From Crossroads Village to a City Deciding What It Wants to Become
Richmond Hill, now one of the largest municipalities in Ontario, did not begin as a booming suburb or a commuter hub. Its roots lie in a quieter, more rural era shaped by farms, stagecoaches, and the early ambitions of a growing Upper Canada. To understand the city as it exists today—and what it can become in the future—it’s essential to trace its evolution from a 19th-century agricultural settlement to a 21st-century urban centre wrestling with questions of identity, growth, and purpose.
This expanded history draws on major themes found in local heritage resources, especially those preserved in the Richmond Hill Public Library’s history collections, as well as broader contextual knowledge of Ontario’s urban development patterns.
Early Settlement and the Formation of a Community
Richmond Hill’s recorded history begins in the late 18th century, when the newly established government of Upper Canada sought to build infrastructure and settle land north of York (now Toronto). Yonge Street—surveyed in 1794 and constructed shortly after—became the spine along which early communities formed. Originally intended as a military route to carry troops to Lake Simcoe, the road quickly grew into a commercial lifeline used by traders, farmers, and travelers.
Several hamlets emerged along this corridor: Miles’ Hill, Langstaff, Carrville, Temperanceville, and later Jefferson and Oak Ridges. These were not “suburbs” but independent rural settlements with their own churches, schools, taverns, and general stores. Life centered on agriculture, milling, and the social institutions that held the frontier together.
By the mid-1800s, the cluster known as “Richmond Hill” at the Yonge–Major Mackenzie crossroads (then “Centre Street”) had taken shape. It enjoyed a modest but stable prosperity thanks to local businesses catering to travelers on Yonge Street. Inns, blacksmiths, carriage shops, and merchants served both locals and passing wagon traffic.
In 1873, Richmond Hill was officially incorporated as a village, with a population just shy of 1,000. This marked the start of formal local governance and a steady path toward modernization.
Late 19th and Early 20th Century: A Classic Ontario Village
The period from roughly 1880 to 1930 represents Richmond Hill’s quintessential “small town” era. Brick commercial blocks rose along Yonge Street, replacing earlier wooden structures. Churches and lodges shaped community life; agricultural societies organized fairs and exhibitions; and volunteer groups formed the backbone of social cohesion.
A few defining features of the era include:
Transportation Improvements
The arrival of the electric radial railway in the early 20th century—operated by the Metropolitan Railway and later the Toronto and York Radial Railway—connected Richmond Hill to Toronto with modern, frequent transit. This was transformative: residents could travel to the city for business or leisure, and Toronto residents could visit Richmond Hill’s shops and hotels. At the time, no one imagined this connectivity would one day be dominated by cars.
Economic Life
Agriculture remained the foundation of the local economy, but Richmond Hill also developed small-scale manufacturing and specialized businesses. One example was the town’s role in the floriculture industry; by the early 20th century, Richmond Hill became known for its rose-growing greenhouses, earning the nickname “The Rose Capital of Canada.”
Community Character
Life was localized. People lived near their work, children walked to small local schools, churches doubled as community centres, and people’s social lives were bound up in clubs, choirs, sports teams, and lodges. It was not a “village of bedrooms” but a complete, self-sustaining place.
Post-War Transformation: The Age of the Automobile
Everything changed after the Second World War. The rise of the automobile reshaped the entire North American landscape, and Richmond Hill was no exception. The Ontario government invested heavily in highways—Highway 7, Highway 404, and later the 407—while local planning shifted toward wide roads, separated land uses, and low-density subdivisions.
Several forces drove Richmond Hill’s transformation:
Car Ownership Becomes Universal
As cars became cheaper and road building accelerated, commuting from Richmond Hill to Toronto became easy and attractive. Suburban living promised larger yards, quieter streets, and lower land costs compared to Toronto.
Farmland Gives Way to Housing
Throughout the 1950s–1980s, farmland disappeared rapidly as neighborhoods like Bayview Hill, Mill Pond, Crosby, and the early developments of Oak Ridges expanded. The population boomed. Richmond Hill went from a village to a town of tens of thousands, then hundreds of thousands.
