Old East York
Encyclopedia
Old East York is a neighbourhood in the city of Toronto
located in the former East York
. While East York was a much larger area, the name has been kept as a reminder to the days before the mega city. There are multiple definitions of its extent, but at its largest Old East York has covers the portion of the former city south of Taylor-Massey Creek and the Don Valley Parkway
. It thus stretches from the Don River in the west to Victoria Park Avenue
in the east. The southern border is the old boundary between East York and Toronto.
The area is primarily made up of single detached homes and ownership is well above average (at over 65%). Most of the houses are small bungalows constructed in the post-war era, but today many are being torn down and replaced by larger houses. The area is middle class primarily and while once dominated by seniors, many are moving on and younger families are finding an affordable neighbourhood within fairly close proximity to the city centre.
The people in the area are predominantly of British
, Irish
and Greek
descent.
Much of the central section of what became East York was first set aside as 'Clergy Reserves', called 'Glebe land', a hotly debated feature of the original system of land granting in Ontario which retained land for the use of the church. Arguments over which church should have the use of this land led to the eventual sale of the clergy reserves, most of which had remained undeveloped for many years as surrounding areas were cleared and built on. The clergy lots between Donlands (originally a part of Leslie Street) and Woodbine only began to be developed after the construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct and Leslie Bridge and successful development of the old Todmorden postal village west of Donlands as Pape Village
.
Todmorden Village
To the north of O'Connor (which splices down the middle of the neighbourhood) is Todmorden village. Much of the village lies atop the Don Valley Ravine
which is lined with forest. Mature trees are a big presence in this area of the neighbourhood and create an extremely peaceful and natural area, rarely found this close to downtown Toronto. Where Pape and the Donlands head north past O'Connor is a gorgeous area consisting of very few streets and beautiful homes.
Woodbine Heights
This section of Old East York is bounded by Coxwell on the West, Main on the East, the Don Valley Ravine on the north and Milverton on the south. Its main foci are the "Olde East York Village", located Coxwell Avenue, north of Mortimer , and the Woodbine Village, located along the Woodbine north of Sammon. Housing stock in this area consists primarily of single-family homes, and is typified by distinct, narrow-lot variants of Dutch Colonial Revival and English Cottage architecture, built before 1920.. Until recently, this neighborhood was inhabited by many retirees. However, it is increasingly populated by young upper-middle-class families employed along Danforth and in Toronto's downtown.
Crescent Town to the far east is a collection of apartment towers that acts as an immigrant reception area, primarily for new immigrants from South Asia.
Broadview North is a neighbourhood bordered by Pape Avenue to the East, Chesterhill to the South and the DVP to the west and north. The area is dominated by renters and high rise buildings. There are numerous low income buildings in the area, however, renting (at over 70%) is certainly the norm in this area. However at the very north the area contains many bungalows, many of which are being redone into 2-storey houses because of the decent area and the considerably low housing price. The area has significant Greek
and Serbian
populations.
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...
located in the former East York
East York
East York can refer to:*East York, Pennsylvania, United States*East York, Ontario, Canada...
. While East York was a much larger area, the name has been kept as a reminder to the days before the mega city. There are multiple definitions of its extent, but at its largest Old East York has covers the portion of the former city south of Taylor-Massey Creek and the Don Valley Parkway
Don Valley Parkway
The Don Valley Parkway is a controlled-access six-lane municipal expressway in Toronto connecting the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto with Ontario Highway 401, the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway. North of Highway 401, it continues as Ontario Highway 404. The parkway runs through...
. It thus stretches from the Don River in the west to Victoria Park Avenue
Victoria Park Avenue
Victoria Park Avenue is a major north-south route in eastern Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It marks the border between the Old City of Toronto and Scarborough.-History:Victoria Park Avenue was originally a pioneer road for settlement of Scarborough...
in the east. The southern border is the old boundary between East York and Toronto.
The area is primarily made up of single detached homes and ownership is well above average (at over 65%). Most of the houses are small bungalows constructed in the post-war era, but today many are being torn down and replaced by larger houses. The area is middle class primarily and while once dominated by seniors, many are moving on and younger families are finding an affordable neighbourhood within fairly close proximity to the city centre.
The people in the area are predominantly of British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
, Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
descent.
Neighborhood sections
Glebe landMuch of the central section of what became East York was first set aside as 'Clergy Reserves', called 'Glebe land', a hotly debated feature of the original system of land granting in Ontario which retained land for the use of the church. Arguments over which church should have the use of this land led to the eventual sale of the clergy reserves, most of which had remained undeveloped for many years as surrounding areas were cleared and built on. The clergy lots between Donlands (originally a part of Leslie Street) and Woodbine only began to be developed after the construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct and Leslie Bridge and successful development of the old Todmorden postal village west of Donlands as Pape Village
Pape Village
Pape Village is a commercial district in Toronto, Canada, located within the neighbourhood of Old East York. It is a mixed-use shopping street, consisting mainly of small-scale retail, restaurant and personal service uses.-Location:...
.
Todmorden Village
To the north of O'Connor (which splices down the middle of the neighbourhood) is Todmorden village. Much of the village lies atop the Don Valley Ravine
Don River (Toronto)
The Don River is one of two rivers bounding the original settled area of Toronto, Ontario along the shore of Lake Ontario, the other being the Humber River to the west. The Don is formed from two rivers, the East and West Branches, that meet about north of Lake Ontario while flowing southward into...
which is lined with forest. Mature trees are a big presence in this area of the neighbourhood and create an extremely peaceful and natural area, rarely found this close to downtown Toronto. Where Pape and the Donlands head north past O'Connor is a gorgeous area consisting of very few streets and beautiful homes.
Woodbine Heights
This section of Old East York is bounded by Coxwell on the West, Main on the East, the Don Valley Ravine on the north and Milverton on the south. Its main foci are the "Olde East York Village", located Coxwell Avenue, north of Mortimer , and the Woodbine Village, located along the Woodbine north of Sammon. Housing stock in this area consists primarily of single-family homes, and is typified by distinct, narrow-lot variants of Dutch Colonial Revival and English Cottage architecture, built before 1920.. Until recently, this neighborhood was inhabited by many retirees. However, it is increasingly populated by young upper-middle-class families employed along Danforth and in Toronto's downtown.
Crescent Town to the far east is a collection of apartment towers that acts as an immigrant reception area, primarily for new immigrants from South Asia.
Broadview North is a neighbourhood bordered by Pape Avenue to the East, Chesterhill to the South and the DVP to the west and north. The area is dominated by renters and high rise buildings. There are numerous low income buildings in the area, however, renting (at over 70%) is certainly the norm in this area. However at the very north the area contains many bungalows, many of which are being redone into 2-storey houses because of the decent area and the considerably low housing price. The area has significant Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
and Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
populations.
Riding Divisions
The area west of Coxwell Avenue is the federal and provincial riding of Toronto-Danforth and Ward 29, the area east of Coxwell is the federal and provincial riding of Beaches-East York and Ward 31.Landmarks
- East York Civic CentreEast York Civic CentreThe East York Civic Centre was the municipal office of the former Borough of East York, Canada, now part of Toronto as the result of municipal amalgamation...
- East York Collegiate InstituteEast York Collegiate InstituteEast York Collegiate Institute is a Toronto high-school located in the former borough of East York at the corner of Coxwell and Cosburn Avenues...
- Toronto East General HospitalToronto East General Hospital-External links:**...