List of roads in Toronto
Encyclopedia
The following is a list of the arterial thoroughfares
in Toronto
. The city is organized in a grid pattern dating back to the plan laid out by Augustus Jones
between 1793 and 1797. Most major roads are aligned in the north-south or east-west direction, based on the shoreline of Lake Ontario
. In other words, major north–south roads are generally perpendicular to the Lake Ontario shoreline and major east–west roads are generally parallel to the lake's shoreline. The Toronto road system is also influenced by its topography as some roads are aligned with the old Lake Iroquois
shoreline, or the deep valleys
. Major roads, which do not conform to the grid pattern and minor streets with documented history or etymology, are listed below.
, which is ultimately named after Benjamin Vaughan
, a British commissioner whose role was to smooth negotiations between Britain and the United States during the drafting of the Treaty of Paris
in 1783. The neighbourhood of Oakwood–Vaughan, as well as Vaughan Road Academy
, are named after this street. Vaughan Road's contour is the result of it being parallel to the partially buried
Castle Frank Brook
to the northeast.
in London
, England
. When the O'Connor business park was constructed, the Peek Frean's Biscuit Company was one of the first occupants. When a road was constructed alongside the new factory, Peek Frean's requested it be named Bermondsey, the location of their head office. Bermondsey begins at O'Connor Drive, where it continues east as Yardley Avenue. It zig-zags through the business park to the northwest, ending at Eglinton Avenue
East. North of Eglinton, the road is known as Sloane Avenue.
south of Eglinton Avenue, which in turn led to the cancellation of other expressway extensions in Toronto.
, John Graves Simcoe
. The street begins on Front just north of Metro Toronto Convention Centre
and north to Stephanie Street. North of Stephanie the street becomes a pedestrian walkway towards Grange Park
and the Art Gallery of Ontario
.
Arterial road
An arterial road, or arterial thoroughfare, is a high-capacity urban road. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways, and between urban centres at the highest level of service possible. As such, many arteries are limited-access roads, or feature...
in Toronto
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...
. The city is organized in a grid pattern dating back to the plan laid out by Augustus Jones
Augustus Jones
Augustus Jones was an American-born Upper Canadian farmer, land speculator, magistrate, militia captain and surveyor. Jones trained as a surveyor in New York City, and fled as a United Empire Loyalist to Upper Canada...
between 1793 and 1797. Most major roads are aligned in the north-south or east-west direction, based on the shoreline of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
. In other words, major north–south roads are generally perpendicular to the Lake Ontario shoreline and major east–west roads are generally parallel to the lake's shoreline. The Toronto road system is also influenced by its topography as some roads are aligned with the old Lake Iroquois
Glacial Lake Iroquois
Glacial Lake Iroquois was a prehistoric proglacial lake that existed at the end of the last ice age approximately 13,000 years ago.The lake was essentially an enlargement of the present Lake Ontario that formed because the St. Lawrence River downstream from the lake was blocked by the ice sheet...
shoreline, or the deep valleys
Toronto ravine system
The Toronto ravine system is one of the most distinctive features of the geography of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a network of deep ravines that form a large urban forest that runs throughout much of the city...
. Major roads, which do not conform to the grid pattern and minor streets with documented history or etymology, are listed below.
Diagonals
The following lists roads which do not follow the city grid, often referred to as contour roads. They are listed by the southernmost point of the road, from south to north.Vaughan Road
Vaughan Road is named after the Township (later City) of VaughanVaughan
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
, which is ultimately named after Benjamin Vaughan
Benjamin Vaughan
Benjamin Vaughan MD LLD was a British commissioner whose role was to smooth negotiations between Britain and the United States during the drafting of the Treaty of Paris....
, a British commissioner whose role was to smooth negotiations between Britain and the United States during the drafting of the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
in 1783. The neighbourhood of Oakwood–Vaughan, as well as Vaughan Road Academy
Vaughan Road Academy
Vaughan Road Academy is a Toronto District School Board International Baccalaureate school in the Oakwood-Vaughan neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada. Vaughan Road is situated at the Vaughan Road and Winona Drive intersection close to Oakwood Avenue and southwest of Forest Hill. It works in...
, are named after this street. Vaughan Road's contour is the result of it being parallel to the partially buried
Subterranean river
A subterranean river is a river that runs wholly or partly beneath the ground surface – one where the riverbed does not represent the surface of the Earth ....
Castle Frank Brook
Castle Frank Brook
Castle Frank Brook is a buried creek and south-west flowing tributary of the Don River in central and north-western Toronto, Ontario, originating near the intersection of Lawrence Avenue and Dufferin Street....
to the northeast.
Bermondsey Road
Bermondsey Road is named for the administrative boroughBermondsey
Bermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth and Peckham.-Toponomy:...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. When the O'Connor business park was constructed, the Peek Frean's Biscuit Company was one of the first occupants. When a road was constructed alongside the new factory, Peek Frean's requested it be named Bermondsey, the location of their head office. Bermondsey begins at O'Connor Drive, where it continues east as Yardley Avenue. It zig-zags through the business park to the northwest, ending at Eglinton Avenue
Eglinton Avenue
Eglinton Avenue, originally known as the Richview Sideroad within Etobicoke, is an east-west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Within Toronto, Eglinton Avenue is the only road which crosses through all six former boroughs...
East. North of Eglinton, the road is known as Sloane Avenue.
Black Creek Drive
Black Creek Drive was originally constructed as a southward extension of Highway 400. However, it was built as an arterial road instead, due to the opposition of extending the Spadina ExpresswaySpadina Expressway
The Spadina Expressway was a proposed north-south freeway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was only partially built before being cancelled in 1971 due to public opposition. It was proposed in the mid-1960s as part of a network of freeways for Metropolitan Toronto. Its cancellation prompted the...
south of Eglinton Avenue, which in turn led to the cancellation of other expressway extensions in Toronto.
Other roads
The following lists roads which are not designated as a major arterial, but for which the reason behind the naming of the street or a history of its construction is documented. They are listed in alphabetical orderJohn Street
John Street is one of several in the area named after the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada and founder of York, Upper CanadaYork, Upper Canada
York was the name of Old Toronto between 1793 and 1834. It was the second capital of Upper Canada.- History :The town was established in 1793 by Governor John Graves Simcoe, with a new 'Fort York' on the site of the last French 'Fort Toronto'...
, John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
. The street begins on Front just north of Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Metro Toronto Convention Centre , located in Downtown Toronto, Ontario at 255 Front Street West, has of space. The convention centre was completed in October 1984 and is home to the 1330-seat John Bassett Theatre...
and north to Stephanie Street. North of Stephanie the street becomes a pedestrian walkway towards Grange Park
Grange park
Grange Park is a prominent and well-used public park in downtown Toronto, located south of the Art Gallery of Ontario, beside the Ontario College of Art and Design University , and north of University Settlement House, at the north end of John Street...
and the Art Gallery of Ontario
Art Gallery of Ontario
Under the direction of its CEO Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO embarked on a $254 million redevelopment plan by architect Frank Gehry in 2004, called Transformation AGO. The new addition would require demolition of the 1992 Post-Modernist wing by Barton Myers and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg...
.