Riverdale

[christiesplits]

Regarding an East York thread, there is also a "Leaside" thread, which as recently as the 1990s was part of the borough of East York. Also, "East Danforth" - another thread - borders on the old East York boundaries.

One loosely defined corridor that bridges the East York/Danforth, borough/old city borders is "Danforth Village," which is often used in local real estate ads. Although definitions are all over the place, it broadly refers to the area of Pape to Woodbine, Mortimer to Danforth. However, recently a new BIA was established between Main Street and Victoria Park that calls itself the "Danforth Village BIA," so that identity could be a thing of the past.

As a side note, I grew up in East York around Mortimer and Donlands and I get the sense that many people in that area, although they live within the old East York boundaries, refer to themselves as residents of "The Danforth" before "East York." It certainly helps that most of the homes between Milverton and Mortimer are not your typical EY post-war bungalow; they flow into the same street grid as the "Old City of Toronto" homes and are roughly the same age.

I imagine there is a similar phenomenon among residents of Corso Italia, between St. Clair West and Rogers Road, who refer to themselves as residents of St. Clair West or Corso Italia rather than "York."

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

Regarding an East York thread, there is also a "Leaside" thread, which as recently as the 1990s was part of the borough of East York. Also, "East Danforth" - another thread - borders on the old East York boundaries.

One loosely defined corridor that bridges the East York/Danforth, borough/old city borders is "Danforth Village," which is often used in local real estate ads. Although definitions are all over the place, it broadly refers to the area of Pape to Woodbine, Mortimer to Danforth. However, recently a new BIA was established between Main Street and Victoria Park that calls itself the "Danforth Village BIA," so that identity could be a thing of the past.

As a side note, I grew up in East York around Mortimer and Donlands and I get the sense that many people in that area, although they live within the old East York boundaries, refer to themselves as residents of "The Danforth" before "East York." It certainly helps that most of the homes between Milverton and Mortimer are not your typical EY post-war bungalow; they flow into the same street grid as the "Old City of Toronto" homes and are roughly the same age.

I imagine there is a similar phenomenon among residents of Corso Italia, between St. Clair West and Rogers Road, who refer to themselves as residents of St. Clair West or Corso Italia rather than "York."

Okay so now we're up to FIVE new threads? LOL

Pape Village, Danforth Village, Todmorden, Chester, Playter Estates (which could be part of Chester) ...

How about this then? Old East York?!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_East_York

 

[Skeezix]

Yes, but do we have a thread for Chester or Todmorden or Pape Village? Maybe we should. I find myself wanting to post stuff, and probably have, but with no really accurate places to put them.

I think there is a lot of stuff to post (although Chester is not the same thing as the other two). Start an East York thread?

ETA: Sorry, responded before reading all the posts.

 

[Skeezix]

Okay so now we're up to FIVE new threads? LOL

Pape Village, Danforth Village, Todmorden, Chester, Playter Estates (which could be part of Chester) ...

How about this then? Old East York?!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_East_York

Yep, although Chester/Playter Estates aren't in East York. If the need ever arose, you could always do a separate Playter Estates/Chester thread.

 

[nfitz]

Riverdale "proper" is bounded by Pape / Danforth / Broadview / Gerrard.

Not sure about that. So neither Riverdale Park, Riverdale Park East, Riverdale Library, Bridgepoint Health, or the Don Jail are in Riverside "proper" ... but the LCBO south of the tracks on Gerrard west of Pape is?

 

[Riverdale Rink Rat]

Not sure about that. So neither Riverdale Park, Riverdale Park East, Riverdale Library, Bridgepoint Health, or the Don Jail are in Riverside "proper" ... but the LCBO south of the tracks on Gerrard west of Pape is?

C'mon Nfitz, that's silly -- all of those things, with the exception of Riverdale Park West, which is legitimately Cabbagetown rather than Riverdale, touch on Broadview. It takes a serious nitpicker to say that Riverdale Park East or the Riverdale Library 'are not bounded by Broadview, given that they are ON Broadview. Relax, will you?

 

[Tulse]

But why not be more accurate and say "bounded to the west by the Don River"?

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

Not sure about that. So neither Riverdale Park, Riverdale Park East, Riverdale Library, Bridgepoint Health, or the Don Jail are in Riverside "proper" ... but the LCBO south of the tracks on Gerrard west of Pape is?

When we moved to Toronto in 1985, our real estate agent gave us those boundaries as "Riverdale." We bought a large Victorian, renovated, on Simpson Avenue, which has, apparently, the oldest houses in "Riverdale" proper, whatever that is. Probably "North Riverdale." Whatever THAT is.

Then, as property values began to climb, the section NW of Withrow Park became PRIME Riverdale, south of Gerrard became "South Riverdale" ... until "Leslieville" and "Riverside" were invented. East of Pape became "East Riverdale" until some genius came up with "Blake-Jones," thereby killing property values in that area by 10% or more. Meanwhile, the folks east of Jones came up with "The Pocket."

A friend who moved into the area north of Gerrard-Greenwood pointed out that that area was called "Old Riverdale." A bunch of towns off Greenwood on Torbrick are called "Old Riverdale."

This is from Goads, 1884, when the area was amalgamated with Toronto. Sorry I can't find a bigger version

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

But why not be more accurate and say "bounded to the west by the Don River"?

But what about Riverdale Zoo? LOL

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

Found this, FWIW. I am going blind trying to decipher it.

http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayEcopies&lang=eng&rec_nbr=3835871&rec_nbr_list=156913,3835871,2266449,4214895,1508398,1508397,1508395,4447173,4447172,4446958&title=Riverside%2C+now+St.+Matthew%27s+Ward%2C+Toronto%2C+Ontario%2C+Dec.+1889.+&ecopy=e010695567-v8

 

[Skeezix]

These debates break out about once a month on any given neighbourhood thread. There are no official neighbourhood boundaries. They are a matter of convention and opinion and often change over time. There is no such thing as "Riverdale proper" beyond personal opinion. When the area was annexed to Toronto in the 1880s it had a firm boundary, but the world has changed a lot in the intervening 130 years.

I agree with the sentiment expressed Ex-Montreal Girl - these things are about as firm as .... well, I am trying to think of a good metaphor for something that is not really very firm. Must also say love the maps she's posted.

 

[nfitz]

C'mon Nfitz, that's silly -- all of those things, with the exception of Riverdale Park West, which is legitimately Cabbagetown rather than Riverdale, touch on Broadview. It takes a serious nitpicker to say that Riverdale Park East or the Riverdale Library 'are not bounded by Broadview, given that they are ON Broadview. Relax, will you?

Hang on. I don't really care. But someone says the "proper" definition is Broadview. Surely if there is a proper definition it's the Don Valley an not Broadview. Though the main part of Riverdale park is west of the Don ...

I'm simply questioning someone's "proper" definition because it doesn't sound "proper" to me.

Obviously these things are somewhat vague ... and clearly Broadview is not a boundary under any definition - proper or not.

 

[GKW]

doesn't really matter...

 

[JasonParis]

I think it once largely meant a whole collection of east-end neighbourhoods which would now include Riverside, Leslieville, Chinatown East, Greektown, Danforth by the Valley, India Bazaar, etc. However, now it tends to be thought of in a smaller sense as those neighbourhoods have come into their own identities. So pretty-much north of the tracks, east of the Don, west of Jones and south of the Danforth (although that can certainly be argued too) is what I think most people think of as Riverdale now. It's "heart" would probably be considered along Logan by Withrow Park.

 

[GenerationW]

It's "heart" would probably be considered along Logan by Withrow Park.

As a former Riverdale resident, I agree with that.