Crescent Town facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Crescent Town
Neighbourhood
Three of Crescent Town's buildings towering over the Taylor Creek ravine
Position of Crescent Town
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
City	Toronto
Community	Toronto & East York
Changed Municipality	1998 Toronto from East York

Crescent Town is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It used to be part of the East York area. You can find it near Victoria Park Avenue and Danforth Avenue. This neighbourhood is mostly made up of tall apartment buildings. These buildings were first built because the Victoria Park subway station was opening nearby. A covered walkway connects the buildings to the subway station.

Crescent Town's Past: A Look at Its History

How Crescent Town Began

In the late 1800s, a man named Walter Massey bought a large piece of land. It was about 240 acres (1 square kilometer) and was located around Dawes Road and Victoria Park Avenue. Walter Massey was the son of Hart Massey, who was a very important industrialist in Canada. An industrialist is someone who owns and runs large factories or businesses.

Walter Massey started a special farm on his land. He called it "Dentonia Park," named after his wife, Susan Denton. This farm was a "model farm," meaning it was set up to be an example of how a farm should be run.

Dentonia Park Farm: Fresh Food and Milk

The Massey farm sold fresh eggs and poultry (like chickens). They also caught and sold fresh trout from the many streams on the farm. Dentonia Park was also home to the City Dairy Company Limited. This company was important because it produced the first pasteurized milk in Canada. Pasteurization is a process that heats milk to kill harmful germs, making it safer to drink.

From Farm to School to Neighbourhood

In 1933, Susan Massey gave her large house and 40 acres (160,000 square meters) of the Dentonia farm to Crescent School. Her grandsons went to school there. Crescent School used the Dentonia site until 1969. After that, the property was sold to builders. These builders then created the Crescent Town neighbourhood we see today.

Famous Faces in Crescent Town

Did you know that Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland lived in Crescent Town? He is famous for his role in the TV show 24. Kiefer spent some of his childhood here and went to Crescent Town Elementary School. It was there that he first met David Miller, who later became the Mayor of Toronto.

Life in Crescent Town Today

A Unique Community Design

Crescent Town is seen by some as a cool example of how to plan a community. All the paths for people walking are above the street level. This means you can walk around without worrying about cars.

A Diverse and Welcoming Place

Crescent Town is a very multicultural neighbourhood. This means many different cultures and backgrounds live here. You will find many Bangladeshi, Indian, Jamaican, Pakistani, and Tamil Canadians living in Crescent Town. There are also many businesses owned by Bangladeshi people near the neighbourhood, especially around Victoria Park and Danforth.

Homes in Crescent Town

Some of the buildings in Crescent Town are condominiums, like Massey Square. Condominiums are homes that you own, usually within a larger building. Other buildings are rental apartments, like Crescent Place. These are homes that you rent from a landlord. In 2014, the Toronto city council decided that the Oakridge area, which includes parts of Crescent Town, would be a "neighbourhood improvement area." This means the city works to make improvements and support the community there.