Barbara Berrie - Toronto the Good

HISTORY
In the 1850's, the area now known as Bloor West Village was the property of Lieutenant Colonel William Smith Durie, the first commanding officer of the Queens Own Rifles. The street that ran through his estate is now known as Durie Street.The present day neighbourhood began to be developed in 1909 when this district became part of the City of Toronto. Soon after amalgamation with Toronto, Bloor West's roads were paved and city services were made available.

 

Bloor West's first residents were immigrants of Eastern European background. These are the residents who helped found the Bloor West Village Business Improvement Area, the first of its kind in Canada. This shopping district has helped make Bloor West Village one of Toronto's most popular neighbourhoods.

 

OVERVIEW
Bloor West Village is a popular neighbourhood for families. It has many excellent schools and is within walking distance of High Park - Toronto's biggest and best known park.

 

This west end neighbourhood is highlighted by the Bloor West Village retail district which attracts shoppers from all over the city.

 

 

HISTORY
The Village of Brockton was likely named after Captain James Brock, who held a large parcel of land in this area in the early 1800's. Captain Brock was a cousin of Sir Issac Brock, a Canadian war hero who fought in the War of 1812.

 

Brockton was initially settled in the 1840's by Irish immigrants. These first settlers found employment in Brockton's two rope making factories. They also cultivated their land and tended to their livestock as a source of income.

 

In 1881, Brockton was incorporated as a village. However, only three years after it's incorporation Brockton had accumulated a large debt. Brockton's financial troubles led the residents of the village to vote in favour of amalgamation with the City of Toronto. This merger became official on March 25th, 1884.

 

 

OVERVIEW
Brockton Village is a quiet, unassuming neighbourhood in west downtown Toronto. Historical street signs along Dundas Street mark the entrance way to the commercial centre of the neighbourhood.

Brockton Village has a large Portuguese community. The influence of this community can be seen in Brockton's shopping districts and in the brightly painted homes in the neighbourhood.

 

HISTORY
Carleton Village is named after Guy Carleton, who served as the first Govenor of Canada, in 1768.

The spelling of the Carleton Village name, with or without an "e", has been contentious since the areas inception in the 1850's. Even today, the historical street markers in the Village spell Carleton without an "e", while the local public school spells Carleton with an "e" in its name.

 

By the 1860's, despite its spelling controversy, Carleton Village had emerged as a prosperous railway and industrial centre.

 

Carleton Village amalgamated with the Town of West Toronto in 1889. Then in 1909, this district was annexed by the City of Toronto.

 

OVERVIEW
Carleton Village has always been a working class neighbourhood. Today, it is populated mostly by Portuguese, Italian, and Asian families. Carleton Village was designated as an historical district by the City of Toronto, in 1989. This recognition has helped raise the profile of this quiet, west end neighbourhood.

 

 

HISTORY
The Earlscourt neighbourhood was settled in 1906 by labourers from the British Isles. In addition to their work at the local factories, Earlscourt families would toil day and night building meagre tar and paper shacks, as temporary homes until enough money was saved to build a proper brick house.

The spiritual leader of the Earlscourt community during these difficult times was the Reverend Peter Bryce. Each night, Bryce would trek through Earlscourt's muddy streets, aided only by a lantern and a pair of high boots. His visits were said to have offered hope and inspiration to many families.

The quality of life in Earlscourt began to improve once it was annexed by the City of Toronto, in 1910.

 

Ed Note: During World War I, Earlscourt's enlistment rate per capita was among the highest in the British Empire. This wave of patriotism prompted the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) to visit the Veterans' section of Prospect Cemetery in 1919. The Prince of Wales planted a Silver Maple tree which is still standing and from whose seeds a great number of Prospect Cemetery's majestic maples have been propagated.

 

OVERVIEW
Since the 1960's the Earlscourt neighbourhood has been recognized as the business and cultural centre of Toronto's Italian community. However in recent years the ethnic mix in this neighbourhood has begun to change as Canadians of West Indian, Portuguese, Greek, Latin American, and East Indian descent have begun moving into the area. Earlscourt is also being rediscovered by Anglo-Canadians from other parts of Toronto.

 

 

HISTORY
The High Park neighbourhood contains a wealth of history. The area north of Bloor Street was formerly part of the Town of West Toronto Junction, which was annexed by the City of Toronto in 1909.

The historical house at 191 High Park Avenue was built in 1888 for D.W. Clendenan, the first mayor of West Toronto Junction.

 

The High Park property south of Bloor Street, was purchased in 1836 by John Howard, Toronto's first surveyor. Howard named his estate High Park because of its magnificent view of Lake Ontario.

 

In 1873 Howard deeded his beloved High Park estate to the City of Toronto. John Howard's former residence "Colborne Lodge" is still situated on its original site in High Park, where it is now a museum.

