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Thornhill (2006 population 106,394) is an upscale community in the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada, located on the northern border of the City of Toronto. Once a municipal village, Thornhill is now a community and postal designation geographically split into two municipalities, Vaughan, west of Yonge Street, and the town of Markham, east of Yonge. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the Thornhill-Vaughan was 56,361, and the population of Thornhill-Markham was 47,333.  Area code: 905

History
 
The corner of Old Yonge and Centre street. Early History
Thornhill was founded in 1794. Its first settlers on Yonge Street in Thornhill were Asa Johnson (who settled on the Vaughan side) and Nicholas Miller (who settled on the Markham side). Of particular importance was the arrival of Benjamin Thorne in 1820, who was operating a gristmill, a sawmill, and a tannery in the community. The settlement came to be known as Thorne's Mills, and later, Thorne's Hill, from which its current name is derived. (Thorne committed suicide in 1848, after a serious wheat market crash.)

Between 1830 and 1848, Thornhill experienced a period of continued growth and prosperity. The business district of Thornhill developed on its portion of Yonge Street, between Centre Street and John Street. Stagecoaches travelled between Holland Landing (Lake Simcoe) and York (Toronto) as Yonge Street's road conditions improved with new stonework. During this prosperous period, several churches, many of which are still standing today, were constructed.

Thornhill's location along Yonge Street, a major transportation route, proved to be beneficial to the community's growth throughout much of the twentieth century. The implementation of an electric street railway along Yonge Street in 1898 towards Kleinburg, Georgina, King and Toronto meant that, for the first time, it was possible for people to reside in Thornhill and work in Toronto. By the 1920s, the prevalence of the automobile further facilitated travel along Yonge Street.

20th century
In 1931, Thornhill became a "Police Village"; before that time, Thornhill had no independent status and was split between the townships of Vaughan and Markham along Yonge Street, since the creation of municipal government in 1850. Before 1931, each township administered its own half of the village. The creation of the Police Village gave Thornhill its own political boundaries. The village was headed by a reeve.

In 1971, York Region was created, part of a wave of municipal re-organization which converted many townships into towns and eliminated many of the municipal forms of organization which had existed within those townships. The establishment of a regional administration effectively eliminated the Police Village of Thornhill. Thornhill's administration reverted to the newly formed towns of Markham and Vaughan at this time.

However, many political and social institutions remained organized around the former municipal entities eliminated in 1971. Like neighbouring communities such as Woodbridge, Maple, and Unionville -- as is typical for most urbanized former Greater Toronto Area (GTA) villages outside of the City of Toronto -- Thornhill remained the postal designation for addresses within the former village's boundaries, and community organizations such as local newspapers, sports teams, and schools continued to operate under the Thornhill name and designation. As an example, until the mid-1990s residents of Thornhill seeking to play high-level hockey were required to play for a Thornhill team.

While the old village of Thornhill revolved around Yonge Street between Centre and John Streets, the community is typically thought to be located between Dufferin Street to the west, Highway 7 to the north, Steeles Avenue to the south, and Highway 404 to the east.

Thornhill's growth since the 1960s and 1970s has been largely connected to its location bordering what is now the City of Toronto. Large housing developments, particularly beginning in the 1980s with such projects as the Tannenbaum family's Spring Farm area near Bathurst and Clark. Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto, a large synagogue named after developer and benefactor Joseph Tannenbaum, is an example of an innovative twist on the "anchor tenant" approach adopted by some residential developers.

Growth has continued apace. For instance, an "uptown" village denoted as Thornhill Town Centre, is being developed at the corner of Bathurst and Centre Street, forming a continuous line of development north from the Promenade Shopping Centre also near Bathurst and Clark, whose massive parking lot is dotted by an increasing number of condominium buildings and stand-alone retail plazas.

Expansion
The territory thought to constitute Thornhill has recently begun to expand northward in Thornhill-Vaughan, particularly west of Bathurst, due to the marketing initiatives of residential developers. A new area called "Thornhill Woods" was developed between Highway 7, Rutherford, Bathurst, and Dufferin. Another planned development, "Upper Thornhill Estates", extends well to the north of Major Mackenzie. In 2008 the City of Vaughan opened the North Thornhill Community Centre, a new community centre to serve this population.

However, it should be noted that the area being labelled as "Upper" or "North" Thornhill is more traditionally part of Maple, another former village converted to a community when the Township of Vaughan was converted to a town. Other developments taking place in these new areas include Eagle Hills/Mackenzie Chase/Thornberry Woods at Dufferin and Major Mackenzie. Coronation and Roxborough is being developed at Upper Bathurst between Rutherford Road and Major Mackenzie. The Vaughan planning area that includes Block 18 (East Maple), Block 11 (Thornhill/Maple), Block 12 (Upper Thornhill/Maple) and Block 10 (Thornhill Woods) is expected to grow substantially over the next few years. This area is known as the "Carrville District".

Demographics
Income
Thornhill is considered one of the Greater Toronto Area's most upscale communities. The mean household income is in excess of $100,000 compared with $50,600 across the Greater Toronto Area. As a political riding, Thornhill consistently appears in the top three ridings across Canada in terms of household income. Of all households, 61 per cent of the community earns an income in excess of $70,000. Approximately 89 per cent of Thornhill residents own their home.[citation needed]

Ethnicity
Thornhill has a very ethnically diverse population. It is home to significant visible minorities communities, but is particularly known for its large Jewish community: a significant portion of the population of Thornhill is Jewish. This community comprises the majority of Thornhill-Vaughan and nearly a quarter of Thornhill-Markham. It is home to numerous Jewish synagogues and schools, particularly Ashkenazi and Sephardic Orthodox Jewish synagogues such as the Thornhill Community Shul, Westmount Shul and Learning Centre,the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto (the "BAYT", one of the largest synagogues in North America), Sephardic Kehilla Centre, and Chabad centres such as the Jewish Russian Community Centre, well as Conservative synagogues such as Beit Rayim as well as Reform Jewish institutions such as Temple Har Zion, Temple Kol Ami, the Leo Baeck Day School, a major Reform Jewish primary school, and The Anne & Max Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (TanenbaumCHAT), a major secondary Jewish day school comprised of two campuses.

