Town of Markham

Markham (play /ˈmɑrkəm/ Mark-Am) is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census.[1] The town is the fourth largest community within Greater Toronto after Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton. The town gained its name from the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe, who named the area after his friend, William Markham, the Archbishop of York at the time. 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 initially planning to settle in New York, disputes over finances and land tenure there would eventually lead to Berczy to negotiate with Simcoe for 64,000 acres (260 km2) in Markham Township.[2] Throughout much of Markham's history, the community has been described as an agricultural community. A turn towards a more urbanized community within the township began after World War II when the township had began to feel the effects of urban encroachment from Toronto. The completion of Highway 404 during the mid 1970s further accelerated urban development in Markham.[2] While historically the town was mainly an agricultural community, Markham today is mainly driven by its tertiary industry. Business services is currently the number one employer in Markham with nearly 22% of its labour force employed in it.[3] The town also currently has over 800 technology and life sciences companies, with IBM being the town's largest employer.[4][5] A number of multinational companies also have their Canadian headquarters located in Markham including Advanced Micro Devices, American Express, Johnson & Johnson, Apple Inc., Avaya, IBM, Motorola and Toshiba.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Topography 2.2 Climate 3 Neighbourhoods and communities 4 Demographics 5 Government 5.1 Town Council 5.2 Markham Civic Centre 5.3 By-Laws 6 Town services 6.1 Police 6.2 Fire 6.3 Hospitals 7 Education 7.1 High schools 7.2 Post-secondary 8 Economy 9 Parks 10 Culture 11 Sports 12 Town issues 12.1 Urban growth 12.2 Transit plan 13 Attractions 14 Performing arts 15 Annual events 16 Shopping 17 Local media 18 Transportation 18.1 Roads 18.2 Rail 18.3 Public transit 18.4 Air 19 Notable residents, past and present 19.1 Actors/Actresses 19.2 Athletes 19.3 Musicians 20 Sister cities 21 References and footnotes 22 External links [edit] History Main article: History of Markham, Ontario Markham was first surveyed as a township in 1793 by William Berczy, who in 1794 led 75 German families from Upstate New York to an area of Markham now known as German Mills.[13] Each family was granted 200 acres (0.81 km2) of land; however due lack to roads in the region many opted to settle in York (now Toronto) and Niagara. German Mills later became a ghost town. Between 1803 to 1812, another attempt at settling in the region was made. The largest group of settlers were Pennsylvania Dutch, most of whom were Mennonites. These highly skilled craftsmen and knowledgeable farmers were able to settle the region and founded Reesorville, named after the Mennonite settler Joseph Reesor.[14] In 1825, Reesorville was renamed to Markham having taken the name of the unincorporated village (see Markham Village, Ontario). By 1830, a large influx of Irish, Scottish and English families began immigrating to Upper Canada, many settling in Markham.[15] Markham's early years blended the rigours of homesteading with the development of agriculture-based industries. The many rivers and streams in the township soon supported water-powered saw and gristmills 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 was 5,698; 29,005 acres (117.38 km2) were under cultivation (second highest in the province), and the township had eleven gristmills and twenty-four sawmills.[16] By 1850, the first form of structured municipal government formed in Markham.[17] By 1857, most of the township had been cleared of timber and was under cultivation. Villages like Thornhill, Unionville, and Markham greatly expanded.[18] 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... ."[19] In 1871, with a township population of 8,152,[20] the Toronto and Nipissing Railway built the first rail line to Markham Village and Unionville, which is still used today by the GO Transit commuter services. In 1972, Markham was incorporated as a town in its population skyrocketted due to urban 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's farmland has now disappeared, but is still found 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. As of 2006, Markham comprises six major communities, which include Buttonville, Cornell, Markham Village, Milliken, Thornhill, and Unionville. Since the 1980s, the town has been recognized as a suburb of Toronto. Many high-tech companies have head offices located in Markham for 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, Apple Computer Canada, Motorola Canada and many other well-known companies have chosen Markham as their home in Canada. Hence, the town has been branding itself as Canada's "High-Tech Capital". An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected in front of the Markham Museum by the province to commemorate the founding of Markham's role in Ontario's heritage.[21] [edit] Geography Markham covers an area of 212.47 km2 (82.04 sq mi) and Markham's Town Centre is at 43°53′N 79°15′W. It is bounded by 5 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 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 is borders Whitchurch–Stouffville with the boundary from Highway 404 to York-Durham Line between 19th Avenue and Stouffville Road. In the East it borders Pickering along the York-Durham Line. [edit] Topography Markham's average altitude is at 200 m (660 ft) and in general consists of gently rolling hills. The town 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. [edit] Climate Due to Markham bordering Toronto, Markham shares the same climate as Toronto. On an average day, Markham is generally 1 to 2 °C (1.8 to 3.6 °F) cooler than in downtown Toronto

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