Streetcar suburbs

[King of Kensington]

According to Wikipedia:

A streetcar suburb is a community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation.

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

Wikipedia lists the following as streetcar suburbs for Toronto:

The Beaches
Leslieville
Long Branch, Mimico and New Toronto
North Toronto
Port Credit
Runnymede-Bloor West Village

Well-known streetcar suburbs include Evanston and Oak Park, Illinois; Brookline, Massachusetts and the Boston neighborhoods of Dorchester, Roxbury and Jamaica Plain, and Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights, Ohio.

What perhaps best embodies the "streetcar suburb" not listed would be "Humewood-Cedarvale" (not only because a streetcar runs through it, but also the 1910s/1920s housing stock and lot sizes etc.).

Riverdale and Parkdale also come to mind, and maybe The Annex.

Though perhaps a distinction needs to be mind between pre- and post-WWI streetcar suburbs.

 

[adma]

One may also wonder about streetcar-motivated street layouts whose primary development happened long after the streetcar era (Willowdale?)--there's also the legend of how in Kingsway Park, the Kingsway ROW was supposedly wider on one side in order to accomodate a future streetcar line...

 

[Long Island Mike]

K of K: Philadelphia also has some classic "streetcar/Trolley" Suburbs in Delaware County,PA served today by SEPTA's 101 and 102 routes-the Media and Sharon Hill routes. The Norristown High Speed Line also serves similar areas...

Cleveland has the light rail Shaker and Van Aken-RTA Blue and Green lines today that serve Shaker Heights-the epitome of a classic upscale "trolley-car" suburb...

Insight from LI MIKE

 

[King of Kensington]

[deleted]

 

[Riverdale Rink Rat]

According to Wikipedia:

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

Riverdale and Parkdale also come to mind, and maybe The Annex.

Though perhaps a distinction needs to be mind between pre- and post-WWI streetcar suburbs.

While I'd definitely put Riverdale and Parkdale in the mix (I commute by streetcar, and that was one of the reasons we moved to Riverdale), I'd suggest the Annex (especially south of Bloor) is not really the same. It centers around the Bloor subway and/or UT faculty/staff/students, who are biking/walking to campus.

 

[CDL.TO]

While I'd definitely put Riverdale and Parkdale in the mix (I commute by streetcar, and that was one of the reasons we moved to Riverdale), but I'd suggest the Annex (especially south of Bloor) is not really the same. It centers around the Bloor subway and/or UT faculty/staff/students, which are biking/walking to campus.

The term "streetcar suburb" generally doesn't refer to the current situation, but to the circumstances under which that neighbourhood was first developed. If the construction of a streetcar line was the catalyst for a neighbourhood's development, it's a streetcar suburb.

 

[King of Kensington]

The Annex isn't south of Bloor. That's called Harbord Village (or Sussex-Ulster) and it was part of the original City of Toronto. 40 or 50 years ago it was more "North Kensington" than "South Annex."

 

[Riverdale Rink Rat]

The Annex isn't south of Bloor. That's called Harbord Village (or Sussex-Ulster) and it was part of the original City of Toronto. 40 or 50 years ago it was more "North Kensington" than "South Annex."

Hmmm.... any time that I've visited friends or delivered stuff for my wife, the people who live there have referred to their 'nabe as 'South Annex.' The fact that it was not annexed, as north of Bloor was, does not match the current situation, in my experience.

And to CDL's point -- what streetcar went to the Annex? Was there a streetcar along Bloor before the subway? Given your definition, I'd say the Annex is even less a 'streetcar suburb', no?

 

[Electrify]

I wrote a paper last term about how streetcar suburbs turned into highway suburbs over the last century. Something that is interesting is that while we like to point fingers at post WWII suburbs for being irresponsible, arguably those constructed after WWI were far worse. Those built after WWII were mostly constructed around highways as a means of transportation, while those built after WWI were built little thought on how to transport people beyond clogging city streets. If it weren't for the Great Depression stunting down growth so shortly after the war, suburbs built in the 20s and 30s would be viewed more poorly than those built after the 40s.

 

[doug]

the people who live there have referred to their 'nabe as 'South Annex.'

...in the same way that Markham is the "upper beach"

Was there a streetcar along Bloor before the subway?

Yes, there was a streetcar line on Yonge as well.

 

[CDL.TO]

What came first? The Annex or the streetcar?

(I should know this, but yet I'm not sure)

 

[King of Kensington]

According to wikipedia:

"The first electric car ran on August 15, 1892, and the last horse car ran on August 31, 1894, to meet franchise requirements."

"The Toronto Annex" was annexed in 1887.

 

[BMO]

K of K: Philadelphia also has some classic "streetcar/Trolley" Suburbs in Delaware County,PA served today by SEPTA's 101 and 102 routes-the Media and Sharon Hill routes. The Norristown High Speed Line also serves similar areas...

Cleveland has the light rail Shaker and Van Aken-RTA Blue and Green lines today that serve Shaker Heights-the epitome of a classic upscale "trolley-car" suburb...

Insight from LI MIKE

I will attest to Cleveland's streetcar suburbs, which are indeed historically upscale looking. Other than this shinning light and the new Green line BRT, Cleveland is a disappointment to say the least.

 

[ssiguy2]

Interesting conversation but I think it should be moved over to the Transportation section.

 

[King of Kensington]

This lists the Danforth, the Beaches, St. Clair West, Bloor West Village and Long Branch as streetcar suburbs. Basically 1910s/1920s development.

http://www.toronto.ca/wes/techservi..._transit/pdf/report/streetcar_renaissance.pdf