Markham
Introduction
Markham is a city in York Region, just north of Toronto, with Richmond Hill and Vaughan to the west.
The township was named by John Graves Simcoe after William Markham, then Archbishop of York. Its first organized settlement began in 1794, led by William Berczy. Mills grew up along the Rouge River and other streams, and the villages of Thornhill, Unionville and Markham became the main centres. Markham became a township municipality in 1850, a town in 1971 and a city on July 1, 2012.
Real estate overview
Markham has historic village main streets, many neighbourhoods built since the 1970s, and a downtown growing at Markham Centre. The opening of Highway 404 in the mid-1970s sped up the town's growth.
The City calls Markham Centre its emerging downtown, and is updating the plan for the area, first approved in 1997, to guide building heights, density, streets, cycling and walking routes, and parks.
Neighbourhood highlights
- Markham Village. Grew along Main Street Markham, and was incorporated as a village in 1873, two years after the railway arrived. Its historic core is a Heritage Conservation District. Markham GO Station is at 214 Main Street North.
- Unionville. A historic village on the Rouge River, with a main street lined with restored heritage buildings, protected as a Heritage Conservation District. Toogood Pond Park is beside it, and the Varley Art Gallery is at 216 Main Street Unionville.
- Markham Centre. The emerging downtown, with the Markham Civic Centre and Flato Markham Theatre on Town Centre Boulevard, and the Markham Pan Am Centre, built for the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games. York University's Markham Campus welcomed its first students there in 2024.
- Cornell. A newer area in east Markham, with the Cornell Community Centre & Library at 3201 Bur Oak Avenue, and the Cornell Bus Terminal near Highway 7 and Ninth Line, just south of Markham Stouffville Hospital.
- Thornhill. Markham's southwest corner, along Yonge Street, is part of historic Thornhill, which Markham shares with Vaughan. Thornhill's historic core is a Heritage Conservation District.
Types of housing
Homes in Markham include detached and semi-detached houses, townhouses (freehold and condominium) and condominium apartments. Most new condominium apartment buildings are in Markham Centre and along Highway 7.
Markham has three designated Heritage Conservation Districts: Markham Village, Unionville and Thornhill. Changes to buildings in these districts follow the City's heritage policies and design guidelines, so ask before you buy if you plan to renovate.
Lifestyle and amenities
Parks and trails. Part of Rouge National Urban Park, run by Parks Canada, is in Markham. Bob Hunter Memorial Park, with parking at 7277 14th Avenue, has trails including the 7.4-kilometre Monarch Trail loop. Milne Dam Conservation Park, southwest of Highway 7 and Markham Road, is managed by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. The City's Rouge Valley Trail follows the Rouge River through Unionville, past Toogood Pond and through Milne Dam Conservation Park.
Recreation centres. City facilities include the Aaniin, Angus Glen, Centennial, Cornell, Markham Village, Milliken Mills and Thornhill community centres, and the Markham Pan Am Centre, which has a 50-metre pool and a fitness centre open to the public.
Library and culture. Markham Public Library has eight branches: Aaniin, Angus Glen, Cornell, Markham Village, Milliken Mills, Thornhill Community Centre, Thornhill Village and Unionville. Markham Museum, at 9350 Highway 48 (Markham Road), is an outdoor museum with more than 20 historic buildings. Flato Markham Theatre, at 171 Town Centre Boulevard, hosts concerts, theatre and community events.
Hospital. Markham Stouffville Hospital (Oak Valley Health) is at 381 Church Street.
Getting around
GO Transit. Four stations on the Stouffville GO line are in Markham: Markham (214 Main Street North), Unionville (155 YMCA Boulevard), Centennial (320 Bullock Drive) and Mount Joy (1801 Bur Oak Avenue), with trains to Union Station in Toronto.
YRT and Viva. Viva purple runs along Highway 7 from the Cornell Bus Terminal, west through Markham towards Richmond Hill and Vaughan, using bus rapidways along parts of the route. York Region Transit also runs local buses.
Roads. Highways 404 and 407 run through Markham. Highway 7, 16th Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive are main east–west roads.
Schools
Four school boards serve Markham: the York Region District School Board and the York Catholic District School Board (English), and Conseil scolaire Viamonde and Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (French). School boundaries can change, so check each address with the board before you buy or rent.
Homes for sale in Markham
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