Unionville, Ontario: History, Things to Do and Travel Guide
Unionville is a historic village district inside Markham, in Ontario’s York Durham Headwaters region. Its identity is centred on Main Street Unionville, a preserved streetscape of older commercial buildings, restaurants, shops, civic landmarks and public spaces near Toogood Pond.
The best Unionville visit is slow and compact. Walk the main street, look closely at the heritage buildings, continue toward the pond and leave time for food or a guided walking tour if one is running. The village sits inside a large suburban city, but the visitor experience is still organized around one historic street.
How Unionville Started
Unionville began with farms, mills and settlement roads north of early Toronto. The City of Markham’s heritage planning material places the village’s founding period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with the modern village form taking shape around Main Street and the Bruce Creek floodplain.
The name is tied to Union Mills, built by Ira Allen White in the 1830s. Milling gave the community an economic reason to cluster, while the road alignment followed ground that could avoid the wettest parts of the floodplain. That bend in the street still matters. Main Street Unionville does not feel like a later suburban retail strip because its shape came from the older village landscape.
Unionville grew through the 19th century as a roadside village serving farms, mills and nearby rural families. Churches, stores, houses, inns and later rail connections gave it more permanence. The buildings along Main Street show several stages of that development, from early village commerce to later Victorian and Edwardian improvements.
The second major turn came in the late 20th century, when suburban growth reached Markham. Unionville could have disappeared into road widening and redevelopment pressure. Instead, residents, local businesses and municipal heritage work helped protect the historic main street. The City of Markham now treats Main Street Unionville as a heritage village area where streetscape work, parking, business needs and conservation have to be balanced carefully.
What Unionville Is Like Today
Unionville is both a neighbourhood and a visitor district. People live on quiet residential streets close to the historic core, while Main Street brings restaurant traffic, weekend walkers, events, wedding photos, guided tours and seasonal crowds.
The village’s value is visual and walkable. Brick storefronts, older houses, narrow lots, mature trees, the bandstand area and the route toward Toogood Pond make it feel different from the surrounding city. Markham’s restoration work on Main Street is meant to upgrade infrastructure while keeping the heritage character visible.
Unionville is also part of a much larger city. Markham’s growth, diverse food scene and business districts surround it, so the village works best as one focused part of a Markham day. It is not a rural museum village. It is an active historic district where restaurants, shops, residents, commuters and event visitors all share the same small place.
Things to Do and Places Nearby
Start on Main Street Unionville. The street is short enough to explore without a checklist, but it rewards attention. Look at the storefront rhythm, side streets, civic spaces and preserved residential edges. The City of Markham and the Unionville BIA periodically offer guided walking tours, which are useful when you want building stories rather than a simple stroll.
Toogood Pond is the natural extension of the main street visit. The pond and surrounding paths add shade, water views and a quieter break after lunch or shopping. This is often the easiest way to turn Unionville from a restaurant stop into a half-day visit.
Watch for events, but plan around construction and seasonal closures. Main Street Unionville restoration work has been phased through 2024 and 2025, and visitor access can change during streetscape projects. Restaurants and shops may remain open even when parts of the street are under construction, so checking municipal updates before a timed visit is sensible.
Unionville also fits naturally with Markham Museum, historic Markham Village, food corridors around Highway 7 and Pacific Mall. Keep the Unionville part of the day specific: heritage street, pond, food and walking. Trying to fold every Markham district into the same afternoon usually turns the visit into traffic.
Quick Facts
- Community: Unionville
- Province: Ontario
- Region: York Durham Headwaters
- Municipality type: Historic village district within the City of Markham
- Population on this page: about 5,265
- Official website: markham.ca
- Main travel areas: Main Street Unionville, Toogood Pond, bandstand area, heritage conservation district
- Key routes: Highway 7, Kennedy Road, nearby Highway 407 and Unionville GO Station
Travel Notes
Unionville is strongest from spring through fall, when patio meals, walking tours, pond paths and street events are easiest to enjoy. Winter still works for restaurants and short heritage walks, but the village feels more limited in poor weather.
Parking and construction can shape the visit. Check the City of Markham’s Main Street Unionville project updates before arrival, especially if you are visiting for a reservation, event or guided tour.
The best itinerary is simple: Main Street first, Toogood Pond second, then food or a nearby Markham heritage stop if time allows. Unionville is small enough that a focused visit feels better than a rushed route through every surrounding district.