Milliken Mills Community

Introduction to Milliken Mills Community

The Milliken-Mills community appeals to those who appreciate a variety of amenities and want to take advantage of frequent public transport around Markham. Residential development in the area started in the 1980s and now sees the neighbourhood as established. The location of the area is perfect for commuters – scroll down to find out what else this neighbourhood has to offer!

Location

Milliken Mills Community is located in the south-west corner of Markham. The borders are Highway  407 in the north, McCowan Road in the east, Steeles Avenue in the south and Highway 404 in the west. The area is very large and is the only neighbourhood in Markham to be divided into two – Milliken Mills East and Milliken Mills West. The dividing line runs north-south along Kennedy Road.

History of Milliken Mills

Milliken-Mills was originally known as Milliken’s Corners, which was first settled in 1798 by William Dumont.. At this time the neighbourhood had an established sawmill near the Little Rouge River. The hamlet took form around the mill and by 1807 was home to an American Loyalist family of the same name. who operated the lumber industry there. The hamlet consisted of a wagon maker, two smith shops, two hotels and two general stores. In 1851 Benjamen Milliken donated some land for a school to be built in the Millken Corners area. When a post office was opened in 1859, Milliken Mills was granted name status.

Milliken was originally part of York County until 1954 when the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was formed and the area north of Steeles Avenue remained part of York whilst the area south of Steeles became part of Metropolitan Toronto. Up until the 1980s, a lot of the area remained agricultural, after which the land was purchased for residential development.

The Homes in Milliken Mills

Milliken-Mills is comprised of detached and semi-detached homes built in the 1980s. Most of the homes have single, double, and in some cases triple car garages and have 3 or 4 bedrooms. In general, 80% of homes are occupied by homeowners, and 20% are occupied by renters.

Transport & Commuting

Commuters from Milliken Mills have a choice of Unionville GO station and Milliken Go Station as these are located north and south of the neighbourhood. Most commuters are no further than a 10-min drive or 15-min bicycle ride from a station. Public transport moves frequently in this area through major roads such as Warden Avenue, Kennedy Road and Denison which dissect the neighbourhood. Therefore, although the area is on the edge of the city, getting around is not usually a problem here!

Shopping

There is an abundance of choice for shopping in this neighbourhood. There are lots of small corner plazas and malls. Here is a list of the largest ones:

• • Pacific Mall – at Kennedy Road and Steeles Avenue is a very large indoor mall with mainly independent Chinese retailers selling clothing, food and electronics

• • Warden Centre Mall – is an outdoor area at Warden Avenue & Steeles Avenue which has at least 8 restaurants, a supermarket, a drugstore, a bank and numerous small businesses.

• • New Century Plaza- at Steeles Ave & Ferrier Street has at least 10 restaurants and some small independent businesses.

Parks & Recreation

• • Milliken Mills Park – 5 baseball diamonds, 5 soccer fields, splash park, children’s playground, large grassy areas. trees for shade, washrooms.

• • Middleton Park – grassy area with lots of trees, children’s playground

• • Risebrough Park – grassy area, 3 baseball diamonds, washrooms

• • Highgate Park – tennis courts, basketball court, baseball diamond, children’s playground, soccer field, large grassy area, covered picnic area

• • Longmeadow Park – Grassy area with trees

• • Harvest Moon Park – Grassy area with trees and a children’s playground

• • Denison Park – Grassy area, baseball diamond, soccer field, basketball court, children’s playground, covered picnic area

• • Aldergrove Park – Grassy areas, baseball diamond, children’s playground, 3 soccer fields

• • Wilclay Park – Grassy areas, baseball diamond, children’s playground

• • Armadale Park – Grassy areas, baseball diamond, children’s playground, soccer field, 4 tennis courts

• • Randall Park – Grassy areas, baseball diamond, children’s playground, soccer field, covered picnic area

• • Windfield/Gertrude Heisy Park – Grassy area, children’s playground

• • John Canning/Tillie Square Park – Grassy area, soccer field, children’s playground, woods.

There is one community centre in this community – Armadale Community Centre which has a community hall, meeting rooms, a gymnasium with a rock-climbing wall and an older adults club. Markham Executive Golf Course is also a very popular recreational activity in this area. For more information on the golf course, click here.

Schools

There are 7 elementary schools and 1 high school in this community all of which are highly regarded. For more information on schools in Markham – click here.

• • Highgate Public School

• • Wilclay Public School

• • Randall Public School

• • Sir Francis Xavier Catholic School

• • Aldergrove Public School

• • St Benedict Catholic School

• • Milliken Mills Public School

• • Milliken Mills High School

Conclusion

Milliken Mills is a very large part of Markham and has a great choice for schools, homes, shopping and recreational activities, it is a great place to live!