Milliken, Ontario

Milliken
Neighbourhood
Map highlighting Milliken, Milliken Mills West, and Milliken Mills East
Milliken Location in Ontario Show map of Ontario Milliken Milliken (Canada) Show map of Canada
Coordinates: 43°49′33″N 79°18′3″W / 43.82583°N 79.30083°W / 43.82583; -79.30083Coordinates: 43°49′33″N 79°18′3″W / 43.82583°N 79.30083°W / 43.82583; -79.30083
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Regional Municipality	York Region
Cities	Toronto, Markham
Changed Municipality	1998 Scarborough amalgamated into Toronto 1971 Unionville amalgamated into Markham
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
GNBC Code	FDUVD[1]

Milliken and Milliken Mills are neighbourhoods in the cities of Toronto and Markham, comprising Milliken in the city of Toronto and Milliken Mills East and Milliken Mills West in the city of Markham.^[2] Located in the north east section of Scarborough and south east Unionville, the neighbourhoods are centered on Old Kennedy Road (see also Kennedy Road in York Region) and Steeles Avenue.

A huge percentage of people own their homes, which are primarily single detached homes.^[3][4] 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.

History

The area now called "Milliken" or "Milliken's Corner" was first settled in 1798 by William Dumont. Norman Milliken settled in the area around 1807. In 1814, Milliken received the deed for lot 1, concession 5, Markham Township. Milliken operated a lumber business in what was then a rural hamlet called Milliken Corners.^[5][6] The hamlet became a postal village when the first post office was established in 1858 (on the now Markham side) and was called Milliken after Norman Millken.^[7]

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.^[8]

Another structure that survives from the 19th century is Benjamin Milliken House constructed circa 1855. It is a Georgian Classic Revival house built by Norman Milliken's son, Benjamin Milliken II, on his farm located on Part of Lot 5, Concession 5, Markham Township. It was designated by the Town of Markham as a historic building under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1994.^[9][10] Benjamin Milliken House is located at 7710 Kennedy Road, Markham and is now a pub called The Major Milliken.^[11]

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 Unionville. 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.

Arts and culture

Once agricultural land, much of which disappeared with residential development beginning in the 1970s and ending near the late 1980s. The City of Markham 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.

Attractions

Infrastructure

Education

References

External links

• Milliken
• City of Toronto profile