| Milliken | |
|---|---|
| — Neighbourhood — | |
| The Toronto portion of Milliken | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| City Town |
Toronto Markham |
| Community | Scarborough |
| Changed Municipality | 1998 Toronto from Scarborough 1859 Markham, Ontario |
Milliken or Milliken Mills is a neighbourhood in the city of Toronto and Markham, Ontario. It is located in the North East section of Scarborough and South East 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 Avenue 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. 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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The community is named after Norman Milliken, a United Empire Loyalist from New Brunswick who settled in Markham, Ontario. In 1814 he received the deed for lot 1, concession 5, where he settled. Milliken operated a lumber business in the town when it was first called Milliken Corners.[3]
The community's post office was established in 1859 on the Markham side. The Ebenezer United Church (1878; originally Milliken Primitive Methodist Church) 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.[4]
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.
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 condominium 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 made up of mainly immigrants with a strong Chinese Canadian presence. It is home to one of several Chinatowns in Toronto. For this reason, a new retail commercial condominium project is underway in the area called The Landmark. The Chinese-theme mall will become one of the largest Asian malls in the Greater Toronto Area. In recent years, the South Asian population has also boomed within the region, particularly the Sri Lankan Tamil and Indian Gujarati 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.
Coppard Glen Public School
Toronto
Markham
A list of people who lived or attended schools in the area:
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