Richmond Hill
Introduction
Richmond Hill is a city in York Region, north of Toronto. Its borders are roughly Highway 7 to the south, Bloomington Road to the north, Bathurst Street to the west and Highway 404 to the east.
Yonge Street runs north and south through the middle of the city. The original village grew up along it and was incorporated in 1873. In 2019, Council changed the name from the Town of Richmond Hill to the City of Richmond Hill. In the early 1900s, its many greenhouses grew so many roses that it was known as Canada's "rose capital".
Real estate overview
Richmond Hill has older streets near the historic core on Yonge Street, and large areas of newer homes. The City's plans send most new growth to centres and corridors. The main one is Richmond Hill Centre, around Yonge Street and Highway 7, planned as a compact, mixed-use area close to transit.
Much of the north of the city sits on the Oak Ridges Moraine, a ridge of land left by glaciers, where many forests, wetlands and lakes are protected.
Neighbourhood highlights
- Oak Ridges and Lake Wilcox. Lake Wilcox is a kettle lake (a lake formed by melting glacier ice) on the Oak Ridges Moraine. Lake Wilcox Park has room to walk along the lakefront, picnic, boat and fish.
- Jefferson and the Oak Ridges Corridor. The Oak Ridges Corridor Conservation Reserve, just north of Jefferson Side Road between Bathurst Street and Leslie Street, has forests, wetlands, kettle lakes and walking trails.
- The historic core and Mill Pond. Mill Pond Park began as a sawmill pond in the mid-1800s, and the City plans to renew it. The City-owned Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts is on Yonge Street in the historic downtown.
- Richmond Hill Centre, at Yonge Street and Highway 7. The City's main area for new growth, with Langstaff GO Station and the Richmond Hill Centre bus terminal close by.
- Richvale, with a library branch and the Richvale Community Centre and Pool.
Types of housing
Homes in Richmond Hill include detached and semi-detached houses, townhouses (freehold and condominium) and condominium apartments. Taller condominium buildings are mostly along Yonge Street and in the Richmond Hill Centre area.
Lifestyle and amenities
Parks and trails. The City lists five destination parks: Mill Pond Park, Lake Wilcox Park, Richmond Green Park, David Dunlap Observatory Park and Phyllis Rawlinson Park. David Dunlap Observatory Park has a historic observatory and is a National Historic Site. The trail through the Oak Ridges Corridor Conservation Reserve is part of the planned Lake to Lake Trail between Lake Ontario and Lake Simcoe.
Community centres. City community centres include Bayview Hill, Elgin West, Langstaff, Oak Ridges, Richvale and Rouge Woods, several of them with pools.
Libraries. Richmond Hill Public Library has four branches: Central, Oak Ridges, Richmond Green and Richvale.
Arts. The Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts hosts theatre, concerts and other events.
Hospital. Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, part of Mackenzie Health, is on Trench Street.
Getting around
GO Transit. The Richmond Hill GO line has four stations in or next to the city: Langstaff, Richmond Hill, Gormley and Bloomington. Trains run between these stations and Union Station in Toronto.
YRT and Viva. York Region Transit runs local buses and Viva rapid transit. Viva buses have their own lanes in the middle of Yonge Street along parts of the route through Richmond Hill. The Richmond Hill Centre Terminal, at Yonge Street and Highway 7, connects bus routes with Langstaff GO Station.
Subway extension. Metrolinx is building the Yonge North Subway Extension, planned to take TTC Line 1 north from Finch Station to Richmond Hill, with Bridge and High Tech stations in the Richmond Hill Centre area.
Roads. Highway 404 runs along the east side of the city, Highway 7 along the south, and Highway 407 just south of Highway 7.
Schools
Four school boards serve Richmond Hill: 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 Richmond Hill
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