Markham’s postcard: a 19th-century main street with live music at the bandstand, a Group-of-Seven art gallery, a pond people genuinely sit beside - and behind it, quiet family streets in one of only four protected heritage districts in the city. If you want character and top schools and a train to Union, this is the shortlist.
The homes.
Unionville is one of Markham’s four designated Heritage Conservation Districts - the century homes near Main Street are protected, and it shows in how the streets feel. Around them: established detached neighbourhoods (Markham-wide, about 56% of homes are single-detached), and a brand-new condo world rising by Unionville GO - Union City, a 12-acre master-planned community, with more towers filed. Translation: heritage character, family streets, and first-condo options now coexist here.
For live pricing, skip the hot takes and read the board data directly: TRREB Market Watch - or ask Rose what the last three months actually looked like on the streets you’re considering.
Getting around.
Unionville GO on the Stouffville line runs to Union Station in about 40 minutes (check current schedules) - and GO Expansion plans call for electric trains every 15 minutes on this corridor. Viva Purple bus rapid transit runs along Highway 7, and the 407 is at the neighbourhood’s doorstep.
Honest note: this is still car country. Walk Score rates Markham city-wide at 35 (“car-dependent”), Transit Score 49, Bike Score 47 - the village core walks beautifully, but daily life here mostly assumes a car. Scores are city-wide via Walk Score; check your exact address on their site.
The schools.
The school story is a genuine reason families pick Unionville. Unionville High School runs Arts Unionville - eight specialized arts programs across dance, drama, music, and visual arts. William Berczy P.S. sits in the village itself, walking distance to Toogood Pond. Nearby: Pierre Elliott Trudeau H.S. (French immersion) and St. Augustine Catholic H.S.
Check catchment for any specific address with the YRDSB School Locator, and read current ratings yourself at the Fraser Institute school rankings - Rose will tell you how catchment really affects the homes on your shortlist.
Food & fun.
Main Street Unionville is the town’s living room - boutique shops, guided heritage walks, Thursday live music at the Millennium Bandstand. It’s pretty enough that the Gilmore Girls pilot was filmed here. Art lives here too: the Varley Art Gallery, named for the Group of Seven founder, anchors the street.
And the eating is elite. Zen - a few minutes away on Woodbine - is listed in the MICHELIN Guide, and chefs will tell you Markham and Richmond Hill have “some of the best Chinese food in the country” (Toronto Life). Weekend circuit: Toogood Pond for the walk, Crosby Community Centre for the rink.
The table.
Honest version first: only one MICHELIN Guide entry sits in Markham itself - Zen, the Michelin-recommended omakase counter five minutes away on Woodbine (“those looking to scratch the omakase itch without breaking the bank are in for a treat” - the Guide’s own inspectors). The rest of the Guide’s nearest picks are a short drive south:
On Main Street itself, the village’s best-reviewed tables (Google ratings, retrieved September 2026 - counts drift, check current):
The vibe.
Main Street in motion - the bandstand, the shopfronts, the pond. The feel of the village, before you ever visit:
Who lives here.
Markham is 338,000+ people and one of Canada’s most multicultural cities - at home, tens of thousands of residents speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Tamil, Urdu, and Persian (2021 Census, city-wide). Multi-generational buying is normal here, and Rose works comfortably across languages and generations - it’s half her job.
Watch this space.
Three forces are quietly compounding next door: York University’s Markham campus (opened 2024, beside Unionville GO), the Union City master-planned community rising at the station, and the planned 15-minute electrified GO service to Union. Universities, towers, and trains are how quiet corners stop being quiet - Unionville’s charm now comes with a growth story attached.
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 Unionville?
Rose will tell you which streets fit your budget, what catchment really does to price, and whether the heritage home or the new tower is the smarter version of you-in-Unionville.