Are you looking for new opportunities and a place to set roots where you can build a career with some of Canada’s, and the world’s, biggest names in tech or develop your startup with an extensive support system? What about building your career alongside enjoying food from around the world, exciting nature escapes, and riding some of the world’s craziest and most heart-pounding amusement rides? All of this is possible in Toronto area’s York Region.
Your opportunities for building a career in tech here are endless as York Region is Canada’s second largest technology hub with over 4,900 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) companies. With the highest concentration of residents in tech occupations you’ll be in good company and opportunities in the Region’s tech sector is steadily increasing as new knowledge-based jobs are added every year.
With career opportunities abound in the Region, you’ll need somewhere to call home. York Region’s urban growth centres are a great place to start your search as these developing spaces are focused on lifestyle and business opportunities within walkable communities. Residents and businesses are given the freedom to grow in areas with increased access to transit, greenspaces, and other amenities that help achieve an incredible work-life balance.
York Region is home to four urban growth centres: Markham Centre, Newmarket Centre, Richmond Hill Centre/Langstaff Gateway, and the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre.
With the Region’s population expected to grow to 1.8 million within the next 20 years and support 900,000 jobs, these urban growth centres are an important part of the future for York Region. To support growth in these areas all levels of government are contributing to multi-billion-dollar investments in public infrastructure including multiple line extensions of the TTC subway – the only extensions to go outside Toronto’s borders, bus rapid transit lanes, and increased GO transit options.
Outside of work, York Region is bursting with diverse foods, art galleries, local festivals, shopping centres, and has a healthy balance of nature and city while being family-friendly. Almost half of York Region’s population is foreign-born allowing for a multi-cultural experience and increased connection. A mix of city-style living, with over 20,000 new condo apartments being sold over the last 5 years, as well as being the top GTA market for single-family home construction, provides housing options for all stages of your life.
Each of the urban growth centres in York Region offer different things, so take a minute to explore some of their key features:
Markham Centre
Located in southern York Region, Markham Centre and its nearby vicinity is home to more than 400 high-quality Canadian head office facilities, such as IBM Canada, Aviva Canada, Under Armour, Jonas Software, and Toshiba Canada. Known for its downtown activities such as the Pride of Canada Carousel, a wide variety of restaurants, shopping centres, public art, technology-based businesses, high-rise residential units, and close-knit cultural communities. Markham provides a way to grow your innovation and experience more of the world without leaving the city.
Newmarket Centre
In northern York Region, Newmarket Centre provides a close-knit experience with a focus on upward development. Its design as a bike and pedestrian-friendly environment, with a vibrant Main Street filled with restaurants and microbreweries. While having the Davis Drive and Yonge Street Bus Rapid Transit corridors makes getting around easy.
Being home to various major local private and public sector organizations such as Southlake Regional Health Centre provides multiple opportunities to connect and develop professionally.
Richmond Hill Centre/Langstaff Gateway
At the centre of the GTA is Richmond Hill Centre, a mixed-use urban area with a strong mobility hub. Access to various forms of public transit (GO Transit train, VIVA Bus Rapid Transit, and York Region Transit buses), the planned incoming TTC Yonge Subway Extension, and connection to multiple highways such as the 404/DVP and 407 make keeping moving simple.
It is known for its thriving and well-established community with various options for housing, green spaces, retail shopping, restaurants, entertainment, and sports facilities.
Vaughan Metropolitan Centre
25 kilometers north of downtown Toronto and a 20-minute drive from Toronto Pearson International Airport is the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. Designed for commuter ease it currently is home to the only Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway station located outside of Toronto and offers a direct link to the VIVA Bus rapid transit system.
Its growing active downtown core, a development of 13,000 high-rise residential units, Canadian headquarters and regional offices of employers such as Harley-Davidson Canada, KPMG, PwC, and Miller Thomson and plans for 2 million sq.ft. of walkable retail development makes the city feel like home.
From the dynamic core of Markham, the vibrancy of Newmarket, the greenspaces of Richmond Hill, to the commuter ease of Vaughan, these communities are a perfect place for developing the roots of your future; each provides unique opportunities for young professionals to take the next step in their life and career.