Erin Mills is an incredibly dynamic area of Mississauga. Over the years it has transformed substantially from a quiet suburb into what could become Mississauga’s secondary “downtown”. It is a master planned section on the western end of the city that constitutes what used to be 8000 acres of farmland, the entire Erin Mills plan was conceived by the Cadillac Fairview Corporation. It was designed to bring together residential, commercial and industrial sections in a unified and intelligent manner.
This is quite noticeable while driving through the various sections of Erin Mills. The “downtown sector, surrounding the Erin Mills Town Centre is primarily commercial and residential, with both homes and high-density condominiums. The Erin Mills downtown primarily surrounds the intersections of Eglinton Ave, Winston Churchill Blvd and Erin Mills Pkwy. Heading south from here will lead through a mix of industrial/commercial with pockets of residential homes.
Erin Mills also has a sort of melding between neighbourhoods when moving further south. Sheridan is sometimes recalled as an individual neighbourhood, however most locals group it into the mix with Erin Mills general. The history of Erin Mills dates back to when it became a large development project for the Don Mills Development Corp. They coined the area “Erin Mills” in reference to the historic site of Erindale and the large prevalence of grain mills due to the surrounding farmland. Erin Mills has come a far way from the humble farmland beginnings, it is now growing into a modern and complex neighbourhood that is beginning to exude values of a potential urban core. With the Erin Mills Town Centre Renovation and plethora of new condominium buildings, this really is the future of Mississauga’s new downtown.
