Rexdale | |
---|---|
Neighbourhood | |
Coordinates: 43°43′19″N79°34′19″W / 43.72194°N 79.57194°W [1] | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Ontario |
City | Toronto |
Community | Etobicoke-York |
Changed Municipality | 1998 (Toronto from Etobicoke) |
Government | |
• MP | Kirsty Duncan (Etobicoke North) |
• MPP | Doug Ford (Etobicoke North) |
• Councillor | Vincent Crisanti (Ward 1 Etobicoke North) |
Rexdale is a neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located north-west of the central core, in the district of Etobicoke. Rexdale defines an area of several official neighbourhoods north of Highway 401 and east of Highway 427. Rexdale was originally a post World War II residential development within Etobicoke, and today is applied to a general area from Malton and Toronto Pearson International Airport in the City of Mississauga to the west, Highway 401 to the south, Steeles Avenue to the north, and the Humber River to the east. It is centred on Rexdale Boulevard and Islington Avenue.
Neighbourhoods in Rexdale include:
Institutions and attractions located in Rexdale include the Canadian Standards Association, Toronto Congress Centre, Woodbine Centre, and Woodbine Racetrack.
Rexdale was named after local real estate developer Rex Heslop, who purchased farmland in the area in 1955 for a cost of $110,000, and installed water mains, streets and sewers, as well as houses that listed for sale at either $9,000 or $10,000. The homes sold well, and soon 330 families were living in the development. In 1956, Heslop opened the Rexdale Plaza (once home to Eaton's and also Towers Department Stores and since demolished and replaced by a power centre). By then, 70 industries and 3,600 homes were located in Rexdale. [2]
Rexdale's first residents were mostly English and Scottish, Italian but it evolved into a multicultural neighbourhood in the following decades, led by those from the Caribbean and the Indian subcontinent. 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.[ citation needed ]
In 2006, Christopher Hume, a journalist with the Toronto Star , wrote that Rexdale "has become shorthand for suburban blight, social breakdown and gang violence. In 2005 alone, five young men were shot dead in the area, a grey landscape of highways and highrises, shopping malls and churches." Hume wrote that children who lived in Rexdale had nothing to do, and were "wandering around the anonymous streets of this place". The vision of Rexdale's planners, Hume wrote, was a patchwork of separate precincts for working, living, shopping and playing, connected by expressways. However, this single-use zoning, separation, industrial-scale development and reliance on cars contributed to Rexdale's problems. [3] Joyce Lau of the South China Morning Post stated in 2015 that in Rexdale "other immigrants live in poverty, surrounded by crime." [4]
In 2006, Toronto Police conducted a gang sweep, apprehending 106 alleged members of The Jamestown Crew, "a violent street gang that spreads violence, chaos and drugs in Rexdale". [5]
Notable schools located in Rexdale include:
Toronto District School Board:
Toronto Catholic District School Board:
The North Campus of Humber College is located within Rexdale. The same campus also hosts the University of Guelph-Humber, a post-secondary institution operated by Humber College, and the University of Guelph. The Rexdale branch of the Toronto Public Library is located in the area.
In 2006, Rexdale was the setting of the TV movie Doomstown . The youth TV series How to Be Indie took place in Rexdale.[ citation needed ]
Etobicoke is an administrative district and former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west end, Etobicoke is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River, on the west by Etobicoke Creek, the cities of Brampton, and Mississauga, the Toronto Pearson International Airport, and on the north by the city of Vaughan at Steeles Avenue West.
The Kingsway is a residential neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded by Bloor Street to the south, Dundas Street to the north, the Mimico Creek to the west and the Humber River to the east. The neighbourhood was officially known as Kingsway Park, which later became replaced by its nickname the Kingsway. In this neighbourhood, the Kingsway specifically refers to a two-lane road beginning in the south-east corner of the neighbourhood extending northerly in a north-west direction past Dundas Street.
Mimico is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, being located in the south-west area of Toronto on Lake Ontario. It is in the south-east corner of the former Township of Etobicoke, and was an independent municipality from 1911 to 1967.
