Markham | |
|---|---|
| City of Markham | |
 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms  Logo | |
| Nickname: The High-Tech Capital | |
| Motto: Leading While Remembering | |
 Location of Markham within York Region | |
  Markham Markham in relation to southern Ontario | |
| Coordinates:43°52′36″N79°15′48″W / 43.87667°N 79.26333°W /43.87667; -79.26333[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Regional Municipality | York Region |
| Settled | 1794 (Thornhill and Unionville) |
| Incorporated | 1872 (village) 1971 (town) 2012 (city) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Frank Scarpitti |
| • Deputy Mayor | Michael Chan |
| • Governing Body | Markham City Council |
| • MPs | |
| • MPPs | |
| Area | |
• Total | 210.93 km2 (81.44 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 200 m (660 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 338,503 (16th) |
| • Density | 1,604.8/km2 (4,156/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Markhamite |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| Forward Sortation Area | |
| Area codes | 905, 289, 365, and 742 |
| ISO 3166-2 | CA-ON |
| GNBC Code | FDNFZ[1] |
| Website | www |
Markham (/ˈmɑːrkəm/) is a city inYork Region,Ontario, Canada. It is approximately 30 km (19 mi) northeast ofDowntown Toronto. In the2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503,[2] which ranked it the largest in York Region, fourth largest in theGreater Toronto Area (GTA), and16th largest in Canada.[3]
The city gained its name from the firstLieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada,John Graves Simcoe (in office 1791–1796), who named the area after his friend,William Markham, theArchbishop of York from 1776 to 1807.
Indigenous people lived in the area of present-day Markham for thousands of years before Europeans arrived in the area.[4] The first European settlement in Markham occurred whenWilliam 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 26,000 ha (64,000 acres) in what would later become Markham Township in 1794.[5] Since the 1970s, Markham rapidly shifted from being an agricultural community to an industrialized municipality due tourban sprawl from neighbouringToronto.[6] Markham changed its status from town to city on July 1, 2012.[7]
As of 2013[update], tertiary industry mainly drives Markham. As of 2010[update], "business services" employed the largest proportion of workers in Markham – nearly 22% of its labour force.[8]The city also has over 1,000[9] technology and life-sciences companies, withIBM as the city's largest employer.[10][11] Several multinational companies have their Canadian headquarters in Markham, including:Honda Canada,Hyundai,[12]Advanced Micro Devices,[13]Johnson & Johnson,General Motors,Avaya,[14]IBM,[15]Motorola,[16]Oracle,[17]Toshiba,[18]Toyota Financial Services,[19]Huawei,Honeywell,General Electric[20] andScholastic Canada.[21]
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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 theHaudenosaunee (Iroquois),Huron Wendat,Petun andNeutral people.[4][22] In the early 1600s, when explorers from France arrived, they encountered the Huron-Wendat First Nation.[4] The southwest corner of Markham is included in Treaty 13, known as theToronto 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.[4][23] 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 theWilliams Treaties, signed in 1923.[4]
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.[22]
European settlement in Markham first began in 1794.[24] TheLieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada,John Graves Simcoe (in office 1791–1796), named thetownship of Markham, north of the town ofYork (nowToronto), after his friendWilliam Markham, thenArchbishop of York.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) fromUpstate New York to an area of Markham now known asGerman Mills.[25] Each family was granted 81 ha (200 acres) of land; however the lack of roads in the region led many to settle inYork (present-day Toronto) andNiagara. German Mills later became aghost town. Between 1803 and 1812 another attempt at settling the region was made. The largest group of settlers werePennsylvania Dutch, most of themMennonites. These highly skilled craftsmen and knowledgeable farmers settled the region and founded Reesorville, named after the Mennonite settler Joseph Reesor.[26] In 1825 Reesorville was renamed to Markham and took the name of the unincorporatedvillage (seeMarkham Village, Ontario).
