Richmond Hill
Richmond Hill is a city in Southern Ontario in the central portion of York Region. It's part of the Greater Toronto Area, about 20 km north of the downtown core of Toronto.
Understand
[edit]Richmond Hill is the third most populous municipality in York Region and the 28th most populous municipality in Canada. Richmond Hill's population has grown from 102,000 in 1996 to over 195,000 in 2016. Richmond Hill used to be a village and had an interurban running to it from Toronto. As the suburban boom in Toronto started after WWII, Richmond Hill eventually grew to become another suburb in the 1970s and 80s. Today, Richmond Hill hosts a significant Chinese population on its east end and a significant Persian population in the north.
The old part of Richmond Hill runs on Yonge Street from Major Mackenzie Drive to Crosby Avenue.
Get in
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By bus
[edit]York Region Transit (YRT) operates bus service in York Region (including Viva express buses). From Toronto, take either the Viva Blue bus or YRT Route 98/99 from Finch Subway Station on TTC subway Line 1 Yonge-University. These bus routes will take you along Yonge Street through the centre of Richmond Hill with a major stop at 1 Richmond Hill Centre Bus Terminal. Viva Blue will make fewer stops than YRT 98/99 so it will generally be faster. The ride will take about half an hour. Or you can board TTC subway Line 1 towards Vaughan Metro Centre and connect to Viva Orange service at Vaughan Metro Centre or YRT at Pioneer Village station.
GO Transit operates several routes that connects nearby towns and cities to Richmond Hill. GO Bus Routes 40, 41, 52, 54 and 56 all stop at Richmond Hill Centre. GO Bus Route 40 is an express service connecting Hamilton and Mississauga (Square One and Toronto Pearson International Airport) with Richmond Hill on hourly basis (every 30 min during rush hour on weekdays) seven days a week. Route 41 operates on Monday to Friday between Hamilton and Pickering via Richmond Hill Centre and Scarborough Town Centre at 30-min intervals. Route 52 is a weekend and holidays service between Highway 407 station and Oshawa every 2 hours. Route 54 operates on Monday to Friday between Highway 407 station and Markham via Richmond Hill Centre every hour. Route 56 operates at 30-minute intervals on Monday to Friday between Highway 407 station and Oakville via Richmond Hill Centre. All of the GO bus routes also stop at Highway 407 station on TTC subway Line 1 on its way to and from Richmond Hill Centre. Visitors coming from west or south of Richmond Hill can change bus at Square One Terminal in Mississauga or Highway 407 station in Vaughan to reach Richmond Hill.
By train
[edit]GO Transit provides train and bus service between Toronto and Richmond Hill with stops at the 2 Langstaff GO Station, 3 Richmond Hill GO station, 4 Gormley GO station and 5 Bloomington GO station on weekdays. However, this service is more useful for commuters rather than visitors with trains running either inbound to Toronto in the morning rush hours or outbound in the afternoon rush. GO bus route 61 stops at these GO Train stations mentioned above but lacks late afternoon and evening service from Richmond Hill to Union Station. There is no GO train or bus service between Toronto and Richmond Hill on weekends and holidays.
By plane
[edit]Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ IATA) in Mississauga is the nearest major airport. GO Transit operates Route 40 – Airport Express hourly, seven days a week between Terminal 1 and Richmond Hill Centre Terminal. The one-way fare is $8.05(as of June 2023) and the trip takes 20 minutes. Taxis from the airport to Richmond Hill will cost between $66-84.
By car
[edit]Richmond Hill is easily accessed by major highways. Highway 404 connects from Toronto northwards to Newmarket. This highway serves as the political boundary between Richmond Hill on the west and Markham on the east from Highway 7 north to 19th Avenue and Whitchurch-Stouffville on the east from 19th Avenue north to Bloomington Road. Richmond Hill is also just north of Highway 407 toll road.
Get around
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With attractions spread out and free parking available at practically everywhere, car is the most common and easiest way to get around.
By bus
[edit]York Region Transit operates the municipal buses in Richmond Hill. Bus service is adequate, although you should check the timetables to make sure you don't waste your time waiting for half an hour. Service along Yonge street and Highway 7, where most of the interesting destinations are, are excellent, and even if you miss your bus, the next one generally comes soon. Stops offering VIVA bus service have electronic timeboards that will give you the arrival times of the next three buses. Since these times are estimated through a GPS connection to each bus, the times are generally accurate. Most bus routes do stop at Richmond Hill Centre for easy connection to other routes.
A ride within Richmond Hill counts as one zone and will cost $4.00. The tickets are time-stamped and valid for two hours. You can pay by cash, Presto card or use its mobile app for payment. You can also purchase multiple tickets at a discount. Remember to validate your ticket before a ride in the machines by the bus stops (for VIVA) or onboard (for YRT bus). There will be a slot for you to insert the ticket to be timestamped.
See
[edit]- 1 Mill Pond, 321 Mill St (about 1 km east of Yonge St via Wright St and Mill St). This picturesque park has a pond with a fountain, ducks and greenery along the shores. The pond used to power a sawmill, long since gone.
- 2 Richmond Hill Heritage Centre (Amos Wright House), 9 Church St N (1 block east of Yonge St, north of Centre St), ☏ +1 905-780-3802. Tu 1-4PM, Th 4-8PM, Sa 10AM-4PM. The heritage centre is in a restored 1840s Regency-style cottage that was home of Amos Wright, the first Reeve of Markham Township. The cottage is in Amos Wright Park with gardens having herbs, heritage plants and roses.