OVERVIEW
The High Park neighbourhood is home to a wide range of people. Its highly regarded schools including Humberside Collegiate attract many families with school age children to this neighbourhood.

 

 

 

HISTORY
Parkdale's history began in the late 1800's when it was an elite residential suburb, that rivaled Rosedale as Toronto's most desirable address. Parkdale's popularity led to its incorporation as a village in 1878. Then in 1889, after many heated public debates, Parkdale's citizens voted in favour of amalgamation with the City of Toronto.

Parkdale, became Toronto's playground by the lake in 1922, when the Sunnyside Amusement Park and Bathing Pavilion opened for business on Parkdale's beaches. Sunnyside was the place to be and be seen for a generation of Torontonians.

 

In 1956, Sunnyside was shut down by the city in order to make room for the Gardiner Expressway and a revamped Lake Shore Boulevard. Unfortunately, these new expressways cut Parkdale off from the lake and its glorious past. Parkdale then went into a period of decline that it is still recovering from today.

 

OVERVIEW
Parkdale still has many 'big city' social problems to contend with. However these concerns are being addressed by a local residents group known as the Parkdale Community Watch.

 

The Parkdale Community Watch recently received an award as the best neighbourhood watch group. This award was presented by the International Society of Crime Prevention.

 

The Parkdale neighbourhood possesses many positive attributes. It has some of Toronto's most vibrant shopping districts, wonderful tree lined streets, affordable Victorian homes, and impressive mansions that remind onlookers that Parkdale was once Toronto's wealthiest district. Parkdale is also within walking distance of Toronto's waterfront parks.

 

 

 

HISTORY
Swansea was incorporated as a village in 1926. The Swansea Village corporate seal reveals a great deal about the colourful history of this neighbourhood.

 

Included on the Swansea seal is explorer Etienne Brulee¸, who in 1615 became the first European to set foot on what is now Swansea. Also shown is a First Nations member. This is symbolic in that it recognizes that First Nations members were the first people to inhabit Swansea, hundreds of years ago.

 

The hills in the Swansea Village seal represent Swansea's rolling countryside, which is similar to the topography found in Swansea, Wales, after which this neighbourhood is named. The water in the Swansea seal refers to Swansea's natural boundaries, which include Lake Ontario, the Humber River and Grenadier Pond.

 

In 1967, Swansea Village joined Forest Hill Village as one of the last two independent villages to be annexed by the City of Toronto.

 

OVERVIEW
Swansea Village is the only Toronto neighbourhood that has its own community run Town Hall. Swansea is also the only Toronto neighbourhood to have a lake, a river, and a pond as it's natural boundaries. Swansea's hilly terrain, winding roads and many mature trees accentuate the storybook houses that line the residential streets of this neighbourhood.

 

 

 

HISTORY
The Junction Triangle name was coined in the 1970's by Toronto city planners who were making reference to the fact that this neighbourhood is enclosed by a railroad junction which forms the shape of a triangle.

 

The history of the Junction Triangle community dates back to the 1880's when the Grand Trunk, Toronto Grey and Bruce and Northern railway lines began service to this area. The railways attracted industry to the Junction Triangle which in turn attracted the labourers who were the first residents of this neighbourhood.

 

In spite of the fact that many Junction Triangle residents earned their living at the local factories the marriage between industry and homeowners in this tightly confined neighbourhood has not always been harmonious. The issue of pollutants and noise levels has been at the forefront of these disputes. However new legislation on emissions together with a decline in the number of factories operating within the Junction Triangle has helped to improve relations between these neighbours.

 

OVERVIEW
The Junction Triangle neighbourhood is so named because it is bounded on three sides by railway lines that enclose the entire neighbourhood in the shape of a triangle.

 

The residential housing is located in the centre of the neighbourhood, while industry is located on the periphery of the Junction Triangle next to the railway tracks. The Junction Triangle factories have been a traditional source of employment for many neighbourhood residents.

 

 

 

HISTORY
The Wallace Emerson neighbourhood owes its development to the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National railway lines which began freight services to this area in the late 1800's. The railways attracted industries to the Wallace Emerson area which in turn led to the residential development of what historically has been a working class neighbourhood.

 

Wallace Emerson did not become a clearly defined neighbourhood until 1970. In fact city planners identified it only for the sake of convenience, making reference to the two major cross-streets - Wallace and Emerson - that intersect the middle of this Toronto neighbourhood.

 

OVERVIEW
Wallace Emerson is a mixed-use residential and industrial area. This is a neighbourhood in transition however, as former industrial land continues to be converted to non-industrial use. Ultimately, these changes are strengthening the residential character and the desirability of the Wallace Emerson neighbourhood.