By 1830, manyIrish,Scottish andEnglish families began immigrating toUpper Canada and settling in Markham.[27] Markham's early years blended the rigours of thefrontier with the development of agriculture-based industries.[citation needed] The township's many rivers and streams soon supported water-powered saws andgristmills and later wooden mills. With improved transportation routes, such as the construction ofYonge Street in the 1800s, along with the growing population, urbanization increased. In 1842 the township population had reached 5,698; 11,738 ha (29,005 acres) were under cultivation (second highest in theprovince), and the township had eleven gristmills and twenty-four sawmills.[28]
In 1846 Smith'sCanadian 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.[29] In 1850 the first form of structured municipal government formed in Markham.[30]
By 1857 most of the township had been cleared of timber and was under cultivation. Villages likeThornhill,Unionville and Markham greatly expanded.[31] 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... ."[32] In 1871, with a township population of 8,152,[33] theToronto and Nipissing Railway built the first rail line to Markham Village and Unionville, which is still used today by theGO Transit commuter services.
In 1971 Markham was incorporated as a town, as its population skyrocketed due tourban sprawl 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'sfarmland has disappeared, but some still remains north ofMajor Mackenzie Drive. Controversy over the development of the environmentally-sensitiveOak Ridges Moraine will likely[original research?] curb development north of Major Mackenzie Drive and byRouge 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[by whom?] as a suburb of Toronto. As of 2006[update] the city comprises six major communities:Berczy Village,Cornell, Markham Village,Milliken, Thornhill and Unionville. Many high-tech companies have establishedhead 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 theMarkham Museum to commemorate the founding of Markham's role[clarification needed] in Ontario's heritage.[34]
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.[7] Some residents objected to the change because it will involve unknown costs without any demonstrated benefits. The designation officially took effect on July 1.[7]
Markham covers 212.47 km2 (82.04 sq mi) and Markham's city centre is at43°53′N79°15′W / 43.883°N 79.250°W /43.883; -79.250 (Markham city centre). It is bounded by five municipalities; in the west isVaughan with the boundary along Yonge Street betweenSteeles Avenue andHighway 7 andRichmond Hill with the boundary along Highway 7 from Yonge Street toHighway 404 and at Highway 404 from Highway 7 to 19th Avenue andStouffville Road. In the south, it borders Toronto with the boundary along Steeles Avenue. In the north it bordersWhitchurch–Stouffville with the boundary from Highway 404 to York-Durham Line between 19th Avenue and Stouffville Road. In the east it bordersPickering along York-Durham Line.
Markham's average altitude is at 200 m (660 ft) and in general consists of gently rolling hills. The city is intersected by two rivers; theDon River andRouge River, as well as their tributaries. To the north is the Oak Ridges Moraine, which further elevates the elevation towards the north.
