Markham, Ontario: History, Things to Do and Travel Guide
Markham is a large York Region city in the Greater Toronto Area, north of Toronto and close to Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Pickering and Oshawa. It is one of the best GTA cities for travellers who want heritage villages, museums, Asian food corridors, malls, business parks, parks and suburban access without staying in downtown Toronto.
Markham is not one old downtown wrapped by suburbs. It is a city of former villages, newer residential districts, employment areas and shopping corridors. Main Street Unionville, Markham Village, Thornhill, Buttonville, Milliken and newer urban centres each show a different stage of growth.
How Markham Started
The City of Markham’s history material traces the modern history of Markham Township to the late 18th century, when John Graves Simcoe became the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada in 1791. Settlement developed through farms, mills, roads and village centres rather than one single town core.
Early Markham grew as an agricultural township with local industries serving rural life. Villages such as Markham and Unionville became trading and service points for surrounding farms. The City of Markham’s history page explains that railways changed the township’s fortunes when the Toronto and Nipissing Railway opened its Scarborough-Uxbridge line in 1871, with stations in Unionville and Markham.
The Village of Markham incorporated in 1873 and grew through the late 19th century. Local industry and agriculture remained important, but improved connections to Toronto gradually changed the township’s role. The city notes that telegraph, telephone, rail and automobile links eventually reduced the industrial role of the old villages as larger suppliers in Toronto gained influence.
After the Second World War, Markham changed again as growth from Toronto moved north and east. Subdivision development, immigration, Highway 404 and York Region’s formation in 1971 accelerated the shift from rural township to urban municipality. Markham became a city in 2012, but the older village cores still matter because they give visitors a clear way to see the pre-suburban landscape.
What Markham Is Like Today
Markham today is dense, diverse and highly connected to the Greater Toronto economy. It has major technology and business districts, residential subdivisions, heritage streets, malls, banquet halls, cultural institutions and regional parks. The visitor experience depends heavily on which part of the city you choose.
Unionville is the most visitor-friendly heritage area. Main Street Unionville has historic buildings, restaurants, cafes, galleries, a compact walking route and Toogood Pond nearby. The City of Markham’s planning material treats Main Street Unionville as a historic village area where heritage protection, visitor use and local business needs have to be balanced carefully.
Markham Museum gives a broader look at the city. The museum describes its focus as Markham’s people, places, land and waterways through history, science and industry exhibitions on a 25-acre site. It is the better first stop for families or visitors who want context before walking a historic street.
Markham’s newer identity is just as important. The city is one of the GTA’s strongest destinations for Chinese, South Asian, Korean and other food cultures. Pacific Mall, First Markham Place, Main Street Unionville, Markham Village and highway-side plazas create a food-and-shopping map that does not follow a traditional downtown pattern. A good Markham trip often moves by plaza and district rather than by one main street.
Destination Markham’s tourism planning also points to the city’s visitor economy as distinct from Toronto rather than merely attached to it. That distinction is useful for planning. Markham has its own event spaces, hotels, festival audiences, sport tourism, restaurants and cultural institutions, but visitors still need to account for GTA traffic and distances.
The city’s strongest travel days usually combine old and new Markham. A Unionville walk followed by a food-plaza dinner shows the contrast clearly. Markham Museum followed by Pacific Mall or First Markham Place does the same for families. The city rewards travellers who accept that its identity comes from heritage villages and recent immigration, not from one postcard skyline.
Things to Do and Places Nearby
Start with Main Street Unionville if this is your first visit. Walk the historic street, stop for food, continue to Toogood Pond and check whether a walking tour or seasonal event is running. The City of Markham promotes Unionville Main Street walking tours, which helps visitors connect the preserved streetscape to the village’s older commercial life.
Markham Museum is the key indoor heritage stop. Its historic buildings, exhibitions and family programming make it useful across seasons. It also helps explain why Markham’s history extends beyond Unionville: farms, mills, waterways, industry and settlement routes shaped the whole city.
Stiver Mill adds a specific Unionville heritage stop. The City of Markham identifies it as one of Markham’s last standing grain elevator and feed mill buildings, with original equipment still present. Its location near historic Main Street makes it easy to combine with restaurants and a village walk.
Plan food deliberately. Markham’s best meals are spread across corridors and plazas, so a car is useful. Pacific Mall and nearby commercial areas work for shopping and Asian food stops. Main Street Unionville gives a more walkable heritage-and-dining version of the city. Markham Village and Cornell add different local options.
Outdoor stops include Toogood Pond, Milne Dam Conservation Park, Rouge-area trails and smaller neighbourhood parks. These are best treated as part of a district plan rather than a citywide park crawl. Markham is large enough that crossing it repeatedly can eat up a day, and some park facilities or paid-access periods are seasonal.
Flato Markham Theatre and the city’s public art and gallery scene add another reason to stay in Markham after the daytime heritage stops. The City presents Flato Markham Theatre, Varley Art Gallery, public art and Markham Museum together in its arts and culture material, which gives the city a broader cultural map beyond malls and food plazas.
Regional routes from Markham can continue toward Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Toronto, Pickering and Oshawa. It can also work as a base for visiting York Region family, business meetings or food-focused GTA travel, especially if downtown Toronto hotel prices are not part of the plan.
Arts and events can change the best area to stay. Unionville is strongest for heritage walks and seasonal street activity. Highway 7 and central Markham are more practical for hotels, restaurants and business travel. Eastern Markham is better for visitors continuing toward Pickering, Rouge-area outings or Durham Region.
Quick Facts
- Community: Markham
- Province: Ontario
- Region: York Durham Headwaters
- Municipality type: city
- Main historic areas: Unionville, Markham Village, Thornhill and Buttonville
- Population: about 338,500 in the 2021 census
- Best known for: Main Street Unionville, Markham Museum, Asian food corridors, technology business districts and GTA access
- Official website: https://www.markham.ca/
Travel Notes
Markham is much easier with a car. GO Transit, York Region Transit and connections to Toronto help, but food corridors, museum stops, malls and heritage areas are spread out.
Weekends are best for a leisure visit to Unionville, museums and food areas, but they are also busier. If a restaurant or event matters, book ahead and expect parking pressure around popular streets and plazas.
Do not treat Markham as a smaller version of downtown Toronto. It is a suburban, multi-centre city where the strongest visitor plan is clustered: Unionville and Toogood Pond, Markham Museum and Markham Village, or Pacific Mall and surrounding food plazas.
Spring through fall works best for walking Unionville and parks. Winter still works for food, shopping, museums and family visits, but outdoor heritage walks become more weather-dependent.
Use Markham as a two-cluster city. One cluster should be heritage, usually Unionville or Markham Village. The other should be food, shopping, museum or park-based. That approach keeps the day specific and avoids spending the visit in traffic between every possible district.