Communities Archive

Allenby

HISTORY OF ALLENBY Allenby was first settled in the 1400’s by the Huron Tribe which had a village here until sometime in the early 1700’s. This village is described in Lyman B. Jackes Tales of North Toronto as “a well organized…

Annex

HISTORY OF ANNEX The Annex was subdivided in the 1870’s and 1880’s. It immediately became one of Toronto’s elite neighbourhoods. The Annex’s first residents included the likes of Timothy Eaton, the patriarch of Eatons department store, and George Gooderham, president of…

Bedford Park

Bedford Park began as a farming hamlet centred around the crossroads of Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue. This village was a popular stopover for farmers travelling to and from the markets in Toronto. It is likely that Bedford Park is…

Bennington Heights

HISTORY OF BENNINGTON HEIGHTS The Bennington Heights neighbourhood is situated on a flat plain of land, on the crest of an escarpment which thousands of years ago had been part of the shoreline of ancient Lake Iroquois – the forerunner to…

Bloor West

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…

Bridle Path

HISTORY OF BRIDLE PATH The Bridle Path could hardly have been envisioned by Alexander Milne, who settled on what is now Edwards Gardens in 1827. Milne operated woolen and saw mills on the banks of Wilket Creek until 1832 when…

Cabbagetown

HISTORY OF CABBAGETOWN Cabbagetown’s history began in the 1840’s when thousands of Irish immigrants settled here after fleeing the potato famins in their homeland. These first Cabbagetown residents were very poor. To put food on the table they grew cabbages on…

Caribou Park

HISTORY OF CARIBOU PARK Caribou Park was formerly part of a farm owned by a pioneer named Thomas Snider who resided here from the 1830’s to the 1870’s. The Snider farm took in the entire present day neighbourhood and also included land…

Casa Loma

HISTORY OF CASA LOMA The sightlines and majestic beauty of the Avenue Road Hill have, over the years, inspired many of Toronto’s wealthiest citizens to build their homes here. The one home that stands out above all the others is…

Chaplin Estates

CHAPLIN ESTATES HISTORY The Chaplin Estates neighbourhood began with a plan of subdivision, registered by William John Chaplin and his son James D. Chaplin, in 1913. The Chaplin family had been landowners in this area dating back to 1860, when…

Cedarvale

HISTORY OF CEDARVALE Cedarvale’s residential development began in 1912 when Sir Henry Mill Pellatt, the builder of Toronto’s famous Casa Loma registered a plan of subdivision for the south end of this neighbourhood under the name “Cedar Vale”. Vale denoted…

Cricket Club

HISTORY OF CRICKET CLUB The Cricket Club area was originally settled by a Scotsman named Andrew McGlashan who settled here with his family in the early 1800’s. The McGlashan’s operated a tannery on the south-west corner of Yonge Street and…

Davisville Village

DAVISVILLE VILLAGE HISTORY Davisville Village is named after John Davis, who immigrated to Canada from Staffordshire, England in 1840. John Davis served as Davisville’s first postmaster and helped found the Davisville Public School. He also operated the Davis Pottery, which…

Deer Park

HISTORY OF DEER PARK Deer Park used to be referred to by the First Nations people as “Mushquoteh”, which means a meadow or opening in the wood where deer come to feed. In 1837, the Heath family purchased forty acres…

Don Mills

ABOUT DON MILLS Don Mills is one of Toronto’s best known and most popular neighbourhoods. Neighbourhood landmarks include the picturesque Donalda Golf and Country Club, and scenic Edwards Gardens. The commercial/industrial sector of Don Mills serves as the head office…