The suburb that was actually planned: porches five feet from the sidewalk, garages tucked into rear lanes, schools and parks stitched into a walkable grid - and a hospital, library and rec centre sharing one civic block. Cornell is what happens when a community is designed for families first and cars second, and it’s still growing.
The homes.
Cornell was master-planned in 1994 by Duany Plater-Zyberk - the Miami firm that launched North American new urbanism - and the City of Markham still builds to that foundation: “a unique community… based on the principles of new urbanism” in the city’s own words. In practice: Victorian-style homes close to the sidewalk, front porches, and garages on rear lanes - streets that belong to people, not driveways.
The mix runs townhomes, semis and detached, with newer condos joining. Still building: Cornell Rouge is in its final phase (2,000+ homes since 2006, many with coach houses), and Lindvest’s South Cornell townhomes are coming south of Highway 7. For live pricing, read TRREB Market Watch directly - or ask Rose what the last three months looked like phase by phase.
Getting around.
The Cornell Bus Terminal (opened 2022, 11 bays) connects Viva Purple, a stack of YRT routes and GO buses, a two-minute walk from the hospital. Mount Joy GO - up the same Bur Oak corridor - runs Stouffville-line trains to Union in roughly 55 minutes (check current schedules), and the 407 borders Cornell with two interchanges.
Honest note: Cornell walks beautifully inside - the grid, the porches, the civic block - but for most errands this is still car country. Walk Score rates Markham city-wide at 35 (“car-dependent”); no Cornell-specific score is published.
Schools & the civic block.
Cornell Village P.S. anchors the elementary years in the neighbourhood, with Black Walnut, Little Rouge and Rouge Park serving the newer phases. Bill Hogarth S.S. - opened 2017 at Bur Oak & Almira - carries a French Immersion track, and St. Joseph C.E.S. covers Catholic elementary. Boundaries shift in growth areas - check any address with YRDSB’s Find My School.
Then the part that sells families the moment they see it: one walkable block on Bur Oak holds the Cornell Community Centre & Library - 129,000 square feet, three pools, a waterslide, triple gym, indoor playground - Markham Stouffville Hospital (Oak Valley Health), and the bus terminal. Hospital, rec centre, library, transit: a five-minute-life civic core most suburbs never get.
The table.
Cornell’s own strips are young, but historic Main Street Markham sits minutes west - pubs, patios, and a genuine village high street. Best-reviewed nearby (Google ratings retrieved September 2026 - counts drift, check current):
The vibe.
Two unhurried walks - porches, lanes and parks at eye level:
Who lives here.
Markham is 338,500 people, roughly six in ten of them immigrants (2021 Census) - one of Canada’s most diverse cities, with median household income above $100,000. Cornell itself skews young-family: stroller traffic on the lanes, four elementaries, and a secondary school that only opened in 2017. Multi-generational buying is normal here, and Rose works comfortably across languages and generations - it’s half her job.
Watch this space.
Cornell isn’t finished - that’s the point. The city is writing the Cornell Centre Secondary Plan - a higher-density, mixed-use centre around the hospital and terminal (public meeting held June 2025). GO Expansion is pushing the Stouffville line toward trains “every 15 minutes or better,” and new phases are still coming out of the ground. Buying into a community mid-build means buying its next decade, not just its present.
All third-party figures above link to their sources and were retrieved September 2026 - check the linked pages for current numbers. Walkability scores courtesy of Walk Score®.
Thinking about Cornell?
Rose will tell you which phase fits your budget, what the Cornell Centre plan could mean for resale, and whether the resale porch home or the new-build phase is the smarter version of you-in-Cornell.