Humber Summit
Encyclopedia
Humber Summit is one of the northernmost neighbourhoods in Toronto
, Ontario
, located in the North York district of the city. It is bounded by Steeles Avenue
to the north, Highway 400 to the east, Finch Avenue
to the south, and follows the Humber River (east branch) to the west.
community, centred around the grist
and saw mills. However, as the city boundaries crept closer, the area evolved into a resort community, called Riverbank Park. It became home to a large number of Toronto residents who built cottages on the banks of the Humber River. When Hurricane Hazel
hit Toronto in 1954, a large number of the cottages were swept away by the overflowing river.
Today, Humber Summit is a middle class
community. It contains a significant, well-established Italian
community, but has also become the home for new East Indian and Asian
families. The residences are generally semi-detached
backsplits with built-in garages. Adding to the character of the suburban post-World War II
1960s homes are front porches decorated with cast-iron railings, and elaborate front archways.
The Toronto Public Library
branch located at 2990 Islington Ave., Toronto, ON M9L 2K6, is named "Humber Summit Library" in memory of the area's fair beginnings. Officially opened by the North York Public Library Board, 15 May 1974. First branch in North York to be in a shared facility with another community agency (the North York Parks and Recreation Department.)
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, located in the North York district of the city. It is bounded by Steeles Avenue
Steeles Avenue
Steeles Avenue is an east-west street that forms the northern city limit of Toronto and the southern limit of York Region, Ontario, Canada. It stretches across the western Greater Toronto Area from Milborough Townline in Halton Region east to the Scarborough-Pickering limit. It runs for within...
to the north, Highway 400 to the east, Finch Avenue
Finch Avenue
Finch Avenue is an arterial thoroughfare and concession road which travels east–west through the city of Toronto. The road also has short extensions into Peel and Durham Regions as Peel Regional Road 2 and Durham Regional Road 37.-History:...
to the south, and follows the Humber River (east branch) to the west.
Character
In the 1840s, Humber Summit began as a pioneerSettler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
community, centred around the grist
Grist
Grist is grain that has been separated from its chaff in preparation for grinding. It can also mean grain that has been ground at a grist mill. Its etymology derives from the verb grind....
and saw mills. However, as the city boundaries crept closer, the area evolved into a resort community, called Riverbank Park. It became home to a large number of Toronto residents who built cottages on the banks of the Humber River. When Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed as many as 1,000 people in Haiti before striking the United States near the border between North and South Carolina, as a Category 4 hurricane...
hit Toronto in 1954, a large number of the cottages were swept away by the overflowing river.
Today, Humber Summit is a middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
community. It contains a significant, well-established Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
community, but has also become the home for new East Indian and Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
families. The residences are generally semi-detached
Semi-detached
Semi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
backsplits with built-in garages. Adding to the character of the suburban post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
1960s homes are front porches decorated with cast-iron railings, and elaborate front archways.
The Toronto Public Library
Toronto Public Library
Toronto Public Library is a public library system based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest public library system in Canada and in 2008, had averaged a higher...
branch located at 2990 Islington Ave., Toronto, ON M9L 2K6, is named "Humber Summit Library" in memory of the area's fair beginnings. Officially opened by the North York Public Library Board, 15 May 1974. First branch in North York to be in a shared facility with another community agency (the North York Parks and Recreation Department.)
Schools
- Gracedale Public School is a public elementary schoolElementary schoolAn elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
on Gracedale Boulevard. - Humber Summit Middle School is a public middle schoolMiddle schoolMiddle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
on Pearldale Avenue.
External links
- Humber Summit neighbourhood profile at the City of Toronto website
- Humber Summit at Toronto Neighbourhoods
- http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/hou_az_hs.jsp provides further details of the Humber Summit Library location, hours of operation, & services provided