Markham, Ontario

Markham
City (lower-tier)
City of Markham
Markham Civic Centre
Markham Civic Centre
Flag of Markham
Flag
Coat of arms of Markham
Coat of arms
Official logo of Markham
Logo
Nickname: 
The High-Tech Capital
Motto: 
Leading While Remembering
Location of Markham within York Region
Location of Markham within York Region
Markham is located in Southern Ontario
Markham
Markham
Markham in relation to southern Ontario
Coordinates: 43°52′36″N 79°15′48″W / 43.87667°N 79.26333°W / 43.87667; -79.26333[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
Regional MunicipalityYork Region
Settled1794 (Thornhill and Unionville)
Incorporated1872 (village)
1971 (town)
2012 (city)
Government
 • MayorFrank Scarpitti
 • Deputy MayorMichael Chan
 • Governing BodyMarkham City Council
 • MPs
List of MPs
 • MPPs
List of MPPs
Area
[2]
 • Total210.93 km2 (81.44 sq mi)
Elevation
200 m (700 ft)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Total338,503 (16th)
 • Density1,604.8/km2 (4,156/sq mi)
DemonymMarkhamite
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Forward Sortation Area
L3P to L3S, L6B to L6G
Area codes905, 289, 365, and 742
ISO 3166-2CA-ON
GNBC CodeFDNFZ[1]
Websitewww.markham.ca Edit this at Wikidata

Markham (/ˈmɑːrkəm/) is a city in York Region, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately 30 km (19 mi) northeast of Downtown Toronto. In the 2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503,[2] which ranked it the largest in York Region, fourth largest in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and 16th largest in Canada.[3]

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 the area of present-day Markham for thousands of years before Europeans arrived in the area.[4] 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.[5] Since the 1970s, Markham rapidly shifted from being an agricultural community to an industrialized municipality due to urban sprawl from neighbouring Toronto.[6] Markham changed its status from town to city on July 1, 2012.[7]

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.[8] The city also has over 1,000[9] technology and life-sciences companies, with IBM as the city's largest employer.[10][11] Several multinational companies have their Canadian headquarters in Markham, including: Honda Canada, Hyundai,[12] Advanced Micro Devices,[13] Johnson & Johnson, General Motors, Avaya,[14] IBM,[15] Motorola,[16] Oracle,[17] Toshiba,[18] Toyota Financial Services,[19] Huawei, Honeywell, General Electric[20] and Scholastic Canada.[21]

  1. ^ a b "Markham". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  2. ^ a b c "Markham, City Ontario (Census Subdivision)". Census Profile, Canada 2021 Census. Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  3. ^ Tuckey, Bryan (July 24, 2015). "Why Markham is the next highrise community". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  4. ^ "Markham | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  5. ^ "A history of the town of Markham". City of Markham. The Corporation of the City of Markham. 2012. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2013. In May 1794, Berczy negotiated with Simcoe for 64,000 acres in Markham Township, soon to be known as the German Company Lands. The Berczy settlers, joined by several Pennsylvania German families, set out for Upper Canada. Sixty-four families arrived that year [...]
  6. ^ "A history of the town of Markham". City of Markham. The Corporation of the City of Markham. 2012. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
  7. ^ "Markham to change from town to city" . CBC News, May 30, 2012.
  8. ^ "Labour Force Profile" (PDF). Economic Profile Year End 2010. Town of Markham Economic Development Department. 2010. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 18, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  9. ^ "Markham Quick Facts – 2016".
  10. ^ "Why is Markham Canadaès High-Tech Capital?". Town of Markham. The Corporation of the Town of Markham. 2011. Archived from the original on December 18, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  11. ^ "Top 10 Employers in Markham" (PDF). Town of Markham. April 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 18, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  12. ^ "Help Centre". Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  13. ^ "AMD Locations". AMD. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. 2011. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  14. ^ "Connect with Avaya". Avaya. Avaya Inc. 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  15. ^ "IBM: Helping Canada and the World Work Better". About IBM. IBM. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  16. ^ "Office Locations". About Us. Motorola Solutions, Inc. 2011. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  17. ^ "Contact Us – Oracle Canada". www.oracle.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  18. ^ "Contact Us". Support. Toshiba Canada. 2011. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  19. ^ "Toyota Canada – Cars, Pickup Trucks, SUVs, Hybrids and Crossovers". Toyota Canada. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  20. ^ "Canadian Regional Sales Offices". www.gegridsolutions.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2023.
  21. ^ "Scholastic Canada". Scholastic Canada. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.