RICHMOND HILL Richmond Hill is a town located in central York Region, Ontario, located just north of Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. It is the third most populous municipality in York Region and the 28th most populous municipality in Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area. Once considered the Rose Capital of the World, Richmond Hill has in recent years seen a huge population upsurge, being Canada's fastest-growing community in the 1990s. The town is home to the world-renowned David Dunlap Observatory telescope, and has been rated by the Fraser Institute as the 23rd most affluent city (>100,000 people) in North America and 3rd in Canada. Richmond Hill is a comparatively wealthy community. Certain residential areas, such as the Bayview Hill and Regent Street, in Richmond Hill boast mansions that rival those found in Rosedale, Forest Hill, and Bridle Path. The average household income was $100,900 in 2003, which was 34% higher than the Canadian average that year, and 26% higher than the Ontario average. The 1990s and 2000s are a period of strong economic growth for Richmond Hill; In 1999 industrial, commercial and institutional growth was valued at 88.9 million, up from $67.9 million in 1998. The economic growth of 1999 won the town's economic development department three provincial awards from the Economic Developers Council of Ontario.The border between Richmond Hill and Markham is a rapidly growing area for information technology and high-tech industry with over 1,000 such businesses located along their border in 2000 The labour force is divided into many areas, with no one area dominating the economic activity of Richmond Hill. The 2001 Canadian census showed some 76 245 people employed in Richmond Hill, with 43 675 employed full time. The participation rate in the labour force was 69.9%, with 66.4% of people actually employed. The unemployment rate was thus a low 5.0%, compared with the 7.4% unemployment rate across Canada as a whole during that period. Regions Southern Richmond Hill is home to the town's and industrial region housing most of the town's hotels, as well as the main commercial area of the town's Chinese community. The northern part of town is considered to be Old Richmond Hill as it is a historical area. Central Richmond Hill is a very commercial area, housing multiple malls, plazas and entertainment buildings, such as theatres and restaurants. The northern most part of the town is mostly farm land, though it is slowly being developed. During the 1990s, Chinese immigrants primarily from Hong Kong moved to Richmond Hill, where they set up businesses and shops catering to the community. Many shops and restaurants were established in suburban-style shopping malls and plazas (such as Times Square, Commerce Gate) along a stretch of Highway 7 between Bayview Avenue and Leslie Street. The most intense development is concentrated around the Commerce Valley Drive/Beaver Creek Road loop. Some of the well-known higher end Chinese banquet restaurants are in this area. Mill Pond- Richmond Hill Homes Mill Pond is a park located in the southern region of Richmond Hill. It is based around an old mill pond, hence the name Mill Pond. The park has numerous trails and is home to a variety of wildlife species such as swans, beavers and snakes. The park is used to host a multitude of town events ranging from a winter carnival to concerts and flower shows. Every year, the pond is home to the Richmond Hill Winter Carnival. Mill Pond is also home to the Victorian styled neighborhood of Regent Street. Regent Street was built in the early 1980's by a local Toronto developer and is widely recognized by Toronto builders as the perfect subdivision. Homes near Regent Street have continued to express high demand as Victorian styled homes are rare to come by. Oak Ridges - Richmond Hill Homes Oak Ridges is a largely residential area in northern Richmond Hill, which was amalgamated into the town in 1971. Yonge Street - Richmond Hill Homes The old downtown Richmond Hill is considered the strip of Yonge Street between Major Mackenzie in the south and Richmond Heights in the north. For years this street was infamous for having an equal amount of churches as there were strip clubs/adults only stores. Directly across from the community centre was the bright pink "Fantasia" strip club. Not far down the street stood Richmond Hill's oldest church. Fantasia burnt under suspicious circumstances although no allegations were ever made by the authorities. Due to various community initiatives, most of the "Adult" stores are now closed and are replaced by more civic-oriented structures. In 2007, the former "Fantasia" property was finally levelled, and development of a new exclusive condominium started, adding to a mix of upscale and small town charm that makes up the much improved downtown area. Construction of a new theatre in the area is proceeding. It is set to open in 2009. Downtown Core (East Beaver Creek) Richmond Hill's current commercial hub is located near Leslie Street and Highway 7, where it borders Markham's AMD headquarters. Built in the early to mid 1990s, the area is serviced by Highway 404, York Region Transit, and Buttonville Airport. Due to high initial vancancy rates, the current Town Hall was moved to that location in 1994. Since then, many of the buildings have become occupied by various banks and service-related industries. THORNHILL
Thornhill is an upscale community in the Greater Toronto Area in southern Ontario, Canada, located on the northern border of the City of Toronto. Once a municipal village, Thornhill is now a community and postal designation geographically split into two municipalities, Vaughan, west of Yonge Street, and the town of Markham, east of Yonge. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the Thornhill-Vaughan was 56,361 and the population of Thornhill-Markham was 47,333. IncomeThornhill is considered one of the Greater Toronto Area's most upscale communities. The mean household income is in excess of $100,000 compared with $50,600 across the Greater Toronto Area. As a political riding, Thornhill consistently appears in the top three ridings across Canada in terms of household income. Of all households, 61 per cent of the community earns an income in excess of $70,000. Approximately 89 per cent of Thornhill residents own their home.
