York, Ontario facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
York
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Dissolved city (lower-tier)
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View of north side of Eglinton Avenue West at Oakwood Avenue in 2013; some of the storefronts were replaced with the main entrance to Oakwood station of Line 5 Eglinton
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| Motto(s):
E singulis communitas (Latin for "From individuals, a community")
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Location of York (red), as compared with the rest of Toronto.
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| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Municipality | Toronto |
| Incorporated | 1850 (township) |
| Changed Region | 1954 Metropolitan Toronto from York County |
| Changed status | 1 January 1967 (borough) |
| Changed status | June 1983 (city) |
| Amalgamated | 1 January 1998 into Toronto |
| Area | |
| • Total | 23.49 km2 (9.07 sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Area code(s) | 416, 647, 437 |
York is a district and former city located within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It sits northwest of Old Toronto, southwest of North York, and east of the Humber River.
York started as a township in 1850. Over time, parts of it became separate areas like East York and North York. In 1953, it joined the Metropolitan Toronto group of cities. York grew by adding nearby towns such as Lambton Mills and Weston. Eventually, it became known as the City of York. In 1998, York and other cities in Metro Toronto joined together to form the larger City of Toronto we know today.
Today, the area of former York is a vibrant part of Toronto's diverse culture. It is home to many different communities, including Portuguese, Jamaican, and Latin American neighbourhoods.
Contents
A Look Back: York's History
The oldest known settlement in the area that became York Township was Teiaiagon. This village was settled by the Iroquois people on the east bank of the Humber River, where Baby Point is now.
York Township was officially created in 1793. Its first borders were the Humber River to the west, Victoria Park Avenue to the east, and Steeles Avenue to the north. It was incorporated in 1850 within the new County of York.
York Township was also home to one of the first Black communities in the Toronto area. Many African American fugitive slaves settled here. By 1861, York had the second-largest Black population in the Toronto area. Most lived in York Township West. This legacy continues today; in 2016, 17 percent of York's population was Black. This is the largest percentage among Toronto's six former municipalities.
From 1850 onwards, small villages like Parkdale (1879) and Brockton (1881) grew in York. These villages later became part of Toronto. Other parts of York, like "The Annex" and Riverdale, were also added to Toronto directly.
Over time, Toronto stopped adding new suburbs because of the high costs of providing services. In the 1910s and 1920s, areas like Humewood–Cedarvale and Oakwood Village developed. The southern part of York became more like a city, while the northern part remained rural. In 1922, the northern, rural part of York voted to become its own area, creating the new Township of North York. Then, in 1924, the eastern part of York became the township of East York.
Even though York Township had its own identity, it used the Toronto Transportation Commission (now Toronto Transit Commission) for its streetcar and bus services. In 1954, York joined Metropolitan Toronto. In 1967, it absorbed the town of Weston and became the Borough of York. Later, it was known as the City of York. On January 1, 1998, York officially joined the new City of Toronto. Its former city hall, York Civic Centre, is now used for courts and other city services.
Exploring York's Neighbourhoods
York has many unique neighbourhoods. One of them is Weston, which still has its own main street, Weston Road.
North and west of Oakwood Village is the Fairbank community. West of Fairbank is Silverthorn. These areas are sometimes called "Toronto's hidden San Francisco" because of their "steep streets, staircases, and unusual views." This is due to Toronto's hills and deep ravines, similar to San Francisco's hills.
The Mount Dennis area of Weston was once home to Kodak's Canadian operations from 1912 to 2006. Most of the old buildings are gone, but the main office building is now part of the Line 5 Eglinton's Eglinton Maintenance and Storage Facility.
Baby Point, located between Jane Street and the Humber River, north of Bloor Street, is where the ancient Iroquoian village of Teiaiagon once stood. It was part of the Lambton Mills village within York Township.
Learning in York
Before York became part of Toronto, the York Board of Education managed its public schools. Since 1998, four different school boards now oversee schools in the area:
- Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (CSCM) - French Catholic schools
- Conseil scolaire Viamonde (CSV) - French public schools
- Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) - English Catholic schools
- Toronto District School Board (TDSB) - English public schools
The TDSB runs several primary and secondary schools in York. Some of the high schools operated by TDSB include:
- Forest Hill Collegiate Institute
- Frank Oke Secondary School
- George Harvey Collegiate Institute
- Oakwood Collegiate Institute
- Runnymede Collegiate Institute
- Weston Collegiate Institute
- York Memorial Collegiate Institute
The TDSB used to operate Vaughan Road Academy, which was York's first high school, opened in 1927. It closed in 2017 because fewer students were attending. The building is now used as a temporary elementary school.
The TCDSB operates one high school in York, St. Oscar Romero Catholic Secondary School.
St. Michael's College School, a private Catholic school for young men, is also located in the area.
Public Library System
Before 1998, York had its own library system called the York Public Library. When Toronto's cities joined, York Public Library merged with others to form the new Toronto Public Library (TPL). TPL now runs several library branches in the district.
York's first public library was the Mount Dennis branch, which opened in 1923. In 1945, the Township of York Public Library Board was created. They built three new library buildings that opened in 1951. One of these, the Main Library, was later renamed the Maria Shchuka branch and was rebuilt in 2003. The Oakwood Village branch is York's newest library, opened in 1996.
Getting Around York
York used to have its own bus and streetcar service. This service was later taken over by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). Today, the area is served by TTC buses, streetcars, and the subway system. Only the Heath Street exit of St. Clair West station on Line 1 Yonge–University is within the former city of York.
Line 5 Eglinton
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The TTC once planned to build a subway line called the Eglinton West line along Eglinton Avenue. Construction started in 1994 but was stopped in 1995. There wasn't much talk about it again until 2007, when Line 5 Eglinton (also known as the Eglinton Crosstown LRT) was suggested.
Construction for the new LRT began in 2013. The first part of the line is expected to open in 2025.
GO Transit
The Weston GO Station on the Kitchener line is the only GO Transit and Union Pearson Express train station in the district. There are also plans to build the Caledonia GO Station, which will connect with Line 5's Caledonia station. Another station, Mount Dennis GO Station, will connect with Line 5's Mount Dennis station.
See also
In Spanish: York (Ontario) para niños