- 3 Wilcox Lake (At the corner of Bayview Avenue and Bethesda Side Road). A kettle lake in the Oak Ridges moraine and a provincially significant wetland. Free.
Do
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- 1 Concerts in the Park (Mill Pond), 321 Mill St (about 1 km east of Yonge St via Wright St and Mill St). There are Thursday evening concerts at the gazebo in the Mill Pond park in July and August. Attendees are advised to bring their own chairs for seating.
- 2 David Dunlap Observatory, 123 Hillsview Dr (at the end of a long driveway), ☏ +1 905-884-1281. This is a working observatory operated by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Visits generally require a purchase of a ticket for a specific, scheduled event.
- 3 Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge St (at Wright St), ☏ +1 905-787-8811, [email protected]. 631-seat performance space for professional musicians, actors, dancers & comics.
- 4 Museum of the Streets (tour starting at the Richmond Hill Heritage Centre), 19 Church St N. The Museum of the Streets is a self-guided walking tour of sites in Richmond Hill, with an explanatory sign posted at each site. The website has a PDF map. Free.
Buy
[edit]- 1 Hillcrest Mall, 9350 Yonge St (NE corner of 16th Ave and Yonge St), ☏ +1 905-883-1400. Large indoor shopping centre with department stores and food court.
- 2 Times Square, 550 Highway 7 East (NW corner of Highway 7 and Leslie St). A small-size mall with Chinese restaurants and stores
Eat
[edit]- 1 BB Cafe & Pastry Boutique, 10067 Yonge St (½ block south of Lorne Ave), ☏ +1 905-237-6565. In addition to lots of sweets, this cafe serves some nice sandwiches and espresso-based coffees.
- 2 Covernotes, 10268 Yonge St (SW corner with Wright St). A coffee shop in a heritage building, which used to be the Richmond Hill High School built in 1897 and used as a school until 1924. The interior is as quaint as the building's exterior.
- 3 Jubilee Square, 280 West Beaver Creek Rd (at NW corner with Highway 7). This mall has a cluster of Asian-cuisine restaurants (Chinese, Japanese, etc.)
- Akasaka Japanese Restaurant, Jubilee Square. Sushi and tepanyaki.
- 4 John's Chinese BBQ Restaurant (敍香園海鮮燒臘酒家), 328 Hwy 7 (1 traffic light east of Bayview Ave, on Hwy 7), ☏ +1 (905) 881-3333. 11AM-11PM. Authentic Chinese restaurant. Renowned for its BBQ pork (cha siu).
- 5 Congee Wong 天皇名粥, 1 Spadina Road, ☏ +1 905-883-1668. 11AM-9PM. Affordable, authentic, and plentiful Cantonese cuisine.
- 6 The One Fusion Cuisine 聚龍軒, Unit 9, 9019 Bayview Ave, ☏ +1 905-882-9388, [email protected]. 9AM-10PM. Great place for dim sum. Be sure to arrive early on weekends, or else you will be waiting in line!
Drink
[edit]Almost all bars are located along Yonge St or Highway 7.
- 1 Falcon And Firkin, 10300 Yonge St (north of Wright St), ☏ +1 905-883-4253. English-style tavern with outdoor seating area & pub food.
- 2 King Henry's Arms, 9301 Yonge St Unit 2a, ☏ +1 905-787-0900. 11AM-2AM. Traditional pub.
- 3 The Three Crowns Pub, 9724 Yonge St, ☏ +1 905-508-1111. M 5PM-midnight, Tu-Th noon-midnight, F Sa noon-2AM, Su noon-10PM. British pub.
- 4 Archibald's Pub, 8950 Yonge St, ☏ +1 (905) 889-0235, [email protected]. M-W 11AM-1AM, Th-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su noon-1AM. First pub in the city.
- 5 Marlowe Restaurant & Bar, 155 York Blvd, ☏ +1 (905) 771-8645, [email protected]. M Tu 11:30AM-11PM, W Th 11:30AM-midnight, F 11:30AM-2AM, Sa 5PM-2AM (closed Su).
Sleep
[edit]Budget
[edit]- 1 Travelodge Richmond Hill, 10711 Yonge Street (just south of Elgin Mills Rd), ☏ +1 905-884-1007.
- 2 Canada's Best Value Inn Richmond Hill, 13100 Yonge Street, ☏ +1 905-773-3333. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM.
Mid-range
[edit]- 3 Best Western Parkway Hotel Toronto North, 600 Hwy 7, L4B 1B2 (NE corner of Highway 7 and Leslie St), ☏ +1 905-881-2600.
- 4 Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel & Suites, 9005 Leslie St (NE corner of Highway 7 and Leslie St), ☏ +1 905-881-2121.
- 5 Holiday Inn Express & Suites Toronto - Markham, 10 East Pearce St, L4B 0A8 (Highway 404 to Highway 7 westbound, turn north on Leslie St; the hotel is on the east side), ☏ +1 905-695-5990, [email protected]. Despite the name, the hotel is in Richmond Hill and not in Markham.
Connect
[edit]Richmond Hill Centre bus terminal and Richmond Hill Public Library locations provide free WiFi.
Stay healthy
[edit]1 Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital 
is on Major Mackenzie Drive just west of Yonge Street.
Go next
[edit]| Routes through Richmond Hill |
| Newmarket ← Aurora ← | N  S |
→ Markham → Toronto |
| Hamilton ← Vaughan ← | W  E |
→ Markham → Oshawa |
| Brampton ← Vaughan ← | W  E |
→ Markham → becomes  → Peterborough |
| END ← | N  S |
→ North York → Toronto |