Markham borders and shares the sameclimate as Toronto. On an average day, Markham is generally 1–2 °C (1.8–3.6 °F) cooler than indowntown Toronto. It has ahumid continental climate (Köppen climate classificationDfb) and features warm, humid summers with rainfall occurring from May to October and cold, snowy winters. The highest temperature recorded was 37.8 °C (100.0 °F) on August 8, 2001, during theeastern North America heat wave and the lowest temperature recorded was −35.2 °C (−31.4 °F) on January 16, 1994, during the1994 North American cold wave.[35]
| Climate data forMarkham (Buttonville atToronto Buttonville Airport) WMO ID: 71639; coordinates43°51′44″N79°22′12″W / 43.86222°N 79.37000°W /43.86222; -79.37000 (Toronto Buttonville Airport); elevation: 198.1 m (650 ft); 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1895–present[a][36] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record highhumidex | 16.0 | 18.0 | 29.2 | 35.7 | 41.0 | 46.0 | 50.9 | 47.4 | 44.2 | 38.0 | 25.8 | 20.6 | 50.9 |
| Record high °C (°F) | 14.9 (58.8) | 17.3 (63.1) | 26.3 (79.3) | 31.7 (89.1) | 34.6 (94.3) | 36.6 (97.9) | 40.0 (104.0) | 37.8 (100.0) | 35.6 (96.1) | 31.0 (87.8) | 23.8 (74.8) | 20.0 (68.0) | 40.0 (104.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1.7 (28.9) | −1.0 (30.2) | 4.6 (40.3) | 11.8 (53.2) | 19.3 (66.7) | 24.6 (76.3) | 27.3 (81.1) | 26.3 (79.3) | 21.9 (71.4) | 14.3 (57.7) | 7.4 (45.3) | 1.5 (34.7) | 13.0 (55.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −6.0 (21.2) | −5.6 (21.9) | −0.2 (31.6) | 6.5 (43.7) | 13.4 (56.1) | 18.8 (65.8) | 21.5 (70.7) | 20.6 (69.1) | 16.2 (61.2) | 9.4 (48.9) | 3.3 (37.9) | −2.2 (28.0) | 8.0 (46.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −10.1 (13.8) | −10.1 (13.8) | −5.0 (23.0) | 1.2 (34.2) | 7.4 (45.3) | 13.0 (55.4) | 15.6 (60.1) | 14.8 (58.6) | 10.4 (50.7) | 4.3 (39.7) | −0.8 (30.6) | −5.8 (21.6) | 2.9 (37.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −35.2 (−31.4) | −34.4 (−29.9) | −26.1 (−15.0) | −15.6 (3.9) | −5.6 (21.9) | 0.0 (32.0) | 2.2 (36.0) | 1.1 (34.0) | −3.3 (26.1) | −9.4 (15.1) | −20.6 (−5.1) | −33.9 (−29.0) | −35.2 (−31.4) |
| Record lowwind chill | −42.6 | −41.7 | −35.6 | −18.6 | −7.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | −4.2 | −8.8 | −23.9 | −36.6 | −42.6 |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 63.5 (2.50) | 51.1 (2.01) | 52.3 (2.06) | 78.9 (3.11) | 80.0 (3.15) | 86.7 (3.41) | 85.2 (3.35) | 71.9 (2.83) | 83.1 (3.27) | 70.6 (2.78) | 76.7 (3.02) | 62.5 (2.46) | 862.4 (33.95) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 27.6 (1.09) | 21.0 (0.83) | 32.8 (1.29) | 71.8 (2.83) | 79.9 (3.15) | 86.7 (3.41) | 85.2 (3.35) | 71.9 (2.83) | 83.1 (3.27) | 70.1 (2.76) | 65.5 (2.58) | 33.4 (1.31) | 728.9 (28.70) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 40.3 (15.9) | 33.9 (13.3) | 19.7 (7.8) | 7.2 (2.8) | 0.1 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.6 (0.2) | 11.7 (4.6) | 32.8 (12.9) | 146.4 (57.6) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 17.0 | 13.1 | 12.0 | 12.6 | 12.3 | 11.6 | 11.2 | 10.0 | 10.5 | 13.3 | 14.3 | 15.5 | 153.5 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 5.5 | 3.7 | 6.5 | 11.2 | 12.3 | 11.6 | 11.2 | 10.0 | 10.5 | 13.2 | 10.9 | 6.8 | 113.4 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 14.2 | 11.0 | 7.2 | 2.8 | 0.13 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.42 | 4.8 | 10.6 | 51.1 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 1500LST) | 68.3 | 63.5 | 57.7 | 52.9 | 52.8 | 53.9 | 52.9 | 55.2 | 57.6 | 62.1 | 66.8 | 70.4 | 59.5 |
