South Hill, Toronto

Last updated

South Hill
Neighbourhood
High Level Pumping Station.JPG
The High Level Pumping Station in South Hill
South Hill map.PNG
Location of South Hill
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Province Flag of Ontario.svg  Ontario
City Toronto

South Hill is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located north of downtown and covers the area west of Avenue Road, south of St. Clair Avenue, east of Spadina Road, and north of the Canadian Pacific railway tracks. The area is dominated by the steep hill of the Niagara escarpment. The Nordheimer Ravine also cuts through the area, which is surrounded by Sir Winston Churchill Park. This park covers the northwestern portion of South Hill.

Contents

History

The first settlers of York, Upper Canada, divided the area that would become South Hill into concessions in 1793. One large section of the area went to Peter Russell, and Russell Hill Road continues to run through the centre of the neighbourhood.

In the late nineteenth century, the area became home to some of the wealthiest citizens of Toronto. They built a series of large manors along the top of the hill. These included Senator John Macdonald's Oaklands, the Eaton family's Ardwold, Samuel Nordheimer's Glenedyth, James Austin's Spadina, Senator William McMaster's Rathnelly, and most prominently Sir Henry Pellatt's Casa Loma.

The area was annexed to the city of Toronto in a series of sections beginning in 1905. It has remained an expensive residential area, though most of the large manors have today either been demolished or converted to other uses.

Republic of Rathnelly

The southeastern section of South Hill is known as Rathnelly. It takes its name from the former "Rathnelly" house built in 1830 by William McMaster, which was named after his birthplace in Rathnelly, Ireland. [1] Civil unrest in the neighborhood was fomented by municipal plans to develop an expressway through the area as well as due to zoning off of a park in the neighborhood exclusively for city workers. [2]

During the celebration of Canada's centennial on July 1, 1967, the Rathnelly neighbourhood declared itself an independent republic. [3] To mark its independence, the "Republic of Rathnelly" elected a queen, organized a parade, formed an "air farce" of 1,000 helium balloons, and issued Republic of Rathnelly passports to everyone in the neighbourhood. [4] [5] The Republic of Rathnelly continues to celebrate with a biennial street party in June, referred to as "Rathnelly Day". [6]

Landmarks

Related Research Articles

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

Forest Hill is a neighbourhood and former village in Midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located north of Downtown Toronto. The village was amalgamated into Toronto in 1967 and the area has retained its name as a neighbourhood. Along with other neighbourhoods such as Rosedale and The Bridle Path, it is one of Toronto's wealthiest and most affluent neighbourhoods. It is home to many prominent entrepreneurs, celebrities, engineers, doctors, and lawyers. Census data from Statistics Canada states an average income for all private households in Forest Hill to be $101,631, compared to the $40,704 average income in Toronto's Census Metropolitan Area.

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

The Annex is a neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The traditional boundaries of the neighbourhood are north to Dupont Street, south to Bloor Street, west to Bathurst Street and east to Avenue Road. The City of Toronto recognizes a broader neighbourhood definition that includes the adjacent Seaton Village and Yorkville areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatowns in Toronto</span>

Toronto Chinatowns are ethnic enclaves in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with a high concentration of ethnic Chinese residents and businesses. These neighbourhoods are major cultural, social and economic hubs for the Chinese-Canadian communities of the region. In addition to Toronto, several areas in the Greater Toronto Area also hold a high concentration of Chinese residents and businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Street, Toronto</span> Thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario

Queen Street is a major east–west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in the west to Victoria Park Avenue in the east. Queen Street was the cartographic baseline for the original east–west avenues of Toronto's and York County's grid pattern of major roads. The western section of Queen is a centre for Canadian broadcasting, music, fashion, performance, and the visual arts. Over the past twenty-five years, Queen West has become an international arts centre and a tourist attraction in Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spadina Avenue</span> Thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario

Spadina Avenue is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods.

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

Lawrence Park is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered by Yonge Street to the west and Bayview Avenue to the east, and from Blythwood Ravine on the south to Lawrence Avenue on the north. Lawrence Park was one of Toronto's first planned garden suburbs. Begun in the early part of the 20th century, it did not fully develop until after the Second World War. It was ranked the wealthiest neighbourhood in all of Canada in 2011.

William R. Allen Road, also known as Allen Road, the Allen Expressway and colloquially as the Allen, is a short expressway and arterial road in Toronto. It starts as a controlled-access expressway at Eglinton Avenue West, heading north to just south of Transit Road, then continues as an arterial road north to Kennard Avenue, where it continues as Dufferin Street. Allen Road is named after Metro Toronto chairman William R. Allen and is maintained by the City of Toronto. Landmarks along the road include the Lawrence Heights housing project, Yorkdale Shopping Centre and Downsview Park, and Downsview Airport. A section of the Line 1 Yonge–University subway is located within the median of the expressway from Eglinton Avenue to north of Wilson Avenue.

