Richmond Hill is one of the most multicultural communities in the Greater Toronto Area. The City is favoured by a large number of people of British background, as well as Italian, Jewish, and Eastern European families. The eastern section of Richmond Hill is home to one of the largest and most affluent Chinese communities in the GTA. Richmond Hill is one of Canada’s fastest growing municipalities, largely due to its close proximity to Toronto and the fact that it is home to major employers including Compaq Canada, Levi Strauss, Lexmark, Suzuki, Epson, and many more.

For those who enjoy the Arts, the Richmond Hill Curtain Club is an excellent local community theatre group, performing in an intimate theatre on Newkirk Road. The Richmond Hill Group of Artists is based at the Mill Pond Art Gallery. Adult and children’s art classes are offered there. Arts Richmond Hill is a non-profit organization supporting Arts and Culture in Richmond Hill. The Festival of Lights, Music Festival and Heritage Village Day are some of the annual events sponsored by this organization.

Richmond Hill has three public librarys. The Central Library, on the southwest corner of Major Mackenzie Drive and Yonge Street, is a 60,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility, with a collection of more than 175,000 books, videos, and CDs.

Richmond Hill has over 100 parks and natural areas, five golf courses, and 18 recreational facilities. It is well known for its outstanding figure skating and hockey programs, many of which take place at the Elvis Stojko Arena, which was named after the Olympic champion skater Elvis Stojko, who grew up in Richmond Hill. The Lois Hancey Aquatic Centre, located next to the Central Library, includes a wave pool, 160 foot water slide, swirl pool, and on-deck sauna.

Astrology enthusiasts will want to visit the David Dunlap Observatory, operated by the University of Toronto. The public is welcome to tour the facility and look through the telescopes on Tuesday mornings and Saturday evenings.

Shopping in Richmond Hill offers something for everyone, If prefer the look and feel of an old fashioned small-town main street, visit the Downtown area on Yonge Street, north of Major Mackenzie, where you will find a plethora of shops, restaurants, and professional services. If you prefer shopping indoors, Hillcrest Mall boasts over 130 stores, including The Bay and Zellers. Richmond Hill’s newest shopping destination is on High Tech Road, and features “Big Box” retailers, such as Home Depot, Staples, Sam’s Club, Toys R Us, Loblaws, Canadian Tire, and more. There is also a multiplex movie theatre and several family restaurants and pubs on this street.

For public transit, the area is serviced by by York Region Transit, operating bus service along all the major streets. The Go Train station is located on Newkirk Road. It is approximately a 40-minute train ride from this station to downtown Toronto’s Union Station. Go buses run to the Finch subway station on the TTC line.

This family-friendly neighborhood is easily accessible to major arteries, such as Yonge Street, Bathurst Street, Major Mackenzie, Highways 407 and 400, as well as Highway 404, which provides a direct passage into the City of Toronto, and links with Highway 401.

In short, this is a perfect place for growing families, who want big city convenience, combined with small town ambience.