Markham, Ontario, is a vibrant city located in the York Region of Canada. Approximately 30 km northeast of Downtown Toronto, Markham is the largest city in York Region, the fourth largest in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and the 16th largest in Canada, according to the 2021 Census. The city's name is a tribute to William Markham, the Archbishop of York from 1776 to 1807, by his friend John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada.
Indigenous people have inhabited the area of present-day Markham for thousands of years before European settlers arrived. The first European settlement in Markham was established in 1794 by William Berczy, a German artist and developer. He led a group of approximately sixty-four German families to North America, intending to settle in New York. However, disputes over finances and land tenure led Berczy to negotiate with Simcoe for 26,000 ha (64,000 acres) in what would later become Markham Township.
Markham's transformation from an agricultural community to an industrialized municipality began in the 1970s, largely due to urban sprawl from neighbouring Toronto. The city officially changed its status from town to city on July 1, 2012. As of 2013, tertiary industry mainly drives Markham's economy, with "business services" employing the largest proportion of workers in Markham – nearly 22% of its labour force.
Markham is home to over 1,000 technology and life-sciences companies, with IBM as the city's largest employer. Several multinational companies have their Canadian headquarters in Markham, including Honda Canada, Hyundai, Advanced Micro Devices, Johnson & Johnson, General Motors, Avaya, IBM, Motorola, Oracle, Toshiba, Toyota Financial Services, Huawei, Honeywell, General Electric, and Scholastic Canada.
Markham covers 212.47 km2 (82.04 sq mi) and is bounded by five municipalities. Its city centre is at 43°53′N 79°15′W. The city's topography consists of gently rolling hills, intersected by two rivers; the Don River and Rouge River, as well as their tributaries. To the north is the Oak Ridges Moraine, which further elevates the elevation towards the north.
Markham shares the same climate as Toronto. It has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) and features warm, humid summers with rainfall occurring from May to October and cold, snowy winters.
Markham is made up of many original 19th-century communities, each with a distinctive character. These include Thornhill, Unionville, and Markham Village, among others. Unionville is a single community with three sub-communities: Original Unionville, South Unionville, and Upper Unionville.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Markham had a population of 338,503 living in 110,867 of its 114,908 total private dwellings. Immigrants made up 58% of the population of Markham in the 2021 census. The most reported ethnocultural background was Chinese (47.9%), followed by European (17.7%), South Asian (17.6%), Black (3.1%), West Asian (2.9%), Filipino (2.7%), Korean (1.3%), Arab (1.0%), Latin American (0.8%), and Southeast Asian (0.7%).
Markham is home to several attractions that reflect its rich history and vibrant culture. These include the Frederick Horsman Varley Art Gallery, Heintzman House, Markham Museum, Markham Village, and the Cathedral of the Transfiguration. The city also hosts annual events such as the Night It Up! Night Market, Taste of Asia Festival, Markham Village Music Festival, Markham Jazz Festival, and the Markham Fair.
Markham is served by the GO Transit Stouffville line, a commuter rail line stretching from Lincolnville to downtown Toronto. York Region Transit (YRT) connects Markham with surrounding municipalities in York Region. The Toronto/Buttonville Municipal Airport, Canada's 11th busiest airport, is also located in Markham.
Markham has established cultural collaborations and partnerships with several cities worldwide. These include Eabametoong First Nation in Ontario, Canada; Nördlingen in Bavaria, Germany; Cary in North Carolina, United States; and Wuhan in Hubei, China. The city also has friendship city relationships with several cities in China, including Huadu, Xiamen, Zhongshan, Zibo, Foshan, Ganzhou, Jiangmen, Nanhai, and Meizhou, as well as Mullaitivu in Northern Province, Sri Lanka.
