Rexdale
Encyclopedia
Rexdale is a neighbourhood located in the north-west corner of Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. It covers the northern section of Etobicoke, which was an independent city until it merged with five other municipalities and a regional government to form the new City of Toronto in 1998. Rexdale was named after local developer Reverend Heslop's dog Rex. Reverend Heslop represented the area's first residential real estate developer, by building the original suburb north of Highway 401
and east of Kipling Avenue
. Rexdale is bordered by Malton
and Toronto Pearson International Airport
in the City of Mississauga to the west, central Etobicoke to the south, the former Town of Woodbridge
in the City of Vaughan
to the north and the North York district of the City of Toronto to the east.
Rexdale evolved into a suburb of Toronto starting in the late 1950s. Rexdale started with a large English
and Scottish
population, which reflected the overall demographics of Toronto at that time. The population of Rexdale, according to the 2006 Census
, is 94,469 living in 30,238 households. The population grows at a rate comparable to surrounding communities.
Rexdale is home to the Canadian Standards Association
(CSA), Humber College
, University of Guelph-Humber
, Woodbine Centre
shopping mall, and Woodbine Racetrack
.
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....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It covers the northern section of Etobicoke, which was an independent city until it merged with five other municipalities and a regional government to form the new City of Toronto in 1998. Rexdale was named after local developer Reverend Heslop's dog Rex. Reverend Heslop represented the area's first residential real estate developer, by building the original suburb north of Highway 401
Highway 401 (Ontario)
King's Highway 401, also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway and colloquially as the four-oh-one, is a 400-Series Highway in the Canadian province of Ontario stretching from Windsor to the Quebec border...
and east of Kipling Avenue
Kipling Avenue
Kipling Avenue, originally named Mimico Avenue, is a street in the Etobicoke district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, 6 concessions from Yonge Street, and is a major north–south arterial road that also extends beyond Toronto, into the Regional Municipality of York.The...
. Rexdale is bordered by Malton
Malton, Ontario
Malton is a neighbourhood in the northeastern part of the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, located to the northwest of Toronto. The neighbourhood has a population of approximately 36,400 as of 2002....
and Toronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport serving Toronto, Ontario, Canada; its metropolitan area; and the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration that is home to 8.1 million people – approximately 25% of Canada's population...
in the City of Mississauga to the west, central Etobicoke to the south, the former Town of Woodbridge
Woodbridge, Ontario
Woodbridge is a large suburban community in the City of Vaughan, just north of Toronto in Southern Ontario. It was once an independent town before being amalgamated with nearby communities to form the city in 1971. Its traditional downtown core is the Woodbridge Ave...
in the City of Vaughan
Vaughan, Ontario
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...
to the north and the North York district of the City of Toronto to the east.
Rexdale evolved into a suburb of Toronto starting in the late 1950s. Rexdale started with a large English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
and Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
population, which reflected the overall demographics of Toronto at that time. The population of Rexdale, according to the 2006 Census
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
, is 94,469 living in 30,238 households. The population grows at a rate comparable to surrounding communities.
Rexdale is home to the Canadian Standards Association
Canadian Standards Association
The Canadian Standards Association, also known as the CSA, is a not-for-profit Standards organization with the stated aim of developing standards for use in 57 different areas of specialisation...
(CSA), Humber College
Humber College
Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning is a polytechnic college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Humber offers more than 150 programs including: bachelor’s degree, diploma, certificate, post-graduate certificate and apprenticeship programs, across 40 fields of study. Humber serves...
, University of Guelph-Humber
University of Guelph-Humber
The University of Guelph-Humber is a university-college partnership between the University of Guelph and Humber College. It was established in 2002. It is located on Humber's North Campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
, Woodbine Centre
Woodbine Centre
Woodbine Centre is a shopping mall in the Rexdale area of Toronto, Ontario. It is also home to Fantasy Fair, an indoor amusement park.Anchor stores* The Bay* Sears* Zellers-External links:*...
shopping mall, and Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack is a Canadian racetrack for Thoroughbred horse races located at 555 Rexdale Blvd. in the city of Toronto, Ontario. It is the only horseracing track in North America which stages, or is capable of staging, thoroughbred and standardbred horseracing programs on the same day...
.
Communities
There are a number of neighbourhoods within the area known as Rexdale:- ThistletownThistletownThistletown is a culturally diverse neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Thistletown is also a part of the Rexdale community in the northern part of Etobicoke. It consists of the area surrounding the intersection of Albion Road and Islington Avenue in the former City of Etobicoke...
