Richmond Hill's communities within a community

Why do some neighbourhoods keep that neighbourly feel?

Yorkregion.com
November 16, 2018
Kim Zarzour

There are ghosts in our midst.

Beyond the street lights, buried by highways or plazas or in weedy, soon-to-be developed fields, lurk long-vanished communities, hidden hamlets once full of life and now largely forgotten.

You may recognize the names--like Jefferson, Carville, Elgin Mills--but not what they stand for: places where people once gathered, lived, loved and died.

Richmond Hill once held about eight such hamlets, but only a handful remain as cohesive communities.

Some, like Dollar at Highway 7 and Leslie, were wiped off the map, victims of rerouted roadways.

Others linger only as names on streets or buildings or, like Temperanceville at King and Bathurst streets, on a roadside plaque.

When John Graves Simcoe distributed land up Yonge Street, between 1776 and 1800, these settlements blossomed to meet the growing need for blacksmiths, farriers and millers.

But just as progress created, so too, it destroyed.

The radial car, electricity and automobile meant residents no longer needed to cluster together for support.

They could shop outside the neighbourhood, work in downtown Toronto.

They stopped saying, “I live in Headford" or "I live in Jefferson" and just said “Richmond Hill." And the little hamlets faded away.

But not all.

Maggie MacKenzie, the town’s heritage services co-ordinator, points to New Gormley, Oak Ridges, Richvale and the village of Richmond Hill--four “communities within a community” that retained their deep roots and identity.

As part of this four-part series, Yorkregion.com visited those communities and found that what keeps them vibrant varies.

Some are defined and confined by geography, with a focal point such as the lake, a pond or train station, or a separation like green space or a highway.

Patrick Lee, the town’s director of policy planning, also attributes it to shared experiences and connections, whether it’s demographic, historical or cultural.

Richvale, for example, had strong Italian roots. Bayview Hill--with its large homes and lots and predominantly Chinese or Hong Kong residents--is shaping into an identifiable community for the same reason.

Cohesive neighbourhoods tend to attract people who want that cohesion, MacKenzie says. They buy into the identity and are prepared to make the sacrifices to retain it.

But as growth continues and people move more frequently, flipping homes and forgoing lifelong community ties, Mackenzie worries this way of life is growing increasingly rare.

She sees kids playing games online, not hockey on the street, or gossiping on Facebook instead of the front porch.

“People aren’t hanging out in the community; they are indoors or shipping kids off to different activities" and instead of the local school as focal point, they are bused to regional, specialized or private schools.

We’ve become more insular as a society, with homebuyers looking for a large yard or big house or proximity to amenities, rather than a neighbourhood.

Some developers think they can create community by giving a subdivision a catchy name, but it takes more than that, Lee says.

It takes municipalities planning “complete” neighbourhoods, with shops, recreation and connecting streets and trails.

And most importantly, he says, it takes people, talking with people.

“As a planner I can do a little, but we just sow the seeds. It doesn’t mean they will germinate if people don’t take a role.”

And, he adds, it’s worth it.

“This is important--we learn and grow from knowing each other.”

Click here to read about New Gormley, the first story in our four-part series looking at communities within Richmond Hill that have retained their deep roots and identity.

Early Days of Richmond Hill provides more stories about the town's heritage and is available here, or the hardcover book can be purchased ($19.93 plus HST) at Richmond Hill Public Library.