Ethnicity
Thornhill has a very ethnically diverse population. It is home to significant visible minorities communities, but is particularly known for its large Jewish community: a significant portion of the population of Thornhill is Jewish. This community comprises the majority of Thornhill-Vaughan and nearly a quarter of Thornhill-Markham. It is home to numerous Jewish synagogues and schools, particularly Ashkenazi and SephardicOrthodox Jewish synagogues such as the Thornhill Community Shul, Westmount Shul and Learning Centre,the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto (the "BAYT", one of the largest synagogues in North America), Sephardic Kehilla Centre, and Chabad centres such as the Jewish Russian Community Centre, well as Conservative synagogues such as Beit Rayim as well as Reform Jewish institutions such as Temple Har Zion, Temple Kol Ami, the Leo Baeck Day School, a major Reform Jewish primary school, and The Anne & Max Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (TanenbaumCHAT), a major secondary Jewish day school comprised of two campuses. According to 2001 Federal Census data, Chinese are the largest visible minority in the Thornhill area, accounting for almost 11% of total residents (12,610), followed by South Asian (6,595), Black (2,665), Korean (2,660), Filipino (2,535), and West Asian (2,355).
Suburbanization
Thornhill's growth since the 1960s and 1970s has been largely connected to its location bordering what is now the City of Toronto. Large housing developments, particularly beginning in the 1980s with such projects as the Tannenbaum family's Spring Farm area near Bathurst and Clark. Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto, a large synagogue named after developer and benefactor Joseph Tannenbaum, is an example of an innovative twist on the "anchor tenant" approach adopted by some residential developers.
Growth has continued apace. For instance, an "uptown" village denoted as Thornhill Town Centre, is being developed at the corner of Bathurst and Centre Street, forming a continuous line of development north from the Promenade Shopping Centre also near Bathurst and Clark, whose massive parking lot is dotted by an increasing number of condominium buildings and stand-alone retail plazas.
Expansion
The territory thought to constitute Thornhill has recently begun to expand northward in Thornhill-Vaughan, particularly west of Bathurst, due to the marketing initiatives of residential developers. A new area called "Thornhill Woods" was developed between Highway 7, Rutherford, Bathurst, and Dufferin. Another planned development, "Upper Thornhill Estates", extends well to the north of Major Mackenzie. In 2008 the City of Vaughan opened the North Thornhill Community Centre, a new community centre to serve this population.
However, it should be noted that the area being labelled as "Upper" or "North" Thornhill is more traditionally part of Maple, another former village converted to a community when the Township of Vaughan was converted to a town. Other developments taking place in these new areas include Eagle Hills/Mackenzie Chase/Thornberry Woods at Dufferin and Major Mackenzie. Coronation and Roxborough is being developed at Upper Bathurst between Rutherford Road and Major Mackenzie. The Vaughan planning area that includes Block 18 (East Maple), Block 11 (Thornhill/Maple), Block 12 (Upper Thornhill/Maple) and Block 10 (Thornhill Woods) is expected to grow substantially over the next few years. This area is known as the "Carrville District".
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