Yonge Street Corridor

Location

Bloor to the south, St. Clair to the north, Yonge to the east, and Avenue Road to the west — as they say in real estate parlance, “Location, location, location.” This area is also known as part of Midtown Toronto, nestled between the downtown core and uptown villages.

Local Trivia

  • Yonge Street was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at 1,896 kilometres (1,178 miles)
  • The area was home to Ken Thomson, who was the richest man in Canada at the time of his death
  • Rosedale was formerly the estate of William Botsford Jarvis, named after the wild roses that grew there
  • 1 Bloor East is a planned skyscraper at Bloor and Yonge, launched by Bazis International, purchased in 2007 for $63 million
summerhill lcbo
Summerhill LCBO by jbcurio

The Good News

Great shopping, restaurants, and take-out food abound, like All the Best Fine Foods (1101 Yonge Street), Le Petit Gourmet (1064 Yonge Street), and the long-time Toronto landmark Patachou (1120 Yonge Street) for great salads, bowl-size lattes, amazing desserts, and breads. Wine lovers can enjoy the premier LCBO, with its great selection of wines, cooking classes, and Saturday wine tastings all housed in a grand renovated railway station.

splash by loozrboy 1
Splash by Loozrboy

The Bad News

There are no housing bargains. Prices start over the $1 million mark. And there's a railway that dissects the neighbourhood. The trains are noisy to newcomers, but most residents will look askance when you mention it, then tell you that you get used to it.

north toronto station
North Toronto Station by LoozrBoy

History

Yonge Corridor is a diverse and large area with neighbourhoods that have their own history and story to tell. It shares much of its grander history with “Old Toronto” — the story of how Toronto came to be. Yonge Street was named after Ontario’s first colonial administrator, Sir George Yonge, and it was established as a portage route between Lake Ontario and north of the city in 1796.

 

Homes, Architecture, and Real Estate

Yonge Corridor is part of Old Toronto, leaning towards original architecture and some of the oldest suburbs in the city. There's diversity in each neighbourhood, though, including their architectural styles. To the north, Forest Hill has a lot of Georgian-style homes, but since each homeowner has the money to style the house the way they want (with the average home selling for $4,320,000), there are homes that range from French Colonial to English Country Manor in style.

Other areas host grand Victorian and Edwardian detached and semi-detached homes on east-west streets accessible to the subway and great shopping. The shops include the legendary “Five Thieves,” the name given by locals to the specialty food stores just south of the Summerhill LCBO. As the name suggests, make sure you bring a credit card with no limits — your wildest requests will be met.

Just behind these shops at Summerhill, you will find one of the most successful condominiums in the downtown condo market. They are built by Crestwood, designed by Brian Gluckstein, and named after long-time politician Margaret Scrivener. The suites are well finished and in keeping with the high-end appeal of the neighbourhood.

Who Is Your Neighbour?

Midtown Toronto is an affluent business area that borders the student area of the Annex to the West. North of Yonge Street is home to well-off families, with some of the more exclusive residential areas of the city. Rosedale, for example, is one of the most highly priced neighbourhoods in Toronto, with homes well over $1 million. Similarly, the Forest Hill neighbourhood averages household incomes of $101,631.

Closer to Bloor Street, there's less room for residential homes, but you will find high-rise condominiums in the area. The residents of these condos are usually young professionals who work in the area (Bay Street) or even University of Toronto students, sometimes from abroad.

Parks and Green Spaces

The beauty of midtown Toronto is that although it's home to some of the best restaurants and shopping the city has to offer, it has its fair share of green space too. Here are some of the parks in the area.

Ramsden Park is very close to Rosedale Station and offers tennis courts, a children's playground, a wading pool, and an ideal place to walk your dog

Ramsden Park sign of snow
Ramsden Park by Paull Young
  • Lionel Conacher Park
  • Jesse Ketchum Park
  • Sergeant Ryan Russell Parkette
  • Recreation and Culture

Some of the fitness studios in the area include:

Several churches provide places of worship in the neighbourhood, including Church of the Messiah (240 Avenue Road), Stone Church (45 Davenport Road), and the Spanish Baptist Church (24 Birch Avenue).

Libraries

The main library in the area is the Toronto Reference Library at 789 Yonge Street, one block north of Bloor Street. It's one of the three largest libraries in the city.

Another Toronto Public Library branch can be found in Yorkville (22 Yorkville Avenue).

Schools, Colleges, and Universities

Arts and Entertainment

gallery one
Gallery One
liss gallery
Liss Gallery

There are two popular movie theatres:

Shopping

Yonge Street, known to be the longest street in the world, is a plethora of trendy small and large businesses. The Yorkville area has some of the best high-end shopping in the city, and Bloor Street is home to many larger chains. You don’t have to go far for a wonderful shopping experience, full of diversity, where you'll definitely be able to find what you’re looking for.

Restaurants

Here are a few of the many restaurants Yonge Street Corridor has to offer:

crepes a gogo
Crepes a Gogo
trattoria nervosa
Nervosa Trattoria

Transportation

This part of the city is very public transit–friendly, with subway stations all along Yonge Street: Bloor-Yonge, Rosedale, Summerhill, St. Clair, and Davisville stations. The Yonge and Bloor subway lines are the two largest in the city, with busses or streetcars running from each.

Driving is a bit trickier because the area has heavy traffic, especially during rush hour, but the Don Valley Parkway is about 10 to 15 minutes east of Yonge Street.

Medical Centres and Doctors

The closest hospitals, although south of Bloor Street, include:

Police Station

53 Division, 75 Eglinton Avenue West

Fire Station

Toronto Fire Station 312, 34 Yorkville Avenue

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