Best Areas to Live in Markham (When Work Isn't in Toronto)

The short answer

• Markham has a real local job market of its own, so plenty of residents never commute to Toronto at all.
• Unionville offers heritage charm, walkability and strong schools, at a premium price.
• Angus Glen suits buyers who want space, newer builds and a quieter, golf-adjacent setting.
• Cornell is a good entry point for young families, built around walkable, human-scaled streets.
• Downtown Markham suits people who want condo living with transit, shops and offices close by.
• If a Toronto commute does matter to your household, proximity to Highway 404, Highway 7 or the Markham GO line will do more for your travel time than a specific neighbourhood name.

Why most Markham guides assume you work in Toronto and why that’s wrong for a lot of buyers

Search for anything about living in Markham and you will find a pile of articles measuring every neighbourhood by one thing: how fast can you get downtown. That makes sense for a certain kind of buyer, but it is not everyone’s situation.

Markham is home to a genuine tech and business corridor along Highway 7 and Highway 404, with employers including IBM Canada, AMD, Huawei and Qualcomm. If one or both of you works in Markham or is about to start a job there, the whole calculation changes. You are not optimising for a trip to Union Station, you are optimising for a short drive to an office park, good schools nearby and a neighbourhood that feels like home on evenings and weekends rather than a place you pass through.

This guide is for that household. We will still cover the Toronto commute, because plenty of couples have one person working locally and one working downtown, but it will not be the only lens we use.

Is Markham a good place to live?

For most people the honest answer is yes, with some caveats worth knowing before you commit. Markham’s population sits around 338,000, making it the seventh largest city in Ontario and it has grown steadily without losing the feel of distinct neighbourhoods and villages rather than one sprawling suburb.

It is also one of the most diverse cities in Canada, with close to 60 percent of residents born outside the country and a large Cantonese and Mandarin speaking community. That shows up in everyday life: strong Asian grocery and restaurant options, including Pacific Mall, one of the largest Asian indoor markets in North America, plus a wide range of cultural festivals and food throughout the year.

Schools fall under the York Region District School Board, which regularly places well in provincial rankings, so Markham draws a lot of families purely on that basis. Add in parks, trails, the Markham Fair dating back to 1844 and the Pan Am Centre sports facility and you get a city that offers real amenities rather than just a quiet postcode next to a bigger one.

Is Markham safe to live in?

The honest answer is that safety varies street to street. If safety is a top priority for your household, check recent York Regional Police data for the specific area you are considering and Statistics Canada figures, rather than relying on reputation alone.

Best areas to live in Markham for different priorities

There is no single “best” neighbourhood in Markham, there is a best fit for your budget, stage of life and daily routine. Here is how the main areas tend to sort out.

Unionville: heritage charm and walkability

Unionville is one of Markham’s most prestigious and recognisable communities, built around a historic main street with restored train stations, shops and restaurants. It offers detached homes on mature, tree-lined streets, access to Toogood Pond Park and its trails and strong local schools including Unionville High School.

This is a neighbourhood people choose for lifestyle as much as location. Expect to pay a premium for it and expect that premium to be worth it if walkable village charm is genuinely what you want day to day.

Angus Glen: space, quiet streets and newer builds

Angus Glen sits in the north end of Markham and is known for its manicured streets and homes clustered around the well-regarded Angus Glen Golf Club. The housing mix includes some heritage homes alongside newer detached properties and townhouses, with an active community centre offering arenas, a pool and sports programs.

It is well positioned for anyone working along Major Mackenzie Drive or needing quick access to Highway 404. School options within the immediate community are limited, with most families using nearby elementary schools and the high school in neighbouring Berczy Village, so check catchment boundaries carefully if schools are a deciding factor.

Cornell: new urbanism and a family-friendly entry point

Cornell, in northeast Markham, was the GTA’s first community built on New Urbanism principles starting in 1999, meaning parks, shops and schools were planned to be within walking distance of most homes. It tends to be a more accessible entry point for young families and first-time buyers compared to Unionville or Angus Glen, without giving up the walkable, community-first design those principles aimed for.

Downtown Markham: condos, transit and urban convenience

Downtown Markham, sometimes called Markham Centre, is a newer, denser district built around mixed-use condo towers, offices and retail. It suits buyers who want a more urban lifestyle without leaving Markham, with the advantage of being close to transit options for anyone whose work does take them toward Toronto some days.

How far is Markham from downtown Toronto and how do you actually get there?

Markham sits just northeast of the City of Toronto and most of its residential pockets are somewhere in the range of 25 to 40 kilometres from the downtown core, depending on exactly where you start and end. Unionville and Downtown Markham tend to be on the closer side, while the far north of the city is a longer trip either way.

For getting to Toronto from Markham, you generally have three realistic options: driving via Highway 404 or Highway 7 to connect with the 401 or DVP, taking a GO Train on the Stouffville line from Markham GO or another station along that corridor or combining York Region Transit and Viva bus rapid transit with the TTC subway at a station like Finch.

A commute to downtown typically falls somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes door to door and GO Transit tends to be more predictable than driving once you hit peak hour traffic on the highways. If a Toronto commute matters to anyone in your household, treat proximity to a GO station or a 404 on-ramp as a serious factor, not an afterthought, since it will shape your actual day more than the neighbourhood’s name does.

Comparing Markham’s main residential areas

Area	Best for	Housing style	Commute consideration
Unionville	Walkability, heritage charm, strong schools	Detached homes, mature streets	Close to Highway 7, reasonable GO access
Angus Glen	Space, newer builds, golf-course living	Detached homes and townhouses	Quick access to Major Mackenzie and Highway 404
Cornell	Young families, first-time buyers	Mixed housing, walkable design	Further from Toronto, good for local Markham jobs
Downtown Markham	Condo living, urban amenities	High-rise and mid-rise condos	Strong transit links in and around the city

What matters more than commute time for a lot of Markham buyers

If your household’s work is anchored in Markham rather than Toronto, the questions worth asking change. How close is the neighbourhood to the Highway 7 and Highway 404 tech corridor. How is the school catchment rated by the York Region District School Board. Is there enough everyday retail nearby that you are not driving twenty minutes for groceries.

These are the same questions any family asks, but when the Toronto commute drops off the list, they get more weight. A neighbourhood that is a bit of a slog to the subway but five minutes from your office and the kids’ school might genuinely be the better fit, even if it never shows up in a “best commute to Toronto” ranking.

What to do next

Start by mapping your actual daily routes, not a hypothetical downtown commute: where you and your partner will work, where the kids will go to school and where you tend to shop or spend weekends. Shortlist two or three neighbourhoods based on that, rather than on a generic “best of Markham” list.

Drive or walk each shortlisted area at a time that matches your real schedule, including a weekday morning if a commute of any kind is part of your life. Check current school catchment boundaries directly with the York Region District School Board rather than relying on a real estate listing, since boundaries can shift. If safety is a priority, pull recent data from York Regional Police for the specific streets you are considering, not just the city as a whole.

If you would like a shortlist built around where you’ll actually be working and living day to day, rather than a generic downtown commute, get in touch with me, Kirby Chan and I will walk you through the Markham neighbourhoods that genuinely fit your household.