markham, Ontario, Canada, north of Toronto. It is operated by Torontair. Due to its proximity to Toronto's ...
,
Canada's 11th busiest airport (Ontario's 4th busiest). The airport permits
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
and business commuter traffic to Ottawa and
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
, Quebec. The airport is slated to close for development, but it has been delayed until at least 2023.
Markham Airport or Toronto/Markham Airport, (TC LID: CNU8), is a private airport operating 2.6 nautical miles (4.8 km; 3.0 mi) north of Markham, north of Elgin Mills Road. The airport is owned and operated by Markham Airport Inc. and owned by a numbered Ontario company owned by the Thomson family of Toronto. The airport is not part of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA). The airport has a 2,013 ft (614 m) runway for small and private aircraft only (with night flying capabilities). The Royal Canadian Air Cadets Gliding Program formerly used the airport for glider operations in the spring and fall.
Notable people
Partner Cities
Cultural collaboration cities
*
Eabametoong First Nation,
Kenora District,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
Sister cities
Source:
*
Cary,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
, United States
*
Nördlingen
Nördlingen (; Swabian: ''Nearle'' or ''Nearleng'') is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, with a population of approximately 20,674. It is located approximately east of Stuttgart, and northwest of Munich. It wa ...
,
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
, Germany
*
Wuhan,
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The p ...
, China
Friendship cities
*
Foshan,
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
, China
*
Jiangmen
Jiangmen (), alternately romanized in Cantonese as Kongmoon, is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province in southern China. As of the 2020 census, its three urban districts, plus Heshan City being conurbated, with 2,657,662 inhabitant ...
,
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
, China
*
Meizhou,
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
, China
*
Huadu,
Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, sou ...
,
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
, China
*
Nanhai,
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
, China
*
Xiamen
Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong' ...
,
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...
, China
*
Zhongshan,
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
, China
*
Ganzhou
Ganzhou (), alternately romanized as Kanchow, is a prefecture-level city in the south of Jiangxi province, China, bordering Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, and Hunan to the west. Its administrative seat is at Zhanggong District.
Hist ...
,
Jiangxi
Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...
, China
*
Qingdao,
Shandong, China
*
Zibo,
Shandong, China
*
Mullaitivu,
Northern Province, Sri Lanka
See also
*
List of townships in Ontario
References
*
*
Notes
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Ontario
Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario
Populated places established in 1794
1794 establishments in the British Empire