Pacific Mall and Markham’s Asian-Canadian community
Markham’s Asian-Canadian community is one of the things that gives the city its distinct character — with landmark retail and food anchors like Pacific Mall and First Markham Place.
Illustrative image — not a specific listing.
Ask people what makes Markham distinct and one answer comes up again and again: its Asian-Canadian community and the food, retail and cultural life that come with it. It is one of the clearest examples of how Markham feels different from a generic suburb — and two landmark shopping centres, Pacific Mall and First Markham Place, are at the centre of it 12.
Pacific Mall: a North American landmark
Pacific Mall, at the Toronto border near Steeles Avenue and Kennedy Road, is the largest indoor Asian shopping mall in North America 1. It is a genuine landmark — a dense warren of small shops, food vendors and specialty retailers — and a destination that draws visitors from well beyond Markham. For people living nearby, it functions as an everyday anchor as much as a place to bring out-of-town guests.
First Markham Place and other anchors
A little further into the city, First Markham Place on Highway 7 is another prominent Asian retail centre, with more than 170 stores 2. Together with Pacific Mall, it is part of a network of malls, plazas, restaurants and grocers that make everyday access to Asian cuisine, ingredients and services a normal part of life in this part of the GTA.
Food, shopping and everyday life
For many residents, the practical appeal is simple: an unusually deep range of restaurants, bakeries, grocers and specialty shops within a short drive 12. Whether you are looking for weekend dim sum, regional specialties or a particular ingredient, the concentration of these anchors means you rarely have to go far. That everyday convenience is part of what people mean when they talk about Markham’s sense of community and culture.
What it means if you’re moving here
If this community and its amenities are part of why Markham appeals to you, it is worth thinking about which part of the city puts you closest to the anchors you would actually use. Suba can help you weigh proximity to nodes like Pacific Mall and First Markham Place alongside the other things on your list — transit, schools, the kind of street you want — so the location fits your real routine.
How we write these guides: we describe community and cultural character qualitatively, and we do not publish demographic statistics — the landmarks and amenities here are documented against the sources below, and the lived experience is best understood in person.