Under The Spotlight: North Toronto
North Toronto is especially popular with families raising school-age children. It has everything families are looking for in a neighbourhood including good size houses, an excellent selection of public, private and separate schools, convenient access to Toronto’s transit system, and a multitude of parks and recreational facilities.
When the expanded Toronto Mega City was formed in 1998 the North Toronto neighbourhood went from being located at the north end of the old city to occupying a central location within the new city boundaries. Despite these changes North Toronto’s identity as a neighbourhood endures.
History:
The town of North Toronto was incorporated in 1890. It was formed as the result of an amalgamation between Davisville Village, EglintonVillage, and Bedford Park Village.
At the time of its incorporation, North Toronto was primarily an agricultural farming community. However, large parcels of land in North Toronto were already subdivided, and were being held by speculators.
The actual building of houses in this area began in the 1890s, when the Metropolitan Street Railway, made North Toronto the northernmost stop on its five cent line from downtown Toronto.
By the early 1900s, North Toronto had emerged as one of Toronto’s most popular commuter suburbs. However, frustrated by the poor level of municipal services being offered by the Town, North Toronto residents voted in favour of Annexation to the City of Toronto on December 15, 1912. North Toronto filled in quickly after annexation and was completely developed by the 1940s.
Houses:
North Toronto’s housing stock includes bungalows, as well as semi-detached and fully detached houses, built mostly between 1910 and 1940. North Toronto houses are well maintained and a pride of ownership is painted on the face of every home.
North Toronto also contains a large number of low and high-rise apartment buildings centred around the Yonge and Eglinton area. These apartment buildings range from luxury condominiums, to affordable co-ops and a wide range of rental opportunities.
Schools:
John Fisher Jr. PS – French Immersion – Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6
Allenby Jr. PS – French Immersion – Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6
Eglinton Jr. PS – Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6
Blythwood Jr. PS – Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6
Glenview Sr. PS – Grade 7 to Grade 8
Hodgson Sr. PS – Grade 7 to Grade 8
North Toronto CI – Grade 9 to Grade 12
Northern SS – Grade 9 to Grade 12
To find out which schools are associated with your prospective new home, please click here to access the TDSB Street Guide and enter the street name only.
Shopping:
North Toronto residents patronize the local shops and restaurants on Yonge Street, between Eglinton and Lawrence Avenues.
The mix of stores on Yonge Street is very diverse, ranging from mom and pop owner-operated stores, to international chain stores; that have added a certain lustre to the entire area.
Indoor shopping is available nearby at the Yonge and Eglinton Centre, which has recently undergone a major renovation and expansion.
The Yonge and Eglinton corridor has been coined ‘Young and Eligible’ due to the many bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and movie theatres, that proliferate at this intersection.
Recreation:
The ultra-modern North Toronto Community Centre is located on Eglinton Avenue, just east of Avenue Road. This centre includes a gymnasium, squash courts, a walking track, and a water slide.
Adjacent to the community centre is EglintonPark which has sports fields, a baseball diamond, a wading pool, a children’s playground, and tennis courts that become an artificial ice rink in the wintertime.
Sherwood Park, located east of Mount Pleasant Road, has a wonderful walking path highlighted by some of the oldest and largest trees in the city. This park contains a picturesque children’s playground and a wading pool.
The Northern District Public Library, on Orchard View Boulevard, offers programs for both children and adults.
The Fairlawn Neighbourhood Centre (FNC) is a unique place -offering a broad range of programming for all ages targeted to their 2500 active members. The Centre has become a hub of the community and is often the first place that new families visit when they move into the neighbourhood.
Transportation:
North Toronto has bus routes on Eglinton Avenue, Mount Pleasant Road, Yonge Street and Avenue Road. All of these surface routes connect to Eglinton station on the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line.
Motorists can be downtown in ten minutes. Highway 401, and the Allen Expressway are both approximately ten minutes from North Toronto.
Please Note: The neighbourhood profile text and sketch were originally published in “Your Guide to Toronto Neighbourhoods”, © Maple Tree Publishing Inc., and have been reproduced under license.