- SmithfieldSmithfield, TorontoSmithfield is part of the Rexdale neighbourhood in the northwestern area of Etobicoke, in the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Some new residents to Toronto and new immigrants to Canada are attracted to this neighbourhood, mainly because there is a large amount of affordable public housing...
- The Elms
Schools
- Thistletown Collegiate InstituteThistletown Collegiate InstituteThistletown Collegiate Institute is a high school in northwest Toronto. Built originally for the Etobicoke Board of Education and now a part of the Toronto District School Board....
- Monsignor Percy Johnson Catholic Secondary School
- North Albion Collegiate InstituteNorth Albion Collegiate InstituteNorth Albion Collegiate Institute is a high school in Etobicoke, Canada. It is part of the Toronto District School Board. The school opened in 1962 to serve the growing suburb known as Rexdale....
- West Humber Collegiate InstituteWest Humber Collegiate InstituteWest Humber Collegiate Institute is a High school located in Rexdale, at the corner of Martin Grove Road and John Garland Blvd . Schools that feed into WHCI are: Beaumonde Heights Junior Middle School, West Humber Junior Middle School, Elmbank Junior Middle Academy, Greenholme Junior Middle...
- St. Andrew's Catholic School
- St. Benedict's Catholic School
- St. Stephen's Catholic School
- Mississauga Private School
- Don Bosco Catholic Secondary SchoolDon Bosco Catholic Secondary SchoolDon Bosco Catholic Secondary, formerly Keiller Mackay Collegiate Institute, is a catholic secondary school in Etobicoke in the city of Toronto, Ontario and is located at the intersection of Islington Avenue and Dixon Road. The school is named after Saint John Bosco-History:Don Bosco Catholic...
- Father Henry Carr Secondary SchoolFather Henry Carr Secondary SchoolFather Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School is a Catholic high school administered by the Toronto Catholic District School Board in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada....
- Elmlea Junior School is a publicPublicIn public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
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...
at 50 Hadrian Drive in the Highway 401 and Islington Avenue area. The school opened in 1952. - The Elms Junior Middle School is a publicPublicIn public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
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...
located at 45 Golfdown Drive, east of Islington Avenue. The school opened in October 1960. - Rivercrest Junior School - 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...
located at 30 Harefield Drive, near the Humber RiverHumber River (Ontario)The Humber River is one of two major rivers on either side of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the other being the Don River to the east. It was designated a Canadian Heritage River on September 24, 1999....
, between Kipling AvenueKipling AvenueKipling Avenue, originally named Mimico Avenue, is a street in the Etobicoke district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, 6 concessions from Yonge Street, and is a major north–south arterial road that also extends beyond Toronto, into the Regional Municipality of York.The...
and Islington Avenue. Since 1956, second and third generations of families have continued to be part of the Rivercrest community. - West Humber Junior Middle School
- Humberwood Downs Junior Middle Academy - A public school in Humberwood in Eastern Rexdale
Notable residents
- Carlo ColaiacovoCarlo ColaiacovoCarlo Colaiacovo is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League . Colaiacovo also has an identical twin brother, Paulo Colaiacovo, who is a professional ice hockey goaltender.-Playing career:...
, professional hockey player - Ghetto ConceptGhetto ConceptGhetto Concept is a Canadian hip-hop duo from Toronto, Ontario, composed of Kwajo Cinqo and Dolo. Infinite, who is currently a solo artist, is a former member of Ghetto Concept.-History:...
, hip hop duo - Paul Fromm, free speech and white nationalist activist
- Robert Herjavec, entrepreneur and businessman
- K'naanK'naanK'naan , born Keinan Abdi Warsame in 1978, is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.-Biography:Born in Somalia, K'naan spent his childhood in Mogadishu and lived there during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia's most...
, hip hop musician - Bruce McDonald, film and television director
- P. K. SubbanP. K. SubbanPernell Karl "P. K." Subban is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League . Subban was drafted by the Canadiens in the second round, 43rd overall, of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft...
, professional hockey player - RheostaticsRheostaticsRheostatics was a Genie Award-winning Canadian indie rock band, active from 1980 to 2007.Although they had only one Top 40 hit, "Claire" in 1995, they were simultaneously one of Canada's most influential and unconventional rock bands, a band whose eclectic take on pop and rock music has been...
, rock band