| Source:Environment and Climate Change Canada[35][37] | |||||||||||||
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:
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:
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 114,597 | — |
| 1991 | 153,811 | +34.2% |
| 1996 | 173,383 | +12.7% |
| 2001 | 208,615 | +20.3% |
| 2006 | 261,573 | +25.4% |
| 2011 | 301,709 | +15.3% |
| 2016 | 328,966 | +9.0% |
| 2021 | 338,503 | +2.9% |
| 2021[39], 2016[40], 2011[41], 2006[42], 2001 and 1996[43], 1991 and 1986[44] | ||
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Markham had a population of338,503 living in110,867 of its114,908 total private dwellings, a change of2.9% from its 2016 population of328,966. With a land area of 210.93 km2 (81.44 sq mi), it had a population density of1,604.8/km2 (4,156.4/sq mi) in 2021.[45]
Immigrants made up 58% of the population of Markham in the 2021 census. Top countries of origin for the immigrant population wereChina (33.8%, excluding 16.4% fromHong Kong),India (7.2%),Sri Lanka (6.4%),Philippines (3.6%),Iran (3.5%),Pakistan (2.7%),Vietnam (1.8%),Jamaica (1.8%),Guyana (1.6).[46]
In the 2021 census, the most reported ethnocultural background wasChinese (47.9%), followed byEuropean (17.7%),South Asian (17.6%),Black (3.1%),West Asian (2.9%),Filipino (2.7%),Korean (1.3%),Arab (1.0%),Latin American (0.8%), andSoutheast Asian (0.7%).[47]
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%).[48]
| Panethnic group | 2021[46] | 2016[49] | 2011[50] | 2006[51] | 2001[52] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |||||
| East Asian[b] | 166,655 | 49.42% | 153,075 | 46.75% | 119,255 | 39.73% | 93,375 | 35.81% | 65,290 | 31.4% | ||||
| European[c] | 59,745 | 17.72% | 71,505 | 21.84% | 82,560 | 27.51% | 89,820 | 34.45% | 92,165 | 44.32% | ||||
| South Asian | 59,485 | 17.64% | 58,270 | 17.8% | 57,375 | 19.12% | 44,995 | 17.26% | 26,360 | 12.68% | ||||
| Middle Eastern[d] | 12,900 | 3.82% | 11,160 | 3.41% | 9,585 | 3.19% | 7,515 | 2.88% | 3,965 | 1.91% | ||||
| Southeast Asian[e] | 11,760 | 3.49% | 11,425 | 3.49% | 11,770 | 3.92% | 9,340 | 3.58% | 6,220 | 2.99% | ||||
| African | 10,435 | 3.09% | 9,655 | 2.95% | 9,715 | 3.24% | 8,005 | 3.07% | 7,860 | 3.78% | ||||
| Latin American | 2,675 | 0.79% | 1,750 | 0.53% | 1,600 | 0.53% | 1,385 | 0.53% | 1,055 | 0.51% | ||||
| Indigenous | 630 | 0.19% | 740 | 0.23% | 485 | 0.16% | 405 | 0% | 290 | 0.14% | ||||
| Other/Multiracial[f] | 12,985 | 3.85% | 9,815 | 3% | 7,800 | 2.6% | 5,920 | 2.27% | 4,730 | 2.27% | ||||
| Total responses | 337,255 | 99.63% | 327,400 | 99.52% | 300,140 | 99.48% | 260,760 | 99.69% | 207,940 | 99.68% | ||||
| Total population | 338,503 | 100% | 328,966 | 100% | 301,709 | 100% | 261,573 | 100% | 208,615 | 100% | ||||
| Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses | ||||||||||||||
In 2021, 40.8% of the population did not identify with a particular religion. The most reported religions wereChristianity (35.1%),Hinduism (9.2%),Islam (7.9%),Buddhism (4.0%),Judaism (1.4%), andSikhism (1.1%).[53]
| Mother tongue[54] | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| English | 114,200 | 34.8 |
| Cantonese | 72,620 | 22.2 |
| Mandarin | 41,790 | 12.7 |
| Tamil | 14,625 | 4.5 |
| Persian | 7,285 | 2.2 |
| Urdu | 6,380 | 1.9 |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | 4,640 | 1.4 |
| Gujarati | 4,510 | 1.4 |
