Thornhill, Ontario

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Thornhill (2006 population 106,394) is an upscale community in southern Ontario, Canada, directly north of Toronto. It is the name of a historic village now governed by two municipalities, and considered one of the more affluent Toronto suburbs. It straddles the city of Vaughan, west of Yonge Street, and the town of Markham, east of Yonge. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the City of Vaughan's half of the former village is 56,361.[1] The population in the other half in the Town of Markham is 47,333. [2]

Conley Park. One of the many parks found in Thornhill
Conley Park. One of the many parks found in Thornhill

Contents

[edit] History

Thornhill was founded in 1794, and its first settlers on Yonge Street in Thornhill were Asa Johnson (who settled on the Vaughan side) and Nicholas Miller (who settled on the Markham side). Of particular importance was the arrival of Benjamin Thorne in 1820, who was operating a gristmill, a sawmill, and a tannery in the community. The settlement came to be known as Thorne's Mills, and later, Thorne's Hill, from which its current name is derived. (Thorne committed suicide in 1848, after a serious wheat market crash.)

Between 1830 and 1848, Thornhill experienced a period of continued growth and prosperity. The business district of Thornhill developed on its portion of Yonge Street, between Centre Street and John Street. Stagecoaches travelled between Holland Landing (Lake Simcoe) and York (Toronto) as Yonge Street's road conditions improved with new stonework. During this prosperous period, several churches, many of which are still standing today, were constructed.

Thornhill's location along Yonge Street, a major transportation route, proved to be beneficial to the community's growth throughout much of the twentieth century. The implementation of an electric street railway along Yonge Street in 1898 towards Kleinburg, Georgina, King and Toronto meant that, for the first time, it was possible for people to reside in Thornhill and work in Toronto. By the 1920s, the prevalence of the automobile further facilitated travel along Yonge Street.

[edit] 20th century

In 1931, Thornhill became a "Police Village"; before that time, Thornhill had no independent status and was split between the townships of Vaughan and Markham along Yonge Street, since the creation of municipal government in 1850. Before 1931, each township administered its own half of the village. The creation of the Police Village gave Thornhill its own political boundaries.

In 1971 however, York Region was created and the establishment of a regional government administration effectively eliminated the Police Village of Thornhill. Its administration was reverted back to the newly-formed towns of Markham and Vaughan.

However, many residents still remain loyal to their community (as is typical for most urbanized former Greater Toronto Area (GTA) villages outside of the City of Toronto) and still refer to the area as Thornhill, and not as Vaughan or Markham. While the old village of Thornhill is centered around Yonge Street between Centre and John Streets, it is typically said to be bounded by Dufferin Street to the west, Highway 7 to the north, Steeles Avenue to the south, and Highway 404 to the east.

A minor February snowstorm in Thornhill.
A minor February snowstorm in Thornhill.

But these boundaries seem to be expanding northward along the west side of Bathurst, into areas that were never considered Thornhill, thanks to home-builder marketing. A new area called "Thornhill Woods" has recently been developed between Highway 7, Rutherford, Bathurst, and Dufferin, while another planned development, "Upper Thornhill Estates", extends well to the north of Major Mackenzie. However, it should be noted that the area being labelled as "Upper Thornhill" should be more appropriately considered part of Maple (another community of Vaughan), rather than Thornhill. Other developments taking place in the Thornhill area are Eagle Hills/Mackenzie Chase/Thornberry Woods at Dufferin and Major Mackenzie. Coronation and Roxborough is being developed at Upper Bathurst between Rutherford Road and Major Mackenzie. Another large builder was the Tannenbaum family, who built the Spring Farm area, near Bathurst and Clark. There is a large synagogue named after them. It is more commonly known as Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto.

The Vaughan planning area that includes Block 18 (East Maple), Block 11 (Thornhill/Maple), Block 12 (Upper Thornhill/Maple) and Block 10 (Thornhill Woods) is expected to grow substantially over the next few years. This area is known as the "Carrville District"

An "uptown" village denoted as Thornhill Town Centre is being developed at the corner of Bathurst and Centre Street.

[edit] Other information

Thornhill is home to Shouldice Hernia Centre, one of the world's premiere hernia facilities.

The Member of Parliament for Thornhill is Susan Kadis, and the Member of Provincial Parliament is Peter Shurman.

Thornhill has a very ethnically diverse population. Approximately 40% of the population are Jews.[3]. Jews constitute the majority of the population on the Vaughan side and about nearly one-quarter on the Markham side. It is home to one of the largest Orthodox Jewish Synagogues in North America, the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto. There are also significant Italian and Chinese communities in Thornhill.

[edit] Demographics

A residential neighbourhood in Thornhill.
A residential neighbourhood in Thornhill.

The median household income in Thornhill is over $87,000, while the mean household income is in excess of $100,000 compared with $50,500 across the Greater Toronto Area. As a political riding, Thornhill consistently appears in the top three ridings across Canada in terms of household income. Of all households, 60 per cent of the community earns an income in excess of $70,000 and approximately 89 per cent of Thornhill residents own their home.

[edit] Public schools

Secondary schools

Elementary schools

[edit] Separate schools

St. Elizabeth Catholic High School.
St. Elizabeth Catholic High School.

[edit] Private schools

[edit] Media

[edit] Notable people from Thornhill

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Vaughan side Thornhill population, using Highway 7, Yonge Street, Dufferin Street, and Steeles Avenue as boundaries.
  2. ^ Markham's side Thornhill population, using Highway 7, Yonge Street, Woodbine Avenue, and Steeles Avenue as boundaries.
  3. ^ http://www.feduja.org/jewishtoronto/census/2001_Census_Jewish_Geographic.pdf page 11.

[edit] External links

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City of Vaughan Communities
Carrville • Coleraine • Concord • Elder Mills • Edgeley • Hope • Kleinburg • Maple • Langstaff • Nashville • Pine Grove • Purpleville • Sherwood • Sunset Corners • Teston • Thornhill • Vellore • Weston Downs • Wilshire • Woodbridge
Communities in other York Region municipalities: King • Markham • Richmond Hill • Vaughan • Whitchurch-Stouffville
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Communities of Markham
Angus Glen • Armadale • Berczy Village • Box Grove • Brown's Corners • Buttonville • Cachet • Cashel • Cathedraltown • Cedar Grove • Cornell • Dickson Hill • Downtown Markham • German Mills • Greensborough • Hagerman's Corners • Langstaff • Legacy • Markham • Markham Village • Milliken • Mount Joy • Quantztown • Rouge Fairways • Sherwood - Amber Glen • Thornhill • Underwood • Unionville • Victoria Square • Vinegar Hill • Wismer Commons
Communities in other York Region municipalities: King • Markham • Richmond Hill • Vaughan • Whitchurch-Stouffville
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Greater Toronto Area
Largest City: Toronto
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Coordinates: 43°48′58″N 79°25′28″W / 43.81611, -79.42444

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