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Richmond Hill (population 163,000 as of 2006 ) is a Town in York Region north of Toronto , Ontario , Canada . It is part of the Greater Toronto Area . HISTORY The area was first surveyed by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe in 1794 while he was constructing Yonge Street . It was first settled by United Empire Loyalists and British settlers, and by 1801 it was known as Miles' Hill after Abner Miles, a prominent settler, and was afterwards Mount Pleasant. According to local legend, it was re-named Richmond Hill when Charles Lennox, 4th Duke Of Richmond , visited the area in 1820 . However, it is more likely that it was re-named after a favourite song of one of the early settlers, ''The Lass of Richmond Hill''. Richmond Hill was incorporated as a village in 1873 , and as a town in 1957 . It encompassed the other earlier settlements in the area, Oak Ridges, Langstaff, and Elgin Mills. The town's motto is ''En la rose, je fleuris'' ( French for "Like the rose, I flourish"), reflecting either the motto of the Duke of Richmond, or the fact that the town was a center of rose-growing in the early 20th Century . At that time, it was known as the "Rose Capital" of Canada. A more recent motto is ''A little north, a little nicer'', in reference to the smaller, quieter lifestyle there as opposed to the metropolis of Toronto further south. The David Dunlap Observatory , the largest optical Telescope in Canada, is located in Richmond Hill. Built in 1935 , it is a research facility of the University Of Toronto . Famous people from Richmond Hill include world-champion Figure Skater Elvis Stojko , figure skater Emmanuel Sandhu , actor Hayden Christensen , actor Mag Ruffman , actor R.H. Thomson , author and professor Craig Walker , and wrestler Trish Stratus . The current mayor (since 1988 ) is William F. Bell , now serving his sixth term. The town council consists of six councillors and two Regional Councillors, plus the mayor. On March 21, 2006 Mayor Bell announced that he will not seek re-election in the November 2006 Municipal Election. Richmond Hill is now one of the fastest growing communities in Canada, with a large and multicultural population. It is estimated that the town's population will exceed 200,000 by 2015. It also was a winner in the 2003 National Communities in Bloom competition, with a special mention on its floral displays. Richmond Hill is the "twin city" of Lakeland, Florida . Richmond Hill is sometimes called "Rich Man's Hill", referring to the large population of upper-middle class to upper-class families living in the area, other locals refer to it as just "the hill". Prices for homes in the area are between $300,000 and $4,000,000. REGIONS Southern Richmond HIll is home to the town's and industrial region housing most of the town's hotels, the town's "Chinatown" is also located there. The northern part of town is considered to be Old Richmond Hill as it is a historical area. Central Richmond Hill is a very commercial area, housing multiple malls, plaza's and entertainment buildings, such as theatres and restaurants. The northern most part of the town is mostly farm land, though it is slowly being developed. ATTRACTIONS As Richmond Hill is a residential area, it does not have many attractions. Most of the town's attractions are more cultural and academic. Mill Pond Mill Pond is a park located in northern Richmond Hill, it is based around an old mill pond. The park has nuemrous trails, and is home to a variety of wildlife, such as swans and beavers. The park is usually host to a multitude of events ranging from a winter carnival to concerts and flower shows Emerald Isle Motel Not a attraction per sem, but well known for the rhymes displayed underneath the sign. The rhymes usually are about current events. The Canadian Museum of Hindu Civilization :''"The Canadian Museum of Hindu Civilization is the FIRST museum of its kind in north America. Part of a 30,000+ sq.ft. complex, the museum has over 17,000 sq.ft. of exhibition galleries that showcase the Hindu theosophy, philosophy, mythology, socio-cultural evolution spanning several thousand years and its contemporary dynamic manifestations. Located at the intersection of Hwy 7 and Yonge Street in the scenic town of Richmond Hill, the museum adjoins the Vishnu Mandir. This fully bi-lingual (French/English) facility will offer a spectrum of comprehensive outreach and educational programs in-line with its institutional mandate." -From the The Canadian Museum of Hindu Civilization Website'' TRANSPORTATION Road Networks The Town of Richmond Hill is very well serviced in terms of transportation facilities for a community of its size. The eastern border of the town is Highway 404 , a major highway which leads directly into the downtown core of the City of Toronto via the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) followed by the Gardiner Expressway . It also intersects Highway 401 which is one of the most traversed highways on the planet and is the principal east/west route in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) . The town's southern border is defined by