Dickson Hill is a small community in northeast Markham, Ontario , Canada , located near Highway 48 and 19th Avenue, on the border to Whitchurch-Stouffville .
52-414: Unlike other parts of Markham , the area around Dickson Hill has remained largely agricultural. The hamlet has a small church and a school. The original school house, built in 1861, has been relocated to Black Creek Pioneer Village in north-west Toronto. Dickson Hill was never the site of a post office, and thus had little official recognition historically as a place. However, in the 19th century it formed
104-462: A concentration of rural economic and social activity as the site of a mill, school, and church. The mill was constructed by John Dickson, an early settler who was also the namesake for the community. The Dickson Hill Cemetery is one of the oldest in Markham, with one surviving grave dating back to 1803, and burials taking place possibly as early as the 1790s. Mennonites had a strong early influence on
156-488: 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
208-526: A former Progressive Conservative MPP for Markham and a Presbyterian 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
260-603: 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 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
312-534: 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
364-604: A local secondary road to reduce non-local traffic. In 2021 the lower section was severed; thus the road ends with a dead end. An emergency gate is the only means for authorized road users to bypass the closure. The former Dickson Hill Public School is now a private school after the former public elementary school closed in 2002 by the York Region District School Board with students transferred to Glad Park Public School in Stouffville. This school
416-400: A population density of 1,604.8/km (4,156.4/sq mi) in 2021. Immigrants made up 58% of the population of Markham in the 2021 census. Top countries of origin for the immigrant population were China (33.8%, excluding 16.4% from Hong 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). In
468-464: A village within the boundaries of the present Milne Conservation Area. European settlement in Markham first began in 1794. The Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada , John Graves Simcoe (in office 1791–1796), named the township of Markham, north of the town of York (now Toronto ), after his friend William Markham , then Archbishop of York . William Berczy first surveyed Markham as a township in 1793, and in 1794 led 75 German families (including
520-490: Is a proposed development of an international airport immediately south-east of Whitchurch-Stouffville (the Pickering Airport lands). The approach for one of the three landing strips would be directly over Dickson Hill, with planes descending above the community from an elevation of 360 metres to 330 metres. The plan anticipates 11.9 million passengers per year (or 32,600 per day) by 2032. A "Needs Assessment Study"
572-513: Is also home to Shouldice Hospital , one of the world's premier facilities for people suffering from hernias . 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 is provided by Miller Waste Systems since
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#1732780938942624-422: Is generally 1–2 °C (1.8–3.6 °F) cooler than in downtown Toronto . It has a humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfb ) 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 the eastern North America heat wave and the lowest temperature recorded
676-602: Is in Ottawa , Ontario. Policing is provided by York Regional Police at a station (5 District) at the corner of McCowan Road and Carlton Road and Highway 7. Highway 404, Highway 407 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 . Markham Fire and Emergency Services
728-482: 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
780-538: The Conseil 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. The Thomas 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
832-679: 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 (in office 1791–1796), who named the area after his friend, William Markham , the Archbishop of York from 1776 to 1807. Indigenous people lived in
884-789: The Confucius Institute . York University 's campus in Downtown Markham opened in September 2024. It serves the entirety of York Region and upper Scarborough . Markham has a number of both public and Catholic high schools . 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
936-428: The province ), 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,
988-416: The 100 largest census subdivisions (municipalities or municipal equivalents) in Canada by population, using data from the 2021 Canadian census for census subdivisions. This list includes only the population within a census subdivision's boundaries as defined at the time of the census. Many census subdivisions are part of a larger census metropolitan area or census agglomeration . For their ranking, see
1040-482: The 1970s, Markham rapidly shifted from being an agricultural community to an industrialized municipality due to urban sprawl from neighbouring Toronto . Markham changed its status from town to city on July 1, 2012. As of 2013 , tertiary industry mainly drives Markham. As of 2010 , "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
1092-662: The 2021 census, the most reported ethnocultural background was Chinese (47.9%), followed by European (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%), and Southeast Asian (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
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#17327809389421144-501: The Markham-Vaughan municipal boundary (portions of it in both municipalities). Unionville is a single community with three sub-communities: In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Markham had a population of 338,503 living in 110,867 of its 114,908 total private dwellings, a change of 2.9% from its 2016 population of 328,966 . With a land area of 210.93 km (81.44 sq mi), it had
1196-780: 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
1248-512: The Ramers, Reesors, Wheters, Burkholders, Bunkers, Wicks and Lewis) from Upstate New York to an area of Markham now known as German Mills . Each family was granted 81 ha (200 acres) of land; however the lack of roads in the region led many to settle in York (present-day Toronto) and Niagara . German Mills later became a ghost town . Between 1803 and 1812 another attempt at settling the region
1300-590: 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 built the first rail line to Markham Village and Unionville, which is still used today by the GO Transit commuter services. In 1971 Markham
1352-538: 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 26,000 ha (64,000 acres) in what would later become Markham Township in 1794. Since
