Location, location, location | BLOG | Oakridge Meadow
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Location, location, location

October 12, 2020

Richmond Hill’s heritage and charm make it a distinct and special place to live. Even more so, upon discovering its hidden (or not-so-hidden) gem, the expansive and lush Oak Ridges Moraine, you will know why it’s truly the best place to call home.

At close to 210,000 people, Richmond Hill is a vibrant city that has experienced growth and prosperity over the last few decades. But it has not forgotten its history. A stroll along the original downtown stretch, northbound on Yonge Street from Major Makenzie Road to Crosby Avenue, a number of heritage buildings, plaques and the Richmond Hill Heritage Centre pay homage to the city’s important history. The old and the new are seamlessly woven together to illustrate how the city has come of age.

Bound by Highway 404 to the east, Bloomington Sideroad to the north, Bathurst Street to the west and Highway 7 to the south, Richmond Hill is one of the most beautiful places to live, explore and discover in York Region.

EXPLORING THE OAK RIDGES MORAINE

A hidden (or not-so-hidden) gem in Richmond Hill is the Oak Ridges Moraine. It really is an ecological treasure. Spanning 175-plus hectares, it is known for its mature forests, wetlands, meadows, kettle lakes, river valley and more, which provide habitat for countless plants and animals.

Living close to the Oak Ridges Moraine is like having a lush expanse of trails, trees and greenery to explore in your backyard every single day. Staying active, getting outside and breathing fresh air is easy to do when you have access to such a beautiful greenspace close by. Richmond Hill residents and visitors alike enjoy the natural beauty of the area using the extensive trail system throughout the Oak Ridges Moraine, while protecting the integrity of the surrounding ecosystem.

PARKS AND REC

One of the benefits of living in Richmond Hill is your choice in parks, playgrounds and places to explore. Here, there are 166 city parks. Many are small urban parks with playground equipment, sports fields and splash pads. The largest park is Richmond Green Sports Centre and Park at Elgin Mills Road and Leslie Street, and it includes several baseball diamonds, an arena with two ice skating rinks, an outdoor skating loop, a skateboard park, a splash pad, a 300-person amphitheatre, walking trails, playgrounds and a community centre.

You’ll also find six public swimming pools, including an indoor wave pool in Richmond Hill. Four large and resourceful library branches, often filled with students and children enjoying the family-oriented programming. A jewel on Yonge Street, in the original downtown, is the beautiful Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, featuring theatre productions, concerts, comedy and other shows in a 631-seat auditorium.

If you’re a golf enthusiast, the city is also home to the Richmond Hill Country Club, Summit Golf & Country Club, and the Bloomington Downs Golf Course. For hikers and trail-lovers, there are also 544 hectares of undeveloped natural lands for recreation across the city.

EMPLOYMENT CENTRES

Many large employers have chosen Richmond Hill as an ideal location to set up shop. One of the oldest employment centres in the city is where Highway 7 and 404 meet. Locals refer to it as the “Beaver Creek” area, with its offices, manufacturing and service sectors, as well as hospitality and restaurant hubs, plus City Hall and municipal offices are there as well.

Along Highway 7, a central corridor that is bustling with a dedicated VIVA bus rapid transit line, and in many pockets across the city, you’ll find numerous small businesses, which make up more than half of all employers here.

The city is also home to many corporate headquarters such as Rogers Communications, BMW Canada, Staples, Lexmark, Acklands Grainger Inc, Compuware, DMC Mining Services and many more.

The largest employer is Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital on Major Mackenzie Road just west of Yonge Street, with close to 1,000 employees and the city’s eastern border is rapidly growing as an information technology and high-tech industry corridor with more than 1,000 businesses located there.

GETTING AROUND

The location of Richmond Hill is ideal for getting around because you can easily connect to Highways 404/DVP, 401, 407 and 400. In a grid formation, the main streets in Richmond Hill have easy north-south and east-west corridors and connections so that you can cross easily into neighbouring cities, towns and regions.

Richmond Hill is also home to dedicated VIVA bus rapid transit lines and there is a VIVA bus terminal at Yonge Street and Highway 7. For anyone commuting for work or school to downtown Toronto, Richmond Hill has a GO Transit station on Major Mackenzie Road just west of Bayview Avenue that has trains and buses to take you to Union Station. A brand new Bloomington GO Station, at Bloomington Sideroad and Highway 404, is under construction and will also take riders down to Union.

SENSE OF COMMUNITY

One of the most well-known communities in Richmond Hill, situated just north of the downtown, is the Oak Ridges community.

It is welcoming, vibrant and largely residential. With walkable top-notch elementary and high schools, parks and playgrounds, it is a perfect place for growing families. The Oak Ridges community enjoys a newly-enhanced playground and splash pad, a new skateboard park and the Oak Ridges Community Centre, all along beautiful Lake Wilcox.

Oak Ridges is a special place to live and here, there is a real sense of community.

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