East Danforth

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East Danforth
Neighbourhood
East Danforth pano 2022.jpg
Aerial view of East Danforth (2022)
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Map of East Danforth
Toronto map.png
Red pog.svg
Location within Toronto
Coordinates: 43°41′17″N79°18′07″W / 43.68806°N 79.30194°W / 43.68806; -79.30194
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
ProvinceFlag of Ontario.svg  Ontario
City Toronto
Community Toronto & East York
Established'Coleman'
Changed Municipality1888 East Toronto from York
1908 Toronto (former) from East Toronto
1998 Toronto from Toronto (former)
Government
   MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (Beaches-East York)
   MPP Mary-Margaret McMahon (Beaches-East York)
   Councillor Brad Bradford (Ward 19)Beaches-East York

East Danforth, also known as Danforth Village, is an informal neighbourhood in the east end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the eastern part of Danforth Avenue in the old city of Toronto. It stretches from the eastern edge of Greektown by Greenwood Avenue to the boundary of Scarborough at Victoria Park Avenue. The area is covered by two business improvement associations, Danforth Village and Danforth Mosaic. To the north of the neighbourhood is Old East York, once a separate municipality, but today closely integrated into the area. The southern border is the railway tracks, beyond which is Leslieville and the Upper Beaches. According to the 2006 census the area has a population of 14,629.

Contents

History

A streetcar passed through Danforth Village, 1925. The Village developed as a streetcar suburb in the early-20th century. Northeast corner of Danforth Avenue and Greenwood Avenue.jpg
A streetcar passed through Danforth Village, 1925. The Village developed as a streetcar suburb in the early-20th century.

The area first appeared in the 19th century as the 'Coleman' postal village centered on the intersection of Danforth and Dawes (a street built through the lands of the local Taylor family) with a general store and inn. [1] [2] With the building of the railways in the mid-19th century the area acquired a train station, East Toronto.

By the turn of the century the area was called "Little York" (an original name of Toronto) and became a part of the short-lived Town of East Toronto. The turn of the 20th century also brought the construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct connecting Bloor and Danforth, which encouraged the development of the Luttrell Loop on Danforth, and a streetcar terminus for the Bloor-Danforth, Gerrard and former Coxwell streetcar routes which connected to the old train station. [3]

The area developed from the 1910s through the 1930s as a streetcar suburb along the Danforth streetcar line. Most of the housing to the north and south of the street dates from this period. In 1966 the Bloor-Danforth subway line replaced the streetcar. The neighbourhood is served by six subway stations: Donlands, Greenwood, Coxwell, Woodbine, Main, and Victoria Park stations.

In the 1960s and 1970s, a number of apartment towers were built in the area, most notably the Crescent Town area just north of Danforth at Victoria Park and the Main Square complex south of Danforth at Main Street. Most of the area remains low-rise, with low-end stores along Danforth and single-family homes to the north and south. At the far east of the neighborhood is the Shoppers World Danforth, a strip/shopping mall built in 1962 (revamped in the 1990s) and housed in a former munitions factory.

Demographics

The district is within several City of Toronto official neighbourhoods: Danforth [4] , Greenwood-Coxwell [5] , Woodbine Corridor [6] and East End Danforth. [7]

Culture

The area contains numerous Anglican churches, including St. Luke Anglican Church (at Coxwell and Cosburne Avenues.), St. Andrew’s Japanese Anglican Church (at Donlands Ave. and Chan Lane) and Church of the Resurrection (at Woodbine Ave. and Milverton Blvd.). Orthodox Christianity in the area is represented by Metamorphosis Greek Orthodox Church (at Donlands Ave. and Strathmore Blvd.), St. Raphael Greek Orthodox Church (at Glebemount and Barker Avenues), and the Holy Trinity Macedono-Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church (at Glebeholme Blvd. and Monarch Park Ave.).

The neighbourhood is home to one of Toronto's oldest mosques, Madina Masjid, established in 1974 by Gujarati immigrants from India. It underwent major renovations in 2007 and is now, at more than 30,000 square feet, also one of Toronto's largest mosques. [8] In addition to the Madina Masjid (mentioned above), East Danforth is also home to Masjid Taqwa (at Danforth and Greenwood Avenues), established by Sri Lankan immigrants in 1996. [9]

Schools

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverdale, Toronto</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Line 2 Bloor–Danforth</span> Subway line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Line 2 Bloor–Danforth is a subway line in the Toronto subway system, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It has 31 stations and is 26.2 kilometres (16.3 mi) in length. It opened on February 26, 1966, and extensions at both ends were completed in 1968 and again in 1980.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donlands station</span> Toronto subway station

