Milliken, Ontario
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Milliken or Milliken Mills is a neighbourhood in the city of Toronto. It is located in the North West section of Scarborough and South West section of Markham. The neighbourhood is centered around Old Kennedy Road (see also Kennedy Road in York Region) and Steeles Avenue, bounded by 14th Ave E to the North, Markham Road to the East, Finch Avenue East to the South and Warden Road to the West. The area is heavily residential.
There is a very large Asian contingency in this area, with 35% speaking Chinese as a first language at home.[citation needed] A huge percentage of people own their homes, which are primarily single detached homes.[1][2] As the homes were built when the farming left (1980s) there are many two storied houses with garage, typical of the time of building and affordability.
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[edit] History
The community is named after Norm Milliken, a United Empire Loyalist from New Brunswick who settled in Markham, Ontario in 1807. Milliken operated a lumber business in the town.
The community's post office was established in 1859 on the Markham side. The Ebenezer United Church (1878) is one of a few structures remaining in the area. The church once stood on the south side of Steeles Avenue with another church on Brimley Road. Plots at the church are many of the early families of Milliken: Thomson, Rennie, Harding, Hood, Hagerman and L'Amoreaux). The church is now located on Brimley Rd, north of Steeles Ave in Markham.
To the Milliken community, municipal boundaries were just lines on a map and the community's history can be found in the Archives of both Scarborough and Markham. School Section # 2 was established here in 1847, and a log school was built during the same year.
The neighbourhood only gave up its final farming activities in the early 1980s and is modernizing by the year. There are green spaces such as Milliken Park, Goldhawk Park and many others, also the Milliken Trail is a walking tour of the neighbourhood.
[edit] Culture
Once agricultural land, much of which disappeared with residential development beginning in the 1970s and ending near the late 1980s. The Town of Markham has recently initiated an initiative to develop "Main Street Milliken" around Old Kennedy Rd. The area has suffered from years of neglect, and revitalization plans have been welcomed by community members. New developments include a condominum development on Kennedy and Denison, Dairy Queen, Major Milliken Pub and a new housing project on Old Kennedy Rd.
A growing hub of community activity is Milliken Park Community Recreation Centre, which is located on the Northwest corner of Milliken Park and at the Southeast corner of the intersection of Steeles Avenue and McCowan Road. The centre is home to a variety of camps, after-school programs and cultural activities designed to cater to local demand. To provide optimal service for the area, City of Toronto staff are in regular consultation with an advisory board, which includes representatives from local community associations, such as the Goldhawk Community Association, Brimley Forest Community Association, Richmond Park Association, and the Milliken Park Community Association. Annually, the City of Toronto staff, the advisory board, and the community associations organize special events for the communities at Milliken Park Community Recreation Centre. Some examples of these major events include the annual Community Christmas Party, Spring Fling, and Fall Fair.
The demographics of the community is mainly immigrants with a strong Chinese Canadians presence. It is home to Toronto's other Chinatown. In recent years, the South Asian population has also boomed within the region, particularly the Sri Lankan Tamil community. For example, a South Asian movie theatre is now located at the Woodside Square Mall at McCowan and Finch and plans are also in place for a major South Asian mall to be developed at Finch and Middlefield.
[edit] Schools
[edit] Elementary Schools
[edit] Milliken, Markham
- Aldergrove Public School, Markham
- Armadale Public School, Markham
- Highgate Public School, Markham
- Milliken Mills Public School, Markham
- Randall Public School, Markham
- Parkland Public School, Markham
- Wilclay Public School, Markham
[edit] Milliken, Toronto
- Agnes McPhail Public School, Toronto
- Banting and Best Public Elementary School, Toronto
- Brimwood Public School, Toronto
- Milliken Public School, Toronto
- Macklin Public School, Toronto
- Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary School, Markham
- Our Lady of Grace Catholic Elementary School, Toronto
- Port Royal Public School, Toronto
- Prince of Peace Catholic Elementary School, Toronto
- St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Elementary School, Toronto
- St. Rene Goupil Catholic Elementary School, Toronto
[edit] High Schools
- Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute, Toronto
- Francis Liberman Separate Secondary School, Toronto
- Mary Ward Separate Secondary School, Toronto
- Milliken Mills High School, Markham
[edit] Transportation
- vivayork
- York Region Transit
- Toronto Transit Commission
- GO Transit-Milliken Station
[edit] Malls
- Pacific Mall, Markham
- Market Village, Markham
- Splendid China Tower, Toronto
- Woodside Square, Toronto
- Super Centre, Markham
[edit] Parks
[edit] Parks in Milliken, Markham
- Miliken Mills Community Park, Markham
- Wilclay Park, Markham
- Aldergrove Park, Markham
- Denison Park, Markham
- Armadale Park, Markham
- Randall Park, Markham
- Risebrough Park, Markham
- Highgate Park, Markham
[edit] Parks in Milliken, Toronto
- L'Amoreaux Park, Toronto
- Goldhawk Park, Toronto
- Port Royal Park, Toronto
- Audrelane Park, Toronto
- Alexmuir Park, Toronto
- Brimley Woods Park, Toronto
- Bridletowne Park, Toronto
- Warden Avenue Park, Toronto
- Fundy Bay Park, Toronto
- Terry Fox Park, Toronto
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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