1404-542: The building which was formerly the Canadian head office of American 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
1456-400: The change because it will involve unknown costs without any demonstrated benefits. The designation officially took effect on July 1. Markham covers 212.47 km (82.04 sq mi) and Markham's city centre is at 43°53′N 79°15′W / 43.883°N 79.250°W / 43.883; -79.250 ( Markham city centre ) . It is bounded by five municipalities; in
1508-441: 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
1560-436: The city's largest employer. Several multinational companies have their Canadian headquarters in Markham, including: Honda Canada , Hyundai , Advanced Micro Devices , Johnson & Johnson , General Motors , Avaya , IBM , Motorola , Oracle , Toshiba , Toyota Financial Services , Huawei , Honeywell , General Electric and Scholastic Canada . Indigenous people lived in the area of present-day Markham since
1612-632: 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 , and laser cutters . With a library card, user can take free online courses , borrow household tools and equipment and educational toys. Notable sporting events held by Markham include: Recreation Department runs programs in these facilities and maintained by
Dickson Hill, Ontario - Misplaced Pages Continue
1664-555: The community, and Mennonite church services were held at the original site of the church and cemetery early on. The schoolhouse, which was constructed in 1861, was later relocated to the Black Creek Pioneer Village . John Dickson's grist mill was constructed possibly as early as 1837 or as late as 1844, and may have been preceded by a sawmill that had been built by Jacob Grove as early as 1831. The mill operated until 1954, when Hurricane Hazel destroyed parts of
1716-417: The company's founding in 1961. 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
1768-561: The dam. There was also a small sawmill on lot 31, concession 8, which was operated by the Ramer family. North of Dickson Hill on the road to Ringwood was the hamlet of Slabtown, which was a focal point for additional industrial activity as the site of a blacksmith shop, shingle mill, and cheese factory. The Toronto/Markham Airport is located just south of Dickson Hill. The Stouffville-Union Station GO Transit bus route connects Dickson Hill with Markham , Stouffville , and Toronto . There
1820-576: The east it borders Pickering 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; 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. Markham borders and shares the same climate as Toronto . On an average day, Markham
1872-683: The end of the last Ice Age and the city is situated on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee ( Iroquois ), 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
1924-447: 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. Markham has retained its historic past in part of the town. Here a just few places of interest: List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population This is an accepted version of this page The table below lists
1976-509: 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 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
2028-412: The population did not identify with a particular religion. The most reported religions were Christianity (35.1%), Hinduism (9.2%), Islam (7.9%), Buddhism (4.0%), Judaism (1.4%), and Sikhism (1.1%). 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 ,
2080-411: 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 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
2132-474: 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 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 had reached 5,698; 11,738 ha (29,005 acres) were under cultivation (second highest in
Dickson Hill, Ontario - Misplaced Pages Continue
2184-705: The south. Since the 1980s Markham has been recognized as a suburb of Toronto. As of 2006 the city comprises six major communities: Berczy Village , Cornell , 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
2236-434: The total workforce. In 2014, the top five employers in the city in order were IBM Canada, the City of Markham, TD Waterhouse Inc. , Markham Stouffville Hospital and AMD Technologies Inc. International Franchise Inc., which owns brands including Swensen's and Yogen Früz and several others, has its headquarters in Markham. General Motors Canada Canadian Technical Centre has been located in Markham since 2017, in
2288-655: The town. Violation of by-laws is subject to fines of up to $ 20,000 CAD. The by-laws of Markham include: There are no courts in Markham, but the city is served by an Ontario Court of Justice 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 is in Toronto, while the Supreme Court of Canada
2340-483: 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 it borders Whitchurch–Stouffville with the boundary from Highway 404 to York-Durham Line between 19th Avenue and Stouffville Road. In
2392-510: Was built after 1960 when the original Dickson's Hill School (built in 1861 as S.S.#17) was relocated to Black Creek Pioneer Village . 43°56′35″N 79°16′39″W / 43.94306°N 79.27750°W / 43.94306; -79.27750 Markham, Ontario Markham ( / ˈ m ɑːr k ə m / ) is a city in York Region , Ontario , Canada. It is approximately 30 km (19 mi) northeast of Downtown Toronto . In
2444-603: Was completed by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority for the federal government in May 2010. After a "due diligence review," Transport Canada released the report in July 2011, which identified the most likely time range for the need of the airport to be 2027-2029, and confirmed the site layout proposed in the 2004 Draft Plan Report. Dickson Hill Road is the original alignment of Highway 48, but became
2496-413: 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
2548-611: Was incorporated as a town, as its population skyrocketed 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 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
2600-579: Was made. The largest group of settlers were Pennsylvania Dutch , most of them Mennonites . 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 and took the name of the unincorporated village (see Markham Village, Ontario ). By 1830, many Irish , Scottish and English families began immigrating to Upper Canada and settling in Markham. Markham's early years blended
2652-610: 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 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
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#17327809389422704-429: Was −35.2 °C (−31.4 °F) on January 16, 1994, during the 1994 North American cold wave . 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
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