| Punjabi | 3,780 | 1.2 |
| Italian | 3,690 | 1.1 |
| Korean | 3,230 | 1.0 |
| Arabic | 2,720 | 0.8 |
| Greek | 2,455 | 0.7 |
| Hindi | 2,415 | 0.7 |
| Hakka | 2,235 | 0.7 |
| Spanish | 2,085 | 0.6 |
| Min Nan | 2,000 | 0.6 |
| Russian | 1,995 | 0.6 |
| French | 1,880 | 0.6 |
| Chinese (unspecified) | 1,480 | 0.5 |
| Armenian | 1,355 | 0.4 |
| Macedonian | 1,185 | 0.4 |
| Vietnamese | 1,125 | 0.3 |
| Romanian | 945 | 0.3 |
| Wu (Shanghainese) | 940 | 0.3 |
| Knowledge of language[55] | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| English | 294,505 | 90.0 |
| Cantonese | 88,700 | 27.1 |
| Mandarin | 64,350 | 19.7 |
| Tamil | 19,190 | 5.9 |
| French | 19,190 | 5.9 |
| Urdu | 10,175 | 3.1 |
| Hindi | 9,655 | 2.9 |
| Persian | 8,830 | 2.7 |
| Punjabi | 6,615 | 2.0 |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | 6,565 | 2.0 |
| Gujarati | 5,760 | 1.8 |
| Italian | 5,140 | 1.6 |
| Korean | 4,015 | 1.2 |
| Arabic | 3,920 | 1.2 |
| Spanish | 3,825 | 1.2 |
| Greek | 3,705 | 1.1 |
| Hakka | 2,705 | 0.8 |
| Russian | 2,410 | 0.7 |
| Min Nan | 2,295 | 0.7 |
| Vietnamese | 1,950 | 0.6 |
| German | 1,755 | 0.5 |
| Macedonian | 1,720 | 0.5 |
| Armenian | 1,585 | 0.5 |
| Chinese (unspecified) | 1,535 | 0.5 |
| Wu (Shanghainese) | 1,255 | 0.4 |
Markham City Council consists ofFrank Scarpitti as mayor, four regional councillors and eight ward councillors each representing one of the city's eight wards. Scarpitti replacedDon Cousens, a formerProgressive ConservativeMPP forMarkham and aPresbyterian 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.
The city council is at theMarkham Civic Centre at the intersection of York Regional Road 7 andWarden Avenue. The site of the previous offices onWoodbine Avenue has been redeveloped for commercial uses. The historic town hall onMain 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.
Municipal elections are held every four years in Ontario. The most recent election took place in October, 2022, and the next is scheduled for October, 2026. The links listed below provide the results of recent election results:
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 involveYork 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:
| Year | Liberal | Conservative | New Democratic | Green | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 54% | 70,181 | 34% | 43,924 | 8% | 10,171 | 2% | 2,876 | |
| 2019 | 45% | 66,923 | 39% | 58,718 | 7% | 10,526 | 3% | 5,079 | |
| Year | PC | New Democratic | Liberal | Green | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 51% | 49,696 | 9% | 8,354 | 35% | 34,182 | 3% | 3,344 | |
| 2018 | 54% | 68,657 | 20% | 25,531 | 23% | 28,909 | 3% | 3,451 | |
There are no courts in Markham, but the city is served by anOntario Court of Justice inNewmarket, as well as an Ontario Small Claims court in Richmond Hill. There are also served by a Provincial Offence Court in Richmond Hill. TheOntario Court of Appeal is in Toronto, while theSupreme Court of Canada is inOttawa, Ontario.
Policing is provided byYork Regional Police at a station (5 District) at the corner ofMcCowan Road and Carlton Road and Highway 7.[58] Highway 404,Highway 407 and parts ofHighway 48 are patrolled by theOntario Provincial Police.Toronto Police Service is responsible for patrol on Steeles from Yonge Street to theYork—Durham Line.[citation needed]
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 is also served by Markham's Fire service.
