Cornell
History:
Cornell was the first neighbourhood in the Greater Toronto area designated under the new urbanism label. New Urbanism originated in the 1990s as a design movement to create better neighbourhoods based on some old school philosophies that promoted walkability and the opportunity for residents to live, work and play in the same community without having to worry about commuting. Cornell was considered an experiment in neighbourhood planning for the City of Markham and by all accounts it has been a success and many of the ideas for Cornell were subsequently adopted by some other newer neighbourhoods in the GTA.
Cornell was established in 1999. The Cornell name was selected by Markham City officials commemorating William Cornell who settled in Markham around 1800. William Cornell was originally from Rhode Island and was a distant relative of Ezra Cornell the founder of Cornell University.
Overview:
Cornell is situated in the north east pocket of Markham surrounded by farmland and the Rouge River Valley. Cornell was designed with new urbanism principles in mind so the emphasis is on family and community. Most houses have front porches where you can wave to neighbours strolling by on sidewalks. Cars are kept at the rear in garages off laneways. Cornelll was designed to be a self sustained community where residents could live, shop and play. Cornell has excellent schools and a wonderful state-of-the-art community centre. The Markham Stouffville hospital is conveniently situated along the southern border of this neighbourhood.
Lifestyle:
Bur Oak Avenue and Cornell Park Avenue contain small business that cater to the everyday needs of the community without having to get into your car and drive somewhere. having said that Old Markham Village Main Street is just five minutes away by car.
Homes:
Cornell houses have a distinctly Victorian charm with inviting front porches, and whimsical architectural details. The houses vary in size from block to block with a nice mix of towns, semi-detached and detached homes. Garages are always at the rear off laneways.
There were four phases of development in Cornell that took place in the early 2000s. It is hard to differentiate one from the next if not for the brick pillars at the entranceway to each with the name inscribed in stone at the top. These phases were: Grand Cornell, Upper Cornell, Cornell Village and Cornell Rouge.
Recreation:
Cornell Community Centre and Library located at 3201 Bur Oak Avenue is a magnificent modern facility opened in 2012. This state-of-the-art community centre encompasses 129,000-square-feet with LEED Silver Certification and boasts an array of unique features promoting education, community, fitness, inclusion and accessibility. These features include a multi-level, fully-equipped health and fitness centre, an indoor playground, a youth centre, three pool areas including a therapy pool, water slide and splash pad, a triple gym, a multi-sensory room for toddlers and individuals with autism and developmental disabilities, dementia or brain injury.
There are also many all-purpose rooms and a 200-seat rehearsal/performance hall available for rent. Cornell also boasts a state-of-the art Library with medical resources, children and youth sections and study rooms.
Arts:
Cornell Community Centre has multiple all-purpose rooms and a 200-seat rehearsal/performance hall available for rent. Cornell also boasts a state-of-the art Library.
Cornell Stats
Walkability:
Medium
Bikeability:
Medium
Public Transit:
Medium
Affordability:
Medium
Greenspace:
High
Recreation:
High
Legend: Low, Medium, High
Commute Times
* All commuting times provided are approximate times only. Commute times may increase or decrease depending on where you live within the neighbourhood and the time of day i.e rush hour versus off hour commutes. Time estimates to public transit are based on walking distance or bus line connection whichever is quicker. All other commute times on the chart above are based on drive times.