Really going through a writer’s BloK on this one (nice! get it, Blok) but I guess because when it is your neighbourhood you don’t know where to start. I have been living at Yonge and Eglinton for 5 years now and still don’t know ‘where’ I live. Walk up its newly renovated sidewalks and the banners say Welcome to Uptown Toronto. Google map it and it comes up as Midtown Toronto, and for those really hardcore Torontonites* it must be referred to as Northtown. So which is it? Officially it is North Toronto and I’ll let Wikipedia contribute “Homes in this area began in the 1890's, when the Metropolitan Street Railway, made North Toronto the northernmost stop on its five cent line from downtown Toronto... When the expanded Toronto Mega City was formed in 1998 the North Toronto neighbourhood went from being located at the north end of the old city to occupying a central location within the new city boundaries. Despite these changes the North Toronto name and identity remains”.
The Yonge and Eglinton corridor has been coined 'Young and Eligible' due to the many bars, restaurants, nightclubs and movie theatres that flourish at this intersection. To accommodate these pretty people the area contains a large number of low and high-rise luxury condominiums and apartment buildings. More condo development is planned by the dozen currently being busy just north of Eglinton on Broadway, Roehampton and Erskine Avenues and even more planned on the west side of Yonge on Helendale and Montgomery.
Funny enough for me though, originally a suburban kid coming out of Richmond Hill, I think it is the closest to what I call suburban like. (That’s right I said it and to the anti-suburbanites who live here and take offence hit me up!). This part of North Toronto is very popular with families raising school-age children. It has everything families are looking for in a neighbourhood including good size houses, an excellent selection of public, private and separate schools, convenient access to Toronto's transit system and a multitude of parks and recreational facilities. Drive down Duplex Avenue and you’ll see the pride of ownership painted on the face of every home.
North Toronto is clearly accommodating to both types of residents who patronize the local shops and restaurants on Yonge Street; a cheap beer can be had at the Rose and Crown or The Duke of Kent or if you are looking for some elegance and valet parking then Centro and/or North of 44 (named after the city’s latitude) will serve you just fine. OR, you can leave it all behind be it family or blackberry and enjoy a quite evening at Indigo or BMV book stores. Beyond that the mix of stores on Yonge Street are diverse, ranging from mom and pop owner-operated stores, to national and international chain stores like the Gap, HMV, Club Monaco and the rumoured H& M opening soon on Yonge.
One last bit I would like to contribute is that the area is excellent for commuting. North Toronto has bus routes on Eglinton Avenue, Mount Pleasant Road, Yonge Street and Avenue Road. All of these surface routes connect to Eglinton station on the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line. Motorists can be downtown in ten minutes. However for me Allen Expressway (oh how I love you) is a god send. As a realtor who needs to be everywhere and anywhere the 401 access is a must. For me this road is hands down the one of the best planned projects the city ever undertook (compare to the Yonge/Sheppard mess, more on that another day). This road allows me to live the city life that I enjoy and at the same time my professional life is perfectly entertained. Oh and it’s a great way to get to Yorkdale shopping mall and Downsview park where I have my soccer league. All hail Lord William Randall Allen*.
So that’s me, on your Blok.
* Yes I know I’m supposed to use Torontonians, but Torontonites should surely exist, no?
* The Allen Expressway is named after late Metro Toronto chairman William Randall Allen, Chairman of Metropolitan Toronto 1962 to 1969.
