Unionville, Ontario

Unionville
Suburban district
Unionville within Markham
Coordinates: 43°51′53″N 79°18′37″W / 43.86472°N 79.31028°W / 43.86472; -79.31028
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Regional Municipality	York
City	Markham
Founded	1794
Incorporated	1907? (Police village)
Changed Municipality	1971 York Region from York County
Annexed	1971 into Markham (as Town); 2012 (as City)
Government
• Founder	William Berczy
• MP's	Paul Chiang (Markham—Unionville)
• MPP's	Billy Pang (Markham—Unionville)
• Councillors	Reid McAlpine (Ward 3) Karen Rea (Ward 4)* Amanda Yeung Collucci (Ward 6)* *Commonly considered Unionville, although the City of Markham designates Unionville as only within Ward 3
Forward sortation area	L3P, L3R, L3S, L6B, L6C, L6E and L6G
NTS Map	030M14
GNBC Code	FCYXB

Unionville is a suburban district and former village in Markham, Ontario, Canada, 2 km (2.5 mi) northeast of Downtown Markham (the City of Markham's modern downtown), 2 km (2.5 mi) west of Markham Village (Markham's historic downtown), and 33 km (20.5 mi) northeast of Downtown Toronto. The boundaries of Unionville are not well-defined. Several nearby neighbourhoods are claimed to be part of it however, this has been disputed between the various wards.^[1][2]

Unionville was founded north of 16th Avenue in 1794, and many of the farms on and around Kennedy Road. The Unionville Ratepayers Association designated a newer street, Rodick Road, as its western boundary, in the 1980s. Main Street Unionville, which was Kennedy Road in the mid-to-late 20th century, runs through Unionville while the new Kennedy Road runs 300 metres (330 yd) to the east. Rouge River runs north of the central part of Unionville and to the southeast. Highway 404 is to the west, with the nearest interchange with Highway 407 is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south on Kennedy Road. Unionville is predominantly residential except for the south central industrial area, which is slated for massive intensification.

Tourism is a major part of Unionville's economy. The village itself still resembles the small town that developed over a century or so starting in the early 1840s (when Ira White erected his Union Mills) through the middle to late 20th century. Now a 'heritage conservation district', it attracts thousands of visitors each year — as of 2006 it boasted nine restaurants, including three pubs. Main Street (originally the laneway from the village's first grist mill) also has a number of "century homes" dating back to the 19th century. Each year, thousands of people visit Unionville during the Unionville Festival.^[3]

The main street has been a stand-in for fictional Connecticut town Stars Hollow during the first season of Gilmore Girls television show, and for other television and movie backdrops.

Most of the historic buildings in Unionville are included in List of historic buildings in Markham, Ontario.