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 toShouldice Hospital, one of the world's premier facilities for people suffering fromhernias. For those living nearSteeles, they sometimes will be able to receive treatment atThe Scarborough Hospital Birchmount Campus in Toronto/Scarborough.North York General Hospital also serves for 24/7 care, servingNorth York and the lower Markham area.
Garbage collection is provided byMiller Waste Systems since the company's founding in 1961.[59]
Seneca College has a campus in Markham, at Highway 7 and the 404 near Woodbine Avenue/Leslie Street, in the York Region business district.[60] 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 theConfucius Institute.[61]York University's Markham Campus in Downtown Markham opened in September 2024. It serves the entirety ofYork Region and upperScarborough.[62]
Markham has a number of bothpublic and Catholichigh schools. All have consistently scored high on standardized tests and have some of the highest rate of graduates attending universities.[citation needed]
TheYork Region District School Board operates secular English public schools. TheYork Catholic District School Board operates English Catholic schools. TheConseil scolaire Viamonde operates secular French schools, and theConseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir operates Catholic French schools.
In the 19th century Markham had a vibrant, independent community with mills, distilleries and breweries around the intersection of Highway 7 and Markham Road. TheThomas Speight Wagon Works 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, Apple,Genesis Microchip, and is home to the head office of graphics card producerATI 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.[63] In 2014, the top five employers in the city in order were IBM Canada, the City of Markham,TD Waterhouse Inc.,Markham Stouffville Hospital andAMD Technologies Inc.[64]
International Franchise Inc., which owns brands includingSwensen's[65] andYogen Früz[66] and several others, has its headquarters in Markham.[67]
General Motors Canada Canadian Technical Centre has been located in Markham since 2017, in the building which was formerly the Canadian head office ofAmerican Express from 1985 to 2015.
Markham is home to several locally oriented performing arts groups:
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.
Until the 1970s, Markham was mostly farmland and marsh, as reflected in events like theMarkham Fair. Markham has several theatres, Markham Little Theatre at theMarkham Museum,[68] theMarkham Youth Theatre, and theMarkham Theatre.
TheVarley 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 andCanadian art.[69]
TheMarkham Public Library system has eight branches.[70] Some branches offer unique digital tools such as aDigital Media lab withgraphic designs software, a recording studio withvideo editing /audio editing software and a green screen, and a maker space with3D printers,virtual reality, andlaser cutters.[71] With a library card, user can take freeonline courses,[72] borrow household tools and equipment[73] and educational toys.[74]
Notable sporting events held by Markham include:
Recreation Department runs programs in these facilities and maintained by the city's Operations Department:
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.[75]
Parks and pathways are maintained by the city's Operations Department.
Markham has retained its historic past in part of the town. Here a just few places of interest:
Heritage streets:
There are still farms operating in the northern reaches of the town, but there are a few 'theme' farms in other parts of Markham:
Markham's heritage railway stations are either an active station or converted to other uses:
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.
Markham is home to several large malls of 100+ stores. These include:
There are also a lot of higher-profile malls in nearby Toronto, and elsewhere in York Region.
Many shopping centres in Markham are also ethnically Chinese and East Asian-oriented. This is a reflection of Markham's largeEast Asian, particularlyChinese Canadian, population making it an importantChinese 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) andSplendid China Mall, formed the second largest Chinese shopping area in North America, after theGolden Village inRichmond, British Columbia.[citation needed] 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 aT & T Supermarket.
There are also some smaller shopping centres in Markham, such as:
Markham's road network is based on the concession system. In 1801, Markham was divided into 10concessions, with a north–south road separating each one. The concessions were further divided by a number of east–west sideroads. This formed agrid 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 parentheses):
Yonge Street
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)
Donald Cousens Parkway / Markham By-pass
York-Durham LineReesor Road and Eleventh Line are the only north–south roads that are not fully regional roads. These two roads are rural routes with very few homes and minimal traffic. Eleventh Line ends just south of Highway 407 with the road rerouted (old section fenced off with partial gravel bed) to intersect with York-Durham Line. Areas east of Donald Cousens Parkway either serve new residential developments or are largely rural and/or agricultural.