Jane and Finch is a neighbourhood located in the northwest end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in the district of North York. Centred at the intersection of Jane Street and Finch Avenue West, the area is roughly bounded by Highway 400 to the west, Black Creek to the east, Sheppard Avenue to the south, and Steeles Avenue to the north. Two city neighbourhoods cover the area commonly known as Jane and Finch. From Finch north to Steeles is considered part of the Black Creek community while from Finch south to Sheppard is called Glenfield-Jane Heights.
Thistletown is a culturally diverse neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It consists of the area surrounding the intersection of Albion Road and Islington Avenue. The borders of Thistletown are generally delineated by the Humber River: the West Branch to the south, slightly beyond the river to the east, and to the William Osler Health Centre - Etobicoke General Hospital just above the river in the north. The western border is Kipling Avenue, though the part of the neighbourhood west of Islington is sometimes considered a separate area named Beaumonde Heights.
Lawrence Heights is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located north-west of central Toronto, in the district of North York. The neighbourhood is roughly bounded by Lawrence Avenue to the south, Yorkdale Road to the north, Varna Drive to the east and Dufferin Street to the west. It is part of the greater Yorkdale-Glen Park official Toronto neighbourhood.
Kipling Avenue is a street in the cities of Toronto and Vaughan in Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, 6 concessions (12 km) west from Yonge Street, and is a major north–south arterial road. It consists of three separate sections, with total combined length of 26.4 km. (16.4 mi.).
Martingrove Collegiate Institute is a semestered public secondary school in Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1966 and is currently overseen by the Toronto District School Board.
The Elms is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered by the Humber River to the east, Islington Avenue to the west, Thistletown to the north, and Highway 401 to the south.
Smithfield is a neighbourhood and former village in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Some new residents of Toronto and new immigrants to Canada are attracted to this neighbourhood, mainly because there is a large amount of affordable public housing. It is named after the former village of Smithfield located at the intersection of Albion Road and Martin Grove Road. The neighbourhood is located north of the west branch of the Humber River and west of Kipling Avenue.
Humber Valley Village is a neighbourhood located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is within the former suburb of Etobicoke and includes some of the most expensive real estate in the metropolitan west end. The boundaries are from Dundas Street on the south to Islington Avenue to the west, Eglinton Avenue to the north, and the Humber River in the east. The neighbourhood is in the political riding of Etobicoke Centre.
West Humber Collegiate Institute is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is situated at the corner of Martin Grove Road and John Garland Blvd., just south of Finch Avenue West in the neighbourhood of Rexdale. Opened in 1966, the institute is owned and operated by the Toronto District School Board. Prior to 1998, it was overseen by the Etobicoke Board of Education.
The Queensway–Humber Bay, known officially as Stonegate–Queensway, is a neighbourhood in the southwest of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the southeast area of the former City of Etobicoke.
Thistletown Collegiate Institute is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school is located at the corner of Fordwich Crescent and Islington Avenue in the district of Etobicoke. The motto of the school is "Scientia Crescat Vita Colatur". It is administered by the Toronto District School Board.
Rex Wesley Heslop, was a Canadian businessman noted for being a land developer and residential real estate developer.
Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School is a Catholic high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is administered by the Toronto Catholic District School Board, formerly the Metropolitan Separate School Board. It is named after a Basilian Father and founder of the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Henry Carr (1880–1963).
Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School and Regional Arts Centre is a Catholic high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the New Toronto area of Etobicoke. It is operated by the Toronto Catholic District School Board as a regional art school for grades 9-12.
Humberwood is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located north-west of the central core in the former suburb of Etobicoke within the larger neighbourhood of Rexdale. Humberwood is named after the Humber River, which flows along its northern edge. Humberwood is bound to the north by the Humber River western branch from Highway 427 east to Highway 27, Highway 27 south to Rexdale Boulevard, east on Rexdale Boulevard to Islington Avenue, south on Islington to Highway 401, and west along the 401 to Highway 427. It is the southern part of the official City of Toronto "West Humber-Clairville" neighbourhood.
Monsignor Percy Johnson Catholic Secondary School is a Roman Catholic high school in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada part of the Toronto Catholic District School Board. It is located in the neighbourhood of Rexdale, in the former suburb of Etobicoke.