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

Henry Farm is a neighbourhood in the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the north central part of the city within the former city of North York.

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

Ardwold was the residence of Sir John Craig Eaton and Lady Eaton of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Sir John was the youngest son of Timothy Eaton, the founder of the T. Eaton Company Department Store, or Eaton's, and he inherited the business and became its president upon his father's death in 1907. Sir John was one of the wealthiest men in Canada, and in 1909 he commissioned a home to be built on "The Hill", a name used to describe the neighbourhood on the Davenport Hill in Toronto where many wealthy families built their homes. Casa Loma, built by Henry Pellatt and the largest private house ever constructed in Canada, was near Ardwold, as were Spadina House, the mansion of James Austin, and Glenedyth, the estate of Samuel Nordheimer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bathurst Street (Toronto)</span> Street in Toronto and York Region in Ontario, Canada

Bathurst Street is a main north–south thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It begins at an intersection of the Queens Quay roadway, just north of the Lake Ontario shoreline. It continues north through Toronto to the Toronto boundary at Steeles Avenue. It is a four-lane thoroughfare throughout Toronto. The roadway continues north into York Region where it is known as York Regional Road 38.

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

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.

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

Lawrence Manor is a neighbourhood in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This neighbourhood is bounded by Bathurst Street on the east, Highway 401 to the north, the Allen to the west, and Lawrence Avenue to the south. The western side of the area borders along Bathurst Heights and the large public housing project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Frank Brook</span> River in Ontario, Canada

Castle Frank Brook is a buried creek and south-west flowing tributary of the Don River in central and north-western Toronto, Ontario, originating near the intersection of Lawrence Avenue and Dufferin Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto—St. Paul's (provincial electoral district)</span> Provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada

Toronto—St. Paul's is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1999. Before the 2018 election, it was known simply as St. Paul's.

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

Lytton Park is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the "North Toronto" municipality, within the former city of Toronto. The neighbourhood is centered on 'Lytton Park'. Its boundaries include: Mona Drive to the west, Yonge Street to the east, Lawrence Avenue West to the north and Briar Hill Avenue to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pape Avenue Cemetery</span> Cemetery in Leslieville, Toronto, Canada

Pape Avenue Cemetery, officially known as Holy Blossom Cemetery, is the first Jewish cemetery in the city of Toronto, Canada. The small cemetery is now closed to new burials, and is mostly hidden within the residential neighbourhood of Leslieville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grange Park (neighbourhood)</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Grange Park is a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded on the west by Spadina Avenue, on the north by College Street, on the east by University Avenue and on the south by Queen Street West. It is within the 'Kensington-Chinatown' planning neighbourhood of the City of Toronto. Its name is derived from the Grange Park public park. The commercial businesses of Chinatown extend within this neighbourhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor's Bridge, Toronto</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Governor's Bridge is a bridge and small neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located to the east of Rosedale and Moore Park neighbourhoods. Unlike them, it was part of the former city of East York. The neighbourhood is named for the Governor's Bridge that crosses the Moore Park Ravine from Douglas Crescent to Astley Avenue and connects the area to Rosedale. The bridge was built in 1923 and restored in 2000.

Teddington Park is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered by Yonge Street to the west and Bayview Avenue to the east, and from Snowden Road in the south to north of Glen Echo Road and Rosedale Golf Club. Development occurred in and around the 1930s, and was farmland before that time.

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

Chinatown, Toronto is a Chinese ethnic enclave located in the city's downtown core of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is centred at the intersections of Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street, West.

References

  1. Armstrong, James (26 September 2012). "Street signs celebrating the Republic of Rathnelly appear in Toronto". Global News. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  2. "How Rathnelly in Toronto tried to become the world's smallest republic". toronto.citynews.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  3. Carolyn Ireland (11 April 2013). "Where are Toronto's prime real estate pockets?". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  4. Zekas, Rita (6 August 2010). "Author Katherine Govier reigns over eclectic house". Toronto Star. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  5. Lalani, Azzura (12 June 2017). "Rebellious 'Republic of Rathnelly' celebrates 50 years". Toronto Star. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  6. "Rathnelly Day". Republic of Rathnelly. Retrieved 13 April 2018.

43°40′52″N79°24′14″W / 43.681°N 79.404°W / 43.681; -79.404