Milliken, Ontario

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. 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.

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.

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 Markahm as a historic building under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1994. Benjamin Milliken House is located at 7710 Kennedy Road, Markham and is now a pub called The Major Milliken.

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.

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.

In Markham Milliken Mills Community Centre was built in 1989 features a library, swimming pool and rental halls; the skating rink was built in 1982.

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.

Markham

Public

Catholic

Toronto

Public

Catholic

Scarborough

Public

No High School Located within Neighbourhood

Catholic

No High School Located within Neighbourhood

Unionville

Public

Catholic

No High School Located within Neighbourhood

Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy (Officially positioned on the East side of the McCowan Road border in Middlefield)

Transportation

Malls

Parks in Markham section

Parks in Toronto section

Milliken Mills Community Centre

Milliken Mills Community Centre is a city owned facility located at 7600 Kennedy Road south of 14th Avenue.

The facility began with Milliken Mills Arena, a multi-purpose ice rink on the north end of the complex built in 1982. In the 1990s a library, community rooms and swimming pool were added. A McDonald's is located next to the ice rink. To the east is an open area with soccer pitches at Milliken Mills Community Park and indoor soccer dome to the northeast side.

People from Milliken

A list of people who lived or attended schools in the area:

Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School alumni

Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute alumni

Francis Libermann Catholic High School alumni

Milliken Mills High School Alumni