Markham is bounded by the Town of Richmond Hill and the City of Vaughan. Markham was first surveyed as a township in 1793 by William Berczy, first settled in 1794 and incorporated as a town in 1972. The earliest settlers in this part of Markham Township, including several "Pennsylvania Dutch", arrived on the Rouge River shortly after 1800. Within ten years Nicholas Miller had erected mills around which a community known as Markham Mills had developed by about 1820. Originally Markham began as an agricultural community but has recently seen the influx of corporations to the area making it one of Canada’s fastest growing cities, earning it the tile of “The High Tech Capital of Canada”.

The Markham Museum located on a 10 heactare (25 acre) contains a historic village with restored homes, shops, railstation and even rail cars. A land transportation building displays horse drawn vehicles.