East Danforth

East Danforth, also known as Danforth Village, is a 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.

East Danforth
Neighbourhood
Aerial view of East Danforth (2022)
Aerial view of East Danforth (2022)
Map of East Danforth
Map of East Danforth
East Danforth is located in Toronto
East Danforth
Location within Toronto
Coordinates: 43°41′17″N 79°18′07″W
Country Canada
Province Ontario
CityToronto
CommunityToronto & East York
Established'Coleman'
Changed Municipality1888 East Toronto from York
1908 Toronto (former) from East Toronto
1998 Toronto from Toronto (former)
Government
 • MPNathaniel Erskine-Smith (Beaches-East York)
 • MPPMary-Margaret McMahon (Beaches-East York)
 • CouncillorBrad Bradford (Ward 19)Beaches-East York

History
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 thru 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 Street, and Victoria Park.

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.

The neighborhood is home to a large Muslim community. Under construction is the Madina Masjid, which will be one of the largest mosques in Toronto.

Education
  • Earl Haig Public School is an Elementary-Middle School, which enrolls students from kindergarten to grade 8.
  • George Webster Public School is an Elementary-Middle School, which enrolls students from kindergarten to grade 8.
  • Secord Elementary School is an Elementary School, which enrolls students from kindergarten to grade 6.[4]
  • Earl Beatty Public School is an Elementary-Middle School, which enrolls students from kindergarten to grade 8.
  • Gledhill Public School is an elementary school which enrolls students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6.[5]
  • St. Brigid Catholic School is an elementary school offering classes from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8.[6]

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. "Secord School TDSB Site". Toronto District School Board. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  5. "Gledhill School Toronto District School". Toronto District School Board. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  6. "St. Brigid Catholic School". Toronto Catholic District School Board. Retrieved April 18, 2014.

Further reading
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