York, Ontario

Encyclopedia : Y : YO : YOR : York, Ontario

This article is about the former City of York in Toronto. For the regional municipality immediately north of Toronto, see York Regional Municipality, Ontario. The city of Toronto itself was historically named York. See also North York, Ontario, East York, Ontario and York University. For the community in Haldimand County, see York, Haldimand County, Ontario.

York is a very diverse and vibrant community in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Demographics

61.1% White (chiefly Portuguese, Italian and British)
14.4% Black (chiefly Jamaican, and other Caribbean)
4.6% Asian (chiefly Indian, and Sri Lankan)
3.7% Filipino
16.2% other

Other groups such as Vietnamese, African, Arab, and southeast Asians are in large numbers in York. Among non-visible minoirty groups, sizeable clusters of Portuguese, eastern European and German populations live in the area as well.

History

It was incorporated by the Province of Ontario in 1850 as the Township of York. It was bounded in the west by the Humber River, in the east by what would become Victoria Park Avenue, and in the north by what would become Steeles Avenue. To the west was the township of Etobicoke and to the east was the township of Scarborough, while to the north were the townships of Vaughan and Markham.

In the 1920s, the character of the township changed, with its southern reaches abutting the city of Toronto taking on a more urban character, compared to the very rural character of the north. The decision was made to split the township in two, with the northern, rural portion becoming North York. The remaining, two pockets of unincorporated urban development at the north end of the city, were split by the village of North Toronto, which was by then a part of the City of Toronto. Within years, the Province of Ontario saw that this arrangement was impractical, and further subdivided York, creating the township of East York out of the eastern pocket. The Township of York contracted streetcar and bus services from the Toronto Transit Commission, but remained independent from Toronto.

York was part of the federation of twelve suburban municipalities that joined Toronto in 1954 to form Metropolitan Toronto. In 1967, it absorbed the village of Weston, and later became the City of York. It was amalgamated into the Megacity of Toronto on January 1, 1998.