Ontario Provincial Highway 7 and a parallel roadway, Highway 407 . The latter is a toll route (the only currently existing in the province) and was designed as a bypass for the 401. The combined effect of these highways ensures that Richmond Hill is well integrated into Ontario’s road network and has easy access for all road vehicles. It is worth noting that the ease of accessing the town is threatened by increasing traffic due to growth in the region as the resulting exhaustive commutes (sometimes several hours in the winter) greatly diminish the usefulness of the road network. Alternative Transportation Richmond Hill is minimally serviced by other modes of transportation. Its landlocked situation inhibits any water transportation and it lacks an airport of its own, though it does border on Markham's Buttonville Airport . Commuter train service is provided to the town by GO Transit through two stations, located at Major MacKenzie Drive and Newkirk Avenue and the newly built Richmond Hill Center Station located at Yonge and Highway 7. Inadequate parking and the unavailability of nearby land to extend the parking facilities have hindered attempts to increase ridership, though in recent years, attempts have been made to expand stations. Public Transit Public transit within the Town of Richmond Hill is on buses coordinated by York Region Transit (YRT). At present many of the northern reaches of the town remain not serviced, however as more development occurs there are new routes are being planned to meet the expected demand. Public transit within the town has typically been of low priority as it did not make fiscal sense to provide a service to the town which few people would use. As the town continues to grow denser and traffic congestion continues to build there has been a greater awareness of the necessity to have a well funded transportation system. As of September 2005, YRT unveiled a new Rapid Transit initiative entitled VIVA which consisted of enhanced bus service on major routes with vehicles capable of speeding up traffic lights to lessen the time they idle. While reaction to this new program has been very positive and the funding provided considerable, there still hasn’t been a large increase in commuter use as was hoped. GEOGRAPHY The predominant feature of the town's geography, as its name suggests, is its elevation above surrounding regions. Thousands of years ago during the last Ice-age , Glacier s moving in a southerly direction amassed a considerable amount of earth in front of them which they carried forward as they grew. Gradually, as the temperature increased the growth of the glaciers lessened and eventually they began to recess to what is now the polar ice cap. The earth that had been collected by the glacier's movement however was left in place and the elevated region that remained comprises modern day Richmond Hill. The town itself is at a much greater elevation than other communities within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and with exclusion of areas closely alongside its borders, the constituent of York region with the greatest height above sea level. The uneven melting of the glacier that formed the town has led to an extremely varied geography within the town's own borders, leading to such features as Kettle Lake s, minor tributaries and most notably the Oak Ridges Moraine . Kettle lakes are the result of glacier water getting caught in water-tight depressions in the land and are sustained by only rainfall in the immediate area. The Town of Richmond Hill has many of these water bodies and its three largest in order of decreasing size are Lake Wilcox, Bond Lake and Philips Lake. The kettle lakes are predominantly confined to the northern fringes of the town. Being elevated above the surrounding region, precipitation in the town tends to flow outwards via the multitude of streams and rivers that flow through the town. Principally water flow is in one of two directions, south to Lake Ontario or north to Lake Simcoe where they join up with larger tributaries that feed into the water bodies. Of note, are the Rouge and Don rivers which receive some of their flow from sources in the town. Perhaps the most important geographical feature of the Town of Richmond Hill is the Oak Ridges Moraine. The moraine is a further elevated region of loose soil and comprises a significant portion of the land area of the town. Its porous nature allows the collection and natural filtering of waters that flow through it which are then fed into multiple underground Aquifer s. While the town receives its water from the City of Toronto, these aquifers are an important source for those with their own wells in addition to surrounding communities. The ability of the soil to hold so much water means that despite Richmond Hill's comparatively high elevation, it has a very high water table which poses some problems to construction. The moraine is also host to a staggering amount of biodiversity and in recent years there has been a considerable amount of pressure applied to government to shield the area from development. DEMOGRAPHICS Racial Groups
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