Erin Mills


Erin Mills is a large suburban district in the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, approximately west of downtown Toronto. Erin Mills was conceived, planned and developed as a "new town" by the Cadillac Fairview Corporation on of farmland in Mississauga. Erin Mills is an integrated residential, industrial and, commercial community, with commercial uses concentrated in the centre and industrial uses on the periphery.
Based on census boundaries, the 2001 population was estimated at 105,000, making it the most populous but not the most densely-populated area in Mississauga, and one of the fastest-growing. As of the Canada 2016 Census, the population is 122,560. The average household income is $115,600, far above the Canadian average household income of $78,700. Erin Mills is the largest district in Mississauga, occupying the west-central section of the city. A number of creeks flow through the area and eventually drain to the Credit River, and then Lake Ontario.

History

were the first inhabitants of the area. Tribes included the Woodland, Iroquois and Mississauga. Along what was called the "Indian Trail," they hunted deer, bears, and fox among the tall stands of pine, oak and maple trees. They also fished in the river to the east, following the ancient course of a valley filled by glacial debris.
European settlement of the area began in the very early 19th century. By the mid-19th century, the area was entirely agricultural land and served by the nearby villages of Erindale and Streetsville, which were located just to the east along the Credit River.
There was one smaller settlement along Dundas Street at Winston Churchill Boulevard named Frogmore, which popped up along the Toronto-Hamilton stagecoach route. Other small settlements near the area included Snider, to the west in modern-day Oakville and Sheridan, to the south.
Dundas Street was paved for automobile traffic in 1924.
Beginning in the 1950s, a wealthy Canadian entrepreneur, E.P. Taylor, began buying farmland for future development by Canadian Equity and Development Limited, which owned Don Mills Development Corp. In 1969 Don Mills Development Corp. announced its plans to build a New Town in four phases. The first two phases now form the nucleus of the Erin Mills community. The district was never incorporated.
The name "Erin Mills" was the creation of its developers. Erin likely comes from its proximity to Erindale, a historical village whose founders had named it after their homeland, Ireland. Mills could either be a derivative of the name Don Mills, another community planned by E.P. Taylor in the former Borough of North York in present-day Toronto, or refers to the many grist mills that were operating on the banks of the nearby Credit River, the closest of which is in adjacent Streetsville.

Neighbourhoods

The first phase, Erin Mills South, known later as Erin Mills, north of Dundas Street was built beginning in the early 1970s continuing through the decade. A display centre formerly built to serve home buyers and residents as a meeting hall, etc. was closed in the early 1980s and was transformed into the large, popular nightclub "Richard's". This club was closed in the early 1990s due to noise concerns from nearby residents and the building sat empty for many years until being torn down later that decade. It is now the site of a low rise condominium. South Common Mall and the Mississauga Bus Transit station are a retail/transportation hub for area. They also serve the University of Toronto Mississauga campus, located off Mississauga Road situated above the banks of the Credit River.
The second phase, Erin Mills West, west of Winston Churchill Blvd. was completed in the mid-1980s. This area was part of the town of Oakville until 1974 when with the advent of regional government, the city of Mississauga was established and its westerly boundary was extended to 9th line north of Dundas Street West. These lands then became part of Mississauga. The outer band of this section, includes the Western Business Park and large retail outlets closer to Dundas Street/Highway 403 on the Oakville border.
The third phase, Erin Mills Central, north of Highway 403 is for the most part fully developed. This section contains everything from hi-rise condominiums to large low-density housing. Its focal point is the Erin Mills Town Centre, which was completed in 1989. Credit Valley Hospital, the largest in Mississauga, is located in this area. The older village of Streetsville sits adjacent to Erin Mills Central to the east, running along the Credit River. Both areas are connected closely, even in the context of Mississauga. For example, the Streetsville GO Station serves as a commuter point for many Erin Mills residents travelling to work in Toronto and Streetsville residents use Erin Mills Town Centre as their primary retail shopping centre. The land line telephone prefixes in Erin Mills are in the "Streetsville" rate centre. The Meadowvale district is directly to the north.
The fourth phase, Churchill Meadows, was developed mostly from 2000 to 2010. The largest still-undeveloped parcels is a 43 ha property on Eglinton Avenue, to be developed for employment and a high school. Much of the new subdivisions are low- to medium-density residential, and as for the previous phases, land for parks has been protected from development. Unlike the previous phases, Churchill Meadows was built with a relatively permeable street network, and natural creek courses were not preserved. This section of Erin Mills borders the mostly-rural section of the town of Milton, to the west and Lisgar and Meadowvale areas are to the north.
All four sections described above are normally to by locals as "west," "central," etc. but rather Erin Mills on the whole or the street intersection to explain where a location is within the area. The original geographic distinctions were used by land developers to indicate the phasing of development and from then on, the city for planning purposes.
To the south of Erin Mills, is the older housing areas of Sheridan Homelands and adjacent employment lands of Sheridan Park as well as more exclusive large homes and lots running along or near to Mississauga Road running parallel to the Credit River and Credit Valley Golf Course lands in Sheridan.
These areas are sometimes lumped in with Erin Mills by both locals and others when referring to a place within them, but by definition were never part of it.
The lack of a sustainable high use transit corridor has prevented Erin Mills from achieving higher densities, although there are a stretch of hi-rise condominium and rental units with some mixed ground level retail that are currently under construction along Eglinton Ave. West of Erin Mills Parkway. The process of densification has only accelerated in recent years.
Erin Mills has an interconnected and heavily-forested recreational trail system that feed into the Credit River Valley, particularly south of Hwy 403.

Transportation

The six-lane mostly divided Erin Mills Parkway crosses Erin Mills more-or-less north to south.
Winston Churchill Boulevard also runs north to south to the west of the parkway. Most of the newer development is to the west of this road.
The toll route Highway 407 runs north to south and forms the western border with Milton.
Highway 403 cuts through the area, changing direction as it travels lakeward to connect with the QEW, it also serves as the main connector highway for the area to other parts of the Greater Toronto Area.
The area is served by Miway, Oakville Transit, and commuter bus service via GO Transit. On the Milton train line, the Erindale and Streetsville GO Stations, and to a lesser extent the Meadowvale GO Station, are used by Erin Mills residents for commuting into Toronto Union Station and Downtown core.
Also, the Clarkson GO Station, located to the south on the Lakeshore West line is also used for the same purpose, a smaller number of commuters on the line travel westward to Oakville, Burlington and Hamilton.

Economy and business

The community is served by Erin Mills Town Centre, a large mall operated by Cadillac Fairview.
Honeywell Corp. is a large employer located in Erin Mills.
Although there is an employment base within Erin Mills, predominantly in the service sector and also some light-duty manufacturing, most workers commute out of the area for employment.

Notable people