Markham's sideroad (east–west) arterials are listed below, ordered from south to north (former numbers in parentheses):
14th Avenue Warden Avenue as Alden Road Woodbine Avenue as John Street
Regional Road 7 (formerly 15th Avenue)
Highway 7 east of Reesor Road
16th Avenue
Major Mackenzie Drive East (17th Avenue)
Elgin Mills Road East (18th Avenue)Major highways that pass through Markham includeKing's Highway 404 (from Toronto to just south of Lake Simcoe), which marks Markham's boundary with theCity of Richmond Hill, and the407 ETR (more commonly known as Highway 407), a privately ownedtoll highway that passes north of Toronto and connects Markham withBurlington andOshawa. Highway 404 is one of the most important routes used for travel to and from the City of Toronto. Highway 407 primarily serves Markham fromYonge Street toYork-Durham Line. The highway connects Markham withClarington to the east, andBurlington 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 asHighway 7, a name which comes from the time when it used to be aprovincial highway. The road is still officially Highway 7 east of Reesor Road. Other major east–west routes include16th Avenue,Major MacKenzie Drive, the combination of John Street/Esna Park Drive/14th Avenue, andSteeles Avenue which forms Markham's southern boundary with Toronto.
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TheGO TransitStouffville line, acommuter rail line stretching fromLincolnville to downtown Toronto, provides passenger rail service in Markham. It operates only at rush hour and uses tracks owned byMetrolinx, the provincial transit agency. Five stations on theStouffville 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 fromUnion Station toUnionville GO Station.[78] Markham's section of this GO line also came under the spotlight in 2015 asCity of TorontoMayor John Tory's announcedSMART Track plan for rapid transit expansion in Toronto includes the rail spur between Union Station and the Unionville GO.[79]
On April 8, 2019, GO Transit added ten midday train trips toMount Joy GO Station, replacing the need for passengers to change to buses at Unionville GO.[80]
York Region Transit (YRT) connects Markham with surrounding municipalities in York Region, and was created in 2001 from the merger ofMarkham Transit,Richmond Hill Transit,Newmarket Transit andVaughan Transit. YRT to connects to theToronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway system by way ofVivabus 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 newCornell Terminal, replacingMarkham Stouffville Hospital Bus Terminal.
TheTTC also provides service in Markham on several north–south routes, such asWarden Avenue,Birchmount Road,McCowan Road andMarkham Road. These routes charge riders a double fare if they are travelling across the Steeles border.
GO Transit provides train service on the old trackbed of theToronto and Nipissing Railway, which connects Markham with downtown Toronto on theStouffville commuter rail service. The line has stops at several stations in Markham, namelyUnionville GO Station,Centennial GO Station,Markham GO Station, andMount Joy GO Station. TheRichmond Hill commuter rail line provides service to theLangstaff GO Station, which straddles Markham and Richmond Hill but is used primarily by residents of west-central Markham and southern Richmond Hill.
There is presently a privategeneral aviation airport;Markham Airport or Toronto/Markham Airport, (TC LID: CNU8),2.6 nautical miles (4.8 kilometres; 3.0 miles) just 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, rather than theGreater 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.
Buttonville Municipal Airport was a larger general aviation airport located near Highway 404 and 16th Avenue in theButtonville neighbourhood that was operated by the GTAA. It closed in November 2023.[81]
Source:[83]
In May 1794, Berczy negotiated with Simcoe for 64,000 acres in Markham Township, soon to be known as the German Company Lands. The Berczy settlers, joined by several Pennsylvania German families, set out for Upper Canada. Sixty-four families arrived that year [...]
Markham travel guide from WikivoyagePlaces adjacent to Markham, Ontario | |
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