According to 2001 Federal Census data, Chinese are the largest visible minority in the Thornhill area, accounting for almost 11% of total residents (12,610), followed by South Asian (6,595), Black (2,665), Korean (2,660), Filipino (2,535), and West Asian (2,355).

Politics
Thornhill is a federal and provincial riding. The Member of Parliament for Thornhill is Peter Kent (Conservative), and the Member of Provincial Parliament is Peter Shurman (Progressive Conservative). Municipally, Thornhill is split into Wards 4 and 5 in the City of Vaughan and Wards 1 and 2 in the Town of Markham. It is represented by Sandra Yeung Racco (Vaughan Ward 4), Alan Shefman (Vaughan Ward 5), Valerie Burke (Markham Ward 1), and Erin Shapiro (Markham Ward 2). The riding had traditionally been held by Liberal, both provincial and federal MP and MPP's respectively.

Institutions
Public schools
Secondary schools

Stephen Lewis Secondary School, established in 2006
Thornhill Secondary School, established in 1955
Thornlea Secondary School, established in 1969
Vaughan Secondary School, established in 1989
Westmount Collegiate Institute, established in 1996
Elementary schools

Bakersfield Public School, established in 2003
Baythorn Public School
Bayview Glen Public School
Bayview Fairways Public School
Brownridge Public School
Carrville Mills Public School, established in 2007
Charlton Public School
Doncrest Public School
E.J. Sand Public School
German Mills Public School
Glen Shields Public School
Henderson Avenue Public School
Herbert H. Carnegie Public School
Johnsview Village Public School
Julliard Public School
Louis Honoré Fréchette Public School, established in 1991
Roberta Bondar Public School, established in 2008
Rosedale Heights Public School
Stornoway Cresent Public School
Thornhill Public School
Thornhill Woods Public School, established in 2005
Ventura Park Public School, established in 1999
Westminster Public School, established in 1983
Willowbrook Public School
Woodland Public School
Yorkhill Elementary School
Catholic schools

St. Elizabeth Catholic High School.Blessed Scalabrini Catholic Elementary School
St. Elizabeth Catholic High School, established in 1987
St. Joseph the Worker
St. Robert Catholic High School
St. Anthony Catholic Elementary School
St. Michael Catholic Academy
St. Luke Catholic Elementary School

Private schools
Jewish Schools

Associated Hebrew Schools of Toronto
Eitz Chaim Day School
TanenbaumCHAT
Leo Baeck Day School
Netivot HaTorah Day School
Cheder Chabad
Or Haemet Sephardic School
Ohr Menachem Sunday School
Other Schools

Discovery Academy
Greenhill Village Academy (formerly Pushkin Private School)
Toronto Waldorf School
 

Healthcare
There are no general hospitals in the Thornhill area; the nearest are York Central Hospital in Richmond Hill and North York General Hospital in Toronto. A private hospital, Shouldice Hernia Centre, is in Thornhill and is one of the world's premiere facilities for the treatment of hernias .
 

Media
Thornhill Liberal

Notable people from Thornhill
John Beck - Heir to the Beck Taxi Company, and candidate for the Reform Party in 1993.
Paula Brancati - Actress, notable role of Jane on Degrassi: The Next Generation
Adrian Cann - Canadian national soccer team defender
Dan David (musician) - Pop Rock violinist, author, minister
Hayden Christensen - Actor, most notable for playing Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Sidney M. Cohen - TV Director and Producer The Mad Dash
Lauren Collins - Actress, notable role of Paige on Degrassi: The Next Generation.
Gillian Ferrari – Won Gold Medal for Canada playing defense for the Canadian women's Hockey team in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
Alison Goring - Canadian Women's Curling Champion
Corey Haim - Movie and TV actor.
Michael Henrich - Edmonton Oilers 1998 first round draft choice. First Jewish Hockey player to be a National Hockey League first round draft choice.
Moxy Früvous- Musical group of the 1990s whose songs featured satirical themes, starring CBC personality Jian Ghomeshi
Hayden (musician)- Folk rock musician and songwriter.
Simcha Jacobovici- Known as "The Naked Archaeologist".
Craig Kielburger - Creator and founder of Free The Children, the largest child-run campaign against child labour and injustice.
Gordon Korman - Author.
Daniel Magder - Actor, notable for playing the role of Edwin Venturi in Life With Derek
Robert McGhee - Archaeologist and author specializing in the archaeology of the Arctic, currently Curator of Western Arctic Archaeology at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Dominic Moore - Professional ice hockey player with the Buffalo Sabres.
Anne Murray - Singer, song writer.
Sue Rodriguez-Shipley - Advocate of the right to die with dignity. Her story was the topic of the 1988 feature film At the End of the Day: The Sue Rodriguez Story.
Paul Rosen - Won Gold Medal for Canada playing goalie for the Canadian men's paralympic hockey team in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin
Dan Shulman - Sports broadcaster who works for ESPN.
Stu Stone - Actor and voiceover performer.
Zack Taylor - Celebrity Blogger
Mike Wise - Guitarist for The Midway State