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Ethnic communities in Scarborough

A

AnarchoSocialist

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Hello Toronto citizens,

I am undertaking a research project on ethnic communities in Canada and one city I will be looking at is Toronto. But since I have not lived there for a while and am somewhat out of touch with changes in recent years I am looking for a little help. I want to study ethnic communities in suburban parts of Toronto, preferably Scarborough. What I need to know are what are some of the larger communities that exist in this area, what is the general geographic location of them, and how long have they been a large enough group to become a noticeable part of the urban landscape?

I am also open to suggestions to other ethnic communities in the Toronto area. The only real criteria is that it should in a part of the city that has primarily developed since the 1950's and where greenfield development is minimal.

Any help or ideas is appreciated.
 
Anarcho,

The Somali community on Dixon near Islington just screams "investigate me, graduate students!"
 
Anarcho,

Check out all the maps at http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/atlas.htm . They have all the major ethnic groups mapped by census tract for Toronto.

Hopefully that will help get you started. Please post any further questions you may have, there's quite a few members on this forum who are very knowledgeable in this field.

Hipster's suggestion is a good one. Though I understand that Somali immigrants are a very recent immigrant group (90s onwards, perhaps?).
 
Studying inner suburbs like Scarborough is so three years ago...why not study the 905?

I've always been intrigued by the dispersion and presence [or absence?] on the urban landscape of the Filipino community. For instance, it's a veritable truth that all Filipino mothers are good cooks, but where's all the Filipino restaurants? I would like to see a study that explained the presence or absence of community/retail zones like 'Little Manila'...does it depend more on concentration or insularity or an entrepreneurial spirit or period of immigration or what?
 
If English can be considered an ethnicity, then my childhood on Scarborough at the top of Fallingbrook and Kingston Rd., and then my Dad's place on Meadowcliffe, south of Kingston Rd. certainly shows a strong pocket of English blood.

Of course, to many, English immigrants like myself are the invisible migrants.
 
scarberiankhatru said:
Studying inner suburbs like Scarborough is so three years ago...why not study the 905?
Click to expand...

Mostly lazyness. I don't have much time these days and though I think the 905 would be interesting, I know Toronto well and what resources about the city are available so I am going to go with the easy route.

I am wondering if anyone knows much about the Iranian population in Toronto. Does it have a strong presence in what seems to be around the North York area? Does it have that 'traditional' ethnic community look or is it more subtle compared to a Little Italy or Chinatown?
 
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Scarberian,

We've largely avoided the Disney trap of, say, Manhattan's Little Italy here in Toronto. If a neighbourhood is no longer really all that relevant to the increasingly assimilated ethnic community it serves, it evolve some sort of new function for the city. Little Italy becomes a row of overpriced martini bars, the Danforth a mix of eateries and Kensington market into some amalgam of hipsters, anarchists and bulk food merchants.
 
scarberiankhatru said:
Studying inner suburbs like Scarborough is so three years ago...why not study the 905?

I've always been intrigued by the dispersion and presence [or absence?] on the urban landscape of the Filipino community. For instance, it's a veritable truth that all Filipino mothers are good cooks, but where's all the Filipino restaurants? I would like to see a study that explained the presence or absence of community/retail zones like 'Little Manila'...does it depend more on concentration or insularity or an entrepreneurial spirit or period of immigration or what?
Click to expand...

That's because given the choice between starting up a restaurant or a cultural/dance group, Filipinos choose dancing most of the time. :) There are a lot of Filipino cultural institutions around; I think they just don't tend to be the sorts of things that have a brick & mortar presence.
 
scarberiankhatru said:
I've always been intrigued by the dispersion and presence [or absence?] on the urban landscape of the Filipino community. For instance, it's a veritable truth that all Filipino mothers are good cooks, but where's all the Filipino restaurants? I would like to see a study that explained the presence or absence of community/retail zones like 'Little Manila'...does it depend more on concentration or insularity or an entrepreneurial spirit or period of immigration or what?
Click to expand...
Me too! I actually tease some Filipino friends about this sometimes. I know most of their commuties are in Mississauga and Scarborough, but there's few restaurants and little visibility for the layman. I did find a restaurant once on Dawes Rd (a little north of the Danforth), but never tried it.
 
Darkstar:

Churches are one of the more visible elements on the Filipino community - and I suspect the invisibility has a lot to do with the lack of language issues. I also suspect that it's one of the ethnic groups that are absorbed into the mainstream most quicky.

AoD
 
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I am wondering if anyone knows much about the Iranian population in Toronto. Does it have a strong presence in what seems to be around the North York area?
Click to expand...

There's a pretty strong concentration of Iranian retail on Yonge between Cummer and Steeles.
 
Thanks for that link CDL. That saved me from having to rush to make up a few maps. Also thanks CityPlaceN1 for the tip on retail locations for the community. Now I just have to cross my fingers that I get a day with nice weather when I go exploring.
 
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