#1German Mills
Ontario · 11,923 peopleOverall A−·#309 of 2,556
Strongest: schools A+, health A·lowest: cost of living C−
German Mills, #1 on this list · Photo: Sikander Iqbal (CC BY-SA 4.0)Markham · 2026
Neighbourhoods with the most civic life in Markham
Not one of Markham’s neighbourhoods reaches the top 100 for all of Canada. Nowhere in Markham does better on this list than German Mills, at B−. Thornlea is second (B−) and Mount Joy third (B−). Of the 22 on the list, not one earns an A. The list ends with Milliken, at B−. German Mills is #1,497 of 2,582 on the list for all of Canada.
Civic life grade: library visits per resident, registered charities per 1,000 residents and the province’s volunteering rate How grades work
#1B−Civic life
#2Thornlea
Ontario · 20,872 peopleOverall A−·#419 of 2,556
Strongest: schools A+, walkability A+·lowest: cost of living D−
#3Mount Joy
Ontario · 8,345 peopleOverall A−·#427 of 2,556
Strongest: schools A+, health A·lowest: cost of living D
All 22 neighbourhoods, ranked
Best first in Markham; beside each place, its rank on the same list for all of Canada.
22 neighbourhoods
#NeighbourhoodCivic lifeCanada rankWhat drives it
1German Mills11,923 peopleB−#1,497 of 2,582Strongest: schools A+, health A·lowest: cost of living C−
2Thornlea20,872 peopleB−#1,498 of 2,582Strongest: schools A+, walkability A+·lowest: cost of living D−
4Markham Village10,319 peopleB−#1,500 of 2,582Strongest: schools A+, health A·lowest: cost of living D−
5Upper Cornell8,304 peopleB−#1,501 of 2,582Strongest: schools A+, health A·lowest: cost of living C−
6Cathedraltown11,029 peopleB−#1,502 of 2,582Strongest: schools A+, hazard risk A·lowest: cost of living D
7Buttonville15,001 peopleB−#1,503 of 2,582Strongest: schools A+, hazard risk A·lowest: cost of living C−
8Greensborough19,270 peopleB−#1,504 of 2,582Strongest: schools A+, hazard risk A·lowest: cost of living D
12Vinegar Hill19,543 peopleB−#1,508 of 2,582Strongest: schools A+, walkability A·lowest: cost of living D
13Quantztown13,146 peopleB−#1,509 of 2,582Strongest: schools A+, hazard risk A·lowest: cost of living D
14Unionville17,632 peopleB−#1,510 of 2,582Strongest: schools A+, hazard risk A·lowest: cost of living D
15Wismer Commons20,591 peopleB−#1,511 of 2,582Strongest: schools A+, walkability A·lowest: cost of living D
16Berczy Village22,149 peopleB−#1,512 of 2,582Strongest: schools A+, walkability A·lowest: cost of living D
17Langstaff8,147 peopleB−#1,513 of 2,582Strongest: walkability A+, schools A·lowest: cost of living D−
18Hagerman's Corners43,555 peopleB−#1,514 of 2,582Strongest: schools A+, walkability A·lowest: cost of living D−
19Steeles Corners9,468 peopleB−#1,515 of 2,582Strongest: walkability A+, schools A+·lowest: cost of living D−
20Brown's Corners7,228 peopleB−#1,516 of 2,582Strongest: schools A+, walkability A·lowest: cost of living D−
21Underwood5,972 peopleB−#1,517 of 2,582Strongest: walkability A, schools A·lowest: cost of living D−
22Milliken12,138 peopleB−#1,518 of 2,582Strongest: walkability A, hazard risk A·lowest: cost of living D−
Rankings
More lists for Markham
City by city
Civic life elsewhere
Photos: German Mills, Sikander Iqbal (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Thornlea, Wesoree (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Mount Joy, Silver Dovelet (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking Canadian towns against each other only, run #73 of 10 November 2026. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).