Aileen-Willowbrook MLS® Listings

William Markham was an Archbishop of York and a dear friend to Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe and this is where the name Markham came from back in the 17th Century. The first inhabitants of Markham were not Aboriginal people like some other areas within the Region of York, it actually was a large group of German people that followed a German developer (and self-proclaimed artist) into Upper Canada and inhabited the Markham Township area. Initially, the township was more agriculturally-driven, but with the steady growth of surrounding townships and Toronto itself, it did not take long before Markham was becoming urbanized (it really picked up after World War II). Development really skyrocketed when Highway 404 surpassed the Markham area for completion. Markham began to develop industrially and pulled in many interesting business-related services companies (IBM Canada, Motorola, Honeywell Canada, American Express, Advanced Micro Devices, Oracle, Avaya, Toshiba, Johnson & Johnson, etc.), which provided a large mass of employment opportunities for residents. The lure of working outside of Toronto and living outside of the big city placed Markham in one of the most desirable places to live and work, still having easy access to Toronto.The real estate market in Markham absolutely boomed, new constructions, custom builds, townhomes, detached & semi detached houses, condos and executive homes were and still are, considered to be prime real estate outside of the Toronto city area. There are 6 major communities in Markham (Markham Village, Bercy Village, Thornhill, Cornell, Unionville and Milliken) with 19 sub-communities and they all possess incredible options with real estate for sale. Vacant property lots for sale are just as lucrative to property investors and developers. Savvy home buyers know that Markham excels with offerings of quality builds, fantastic floor plans/layouts with abundant space on all levels and excellent perks like larger lots and double car garages. All around Markham, there is an array of schools (14 public schools, 3 high schools, 2 private schools and Anglophone public & Catholic schools), main hospital (Markham Stouffville Hospital) and shopping opportunities galore (First Markham Place, King Square Shopping Mall, Langham Square, Market Village, Pacific Mall and CF Markville just to name a few, but there are many smaller malls and shopping centres for a smorgasbord of options).Because Markham is bordered by Pickering in the east, Vaughan in the west, Whitchurch-Stouffville in the north and Toronto in the south, there are numerous transportation routes all around and throughout Markham. Accessible highways like highway 404, highway 407, highway 7 are ideal and alternates are Steeles Avenue, 16th Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive. Public transportation is provided by York Region Transit that links to Toronto Transit, GO Transit and VIVA Transit. With the ease of getting around Markham, residents and visitors can take in the in-depth culture, heritage and fun outdoor activities that makes Markham very special. Highlighted points of interest of Markham is the Markham Theatre, the Markham Museum, the Varley Art Gallery, Markham Heritage Estates, Thornhill Village, Heintzman House, Reesor Farm Market, Markham Village, Adventure Valley and Galten Farms. As one can imagine, when there is so much diverse culture within one city, then festivals and events are fairly expected (and Markham provides them tenfold!). Some of the main events around Markham include: The Markham Fair, Taste of Asia Festival, Thornhill Village Festival, Markham Youth Week, Markham Village Music Festival, Unionville Festival, Markham Ribfest & Music Festival, Milliken Mills Children Festival, Markham Jazz Festival and Doors Open Markham.Physical fitness is more important now than ever and Markham possesses an incredible amount of outdoor leisure and recreational outlets. Unionville, Thornhill, Milliken Mills and Markham Village all have a large number of parks and walking/cycling/jogging paths with various amenities to suit all ages. Residents can also delight in the knowledge that they have access to over 38 golf courses & clubs to enjoy! Sports is a serious business in Markham, with multiple community centres, outdoor courts, fields and diamonds, it also caters to skateboard enthusiasts. Splash pads and playground dot many of the parks as Markham is so family-friendly!The importance of physical activities to Markham residents probably stem from all of the deliciously diverse foods that are at the fingertips of everybody. Tempting cafes and bakeries, authentic & culturally mouth-watering cuisines and various drinking & nightlife venues makes living in Markham all the more enticing! Flavors that touch on international and local culinary delights are found everywhere in this city and outside the city and further into the rural areas are farm-fresh open-air stalls, and on-farm markets.Hit the shops, hit the markets, hit the eateries, and hit the sites, Markham is the place to be for a healthy and life-loving environment! Community-oriented and high-tech driven, Markham overall has its own character and is a premium place to hang your hat!