Separated Land Uses
Unlike the walkable village era, where shops, homes, and workplaces were intermingled, post-war planning separated everything:
- homes went in subdivisions,
- shopping in plazas and malls,
- workplaces in industrial parks,
- and social life depended on driving.
The result was a built form that encouraged car dependency—something Richmond Hill still grapples with today.
Becoming a Bedroom Community
By the 1980s and 1990s, many residents worked in Toronto or elsewhere in the GTA, commuting by car or GO Transit. Richmond Hill became known primarily as a place to live, not to work. Shopping shifted from Yonge Street to plazas and highways. Downtown Toronto remained the employment and cultural centre for the region, and Richmond Hill’s identity became intertwined with the metropolis to the south.
From Town to City: Identity Crisis or Opportunity?
Richmond Hill officially became a city in 2019, marking a symbolic recognition of population size and urban growth. With over 200,000 residents, the scale certainly fit.
But the question remains:
Is Richmond Hill truly a city—or just a suburban community with city-level population numbers?
A “real” city can be defined not just by size, but by the presence of:
- a diverse employment base
- housing options for all demographics
- civic and cultural life that binds residents to place
- walkable districts and public spaces
- a street network designed for people as well as cars
- a thriving downtown or central corridor
Richmond Hill has elements of these, but they are unevenly developed. Yonge Street is densifying with high-rise towers, but lacks the pedestrian vibrancy seen in cities like Toronto, Markham Unionville, or Newmarket’s Main Street. Employment exists—especially in the business parks near Highway 404—but many residents still leave the city each morning for work.
This creates a sense of a municipality “in between” identities: no longer a small town, not yet a fully urban city.
Richmond Hill’s Future: Becoming a Good City on Its Own Terms
Richmond Hill does not need to become Toronto, nor should it aim to replicate Toronto’s density, pace, or skyline. But it can become a complete city—one that serves its residents more fully and gives them reasons to stay local for work, recreation, and daily life.
To get there, several opportunities stand out:
1. Build More Local Employment
Expanding office, innovation, and light-industrial employment zones—especially near transit—would allow residents to work closer to home. Reducing long commutes improves quality of life and keeps economic activity within the community.
2. Encourage Incremental, Diverse Housing
A good city provides housing options for all ages and incomes:
- seniors wanting to downsize,
- young adults wanting to move out,
- growing families needing more space,
- and newcomers entering the housing market.
Missing-middle housing—duplexes, triplexes, low-rise apartments—can fill this gap without altering neighbourhood character dramatically.
3. Make Streets Safe and Comfortable, Not Just Fast
Designing Yonge Street, Major Mackenzie, Bayview, and Highway 7 with safer crossings, more transit priority, protected cycling lanes, and human-scaled blocks can transform daily life. Cities thrive when people can walk safely and comfortably.
4. Create More “Third Places”
A city is more than homes and workplaces. It needs:
- public squares
- cafés
- community libraries
- parks
- performance spaces
- local restaurants
- maker spaces
- recreation centres
These are where community life forms and where people spend time after work. Richmond Hill has pieces of this, but it could have more—and more accessible—third places, especially in its emerging downtown along the intensification corridor.
5. Strengthen and Reimagine Yonge Street
Yonge Street has the bones of a great urban corridor waiting to be realized. With more mid-rise buildings, more retail variety, better streetscaping, and safe pedestrian environments, it could become a thriving civic spine—a place where people choose to spend time rather than simply pass through in cars.
Conclusion: A City with Potential, at a Crossroads Once Again
Richmond Hill began as a literal crossroads village, shaped by its position on Yonge Street. Today, it is once again at a crossroads—this time deciding what kind of city it wants to become in the decades ahead.
It can continue as a primarily residential extension of Toronto, defined by commutes and car dependency. Or it can embrace its growing density, its diverse population, and its strategic location to become a well-rounded city offering jobs, culture, community life, and walkable, people-friendly streets.
Richmond Hill does not need the intensity of Toronto to succeed.
But it can build a more complete city—one that gives residents meaningful reasons to live, work, gather, and thrive close to home.
And in doing so, Richmond Hill can finally move from being simply a “city in name” to a strong, resilient community that stands confidently on its own.