Donlands is a station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway. The station is located in Toronto's Greektown neighbourhood, at the southwest corner of Donlands Avenue and Strathmore Boulevard, just north of Danforth Avenue. Wi-Fi service is available at this station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenwood station (Toronto)</span> Toronto subway station

Greenwood is a subway station on the Line 2 Bloor–Danforth in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the southwest corner of Linnsmore Crescent and Strathmore Boulevard just north of Danforth Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Civic Railways</span> Streetcar operator in Toronto, Canada, from 1912 to 1921

Toronto Civic Railways (TCR) was a streetcar operator created and owned by the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to serve newly annexed areas of the city that the private operator Toronto Railway Company refused to serve. When the Toronto Railway Company's franchise expired in 1921, its services were combined with those of the Toronto Civic Railways, and are now assumed by the new Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC). The first route of the TCR started operation on December 18, 1912.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">506 Carlton</span> Streetcar route in Toronto, Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">505 Dundas</span> Streetcar route in Toronto, Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old East York</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Old East York is a district of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It consists of the southern, urban, portion of the former borough of East York. Old East York is continuous and functionally integrated with the old City of Toronto, bounded by the old municipal boundary between East York and Old Toronto on the south, by the Don River Valley on the west and northwest, by Taylor-Massey Creek on the north, and Victoria Park Avenue in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Beaches</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Upper Beaches is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is directly north of the Beaches area. It stretches from Coxwell Avenue in the west to Victoria Park in the east. The southern border is Kingston Road, while the northern boundary is generally considered to be the Canadian National Railway tracks between Gerrard Street and Danforth Avenue. The western part of the area was originally called Norway, and the larger area was once part of the Town of East Toronto. The name "Upper Beaches" was first used by developers and real estate agents around the period of 2001 to 2003 for the selling of houses on redeveloped land in the area, and was used as a marketing tag to attract buyers. The area was never considered part of the Beaches neighbourhood but was close to it. The city's current name for this area is East End Danforth, though that is rarely used. The city also includes the buildings along and just north of Danforth Avenue in the neighbourhood. The western portion between Woodbine Avenue and Coxwell is referred to by the city as Woodbine Corridor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Park North</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

High Park North, or often simply High Park, after the park, is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded on the south by Bloor Street, on the west by Runnymede Road, on the north by Annette Street, Quebec Avenue and Humberside Avenue, and on the east by the GO Transit Weston Subdivision rail tracks. It is located in the Parkdale—High Park provincial and federal electoral districts. The area east of Keele Street is also known informally as the "West Bend" neighbourhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodbine Avenue</span> Road in Ontario, Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Runnymede, Toronto</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloor streetcar line</span> Former Toronto streetcar line (closed 1966)

The Toronto Transit Commission operated the Bloor streetcar line along Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue, extending at its longest from Jane Street in the west end of the city to Luttrell Avenue in the east. Both Luttrell and Jane loops at the termini were transfer points between streetcars and suburban bus routes. The line was abandoned in 1966 with the opening of the Bloor-Danforth subway line, except for two stubs of the line abandoned in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luttrell Loop</span>

The Toronto Transit Commission's Luttrell Loop was the eastern terminus of the Bloor streetcar line. The loop was closed in 1968 after completion of an extension of the Bloor–Danforth subway line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harbord streetcar line</span> Former Toronto streetcar line (closed 1966)

The Harbord streetcar line was an east-west line within the Toronto streetcar system. The route was named after Harbord Street even though only a small portion of the route was along the namesake street. One distinct characteristic of the route was its zip-zag nature, making many 90-degree turns onto the various streets along its route. The route was retired in 1966 when the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) opened the Bloor–Danforth subway line, the city's first east-west subway line.

References

  1. Tremaine's Atlas of the County of York, 1860
  2. York County Subscription Atlas, 1878. East Toronto
  3. "The Bloor Streetcar (Deceased) - Transit Toronto - Content". Archived from the original on 2013-12-09. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  4. "Neighbourhood Profile Detail – City of Toronto".
  5. "Neighbourhood Profile Detail – City of Toronto".
  6. "Neighbourhood Profile Detail – City of Toronto".
  7. "Neighbourhood Profile Detail – City of Toronto".
  8. "About – Madinah Masjid". Madinah Masjid – Jamiatul Muslemin of Toronto.
  9. "About Us – Masjid-Ut-Taqwa". Masjid-Ut-Taqwa. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  10. "Secord School TDSB Site". Toronto District School Board. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  11. "Gledhill School Toronto District School". Toronto District School Board. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  12. "St. Brigid Catholic School". Toronto Catholic District School Board. Retrieved April 18, 2014.

Further reading