Toronto/Etobicoke

Etobicoke (pronounced /ɛˈtoʊbɨkoʊ/, the last two letters are silent) is the westernmost of the six former Metropolitan Toronto boroughs before the city of Toronto was amalgamated in 1998. It is a predominantly suburban area, intersected by several major arterial highways, and home to a population of over 500,000. Most of the borough's industry is located in the northwest corner of Etobicoke, near Pearson International Airport in adjacent Mississauga. While a majority of this enormous chunk of land is single family-homes, there are also notable enclaves of high-density high-rises apartments in the north, and low-rise apartments along Lakeshore Blvd. in the south. Other exceptions include the neighbourhood surrounding Islington subway station, at the intersection of Islington Avenue and Bloor Street which was intended as a 'downtown-west' with a transit-oriented centre integrated with a high-rise office and condo project, and plenty of street-level restaurants and shops.

Continuing to the east along Bloor Street around its intersection with Royal York Road the affluent Kingsway neighbourhood is widely known for its high concentration of high-end restaurants and boutiques. The current City-Centre-West is located at the former Etobicoke City Hall at the intersection of Burnhamthorpe Road and Highway 427, however in 2017 a design competition will be held for a new City Centre adjacent to the Kipling Subway Station at the intersection of Kipling Avenue, Bloor Street West, and Dundas Street West (the 'Six Points' Interchange).

Some other well-known and popular neighbourhoods in Etobicoke are Markland Woods, the furthest residential community along Bloor Street West, the trifecta of Mimico-New Toronto-Long Branch, which cover the entire width along Lakeshore Boulevard from the Humber River to the border with Mississauga, and Rexdale-Thistletown-West Humber which cover the entire portion north of Highway 401.

As it was a separate municipality ('the City of Etobicoke') until 1999, this section of Toronto has clearly defined perimeters: the Humber River (which separates Etobicoke from Old Toronto, York and North York in the east), Etobicoke Creek/Eglinton Ave/Highway 427 (the border with Mississauga in the west), Steeles Ave (the border with York Region in the north) and Lake Ontario (in the south).

Understand
Etobicoke has some pocketed communities, such as the shops on Bloor Street West near the Royal York subway station. Abundant with restaurants such as the French Merlot, Spanish Barcelona's and Italian cuisine it is rather nice to take a stroll before dinner and experience some smaller, community oriented shops.

The Kingsway area has always been known for its opulence. Large, older homes have a lot of character and full-grown trees that canopy the roads in the area. They are particularly beautiful in the autumn season.

Surrounded by trails that connect Etobicoke's many parks, residents are often found jogging, bike riding or going for a stroll. The Terry Fox Run landmarks can be found throughout the trails.

The crown jewel of Etobicoke parks is Centennial Park, a 525-acre park inaugurated in 1967 on the occasion of Canada's centennial birthday. Today it offers Etobians myriad opportunities for: skiing, BMX biking, Frisbee golf, go-carts, a 27-hole public golf course & driving range, double indoor hockey rink, as well as hiking, trails, fishing, soccer and baseball fields, and plenty of free parking. It also plays host to many seasonal festivals including Ribfest and Jerkfest.

By plane

 * Toronto Pearson International Airport, on the city border with Mississauga, is served by two bus routes; both cross Etobicoke to reach the subway: Lawrence West (52) or Airport Express (900). A taxi from the airport to locations throughout Etobicoke costs $24-47.

By rail

 * Most intercity rail goes to Union Station in downtown Toronto, but a few "GO" commuter trains do stop in Etobicoke on their way into the city from points further west. Etobicoke's GO stations are on three different lines, which all converge in downtown Toronto at Union Station:
 * Long Branch and Mimico are on the Lakeshore line (Hamilton-Toronto-Oshawa daily), the summer weekend service to Niagara passes through without stopping here.
 * Kipling is on the Milton line (Milton-Mississauga-Toronto, weekdays) and connects directly to the otherwise little-used TTC subway station of the same name.
 * Etobicoke North is on the Kitchener line (Kitchener-Guelph-Georgetown-Brampton-Malton-Toronto, weekdays)

By intercity bus

 * Most intercity bus service ends at Bay/Dundas in downtown Toronto, although a handful serve Toronto Pearson Airport directly from Ontario cities such as Kingston and Peterborough
 * GO commuter bus services stop at the Etobicoke North rail station, at the Woodbine Mall and Racetrack (Hwy. 27 @ Rexdale Blvd) and at Dixon @ Martin Grove Rd.

By subway

 * Etobicoke is the western endpoint of Toronto's subway system and has four stations (Kipling, Islington, Royal York, Old Mill) on the Bloor-Danforth line 2.

By local bus

 * From Mississauga, Kipling TTC station is the main terminal for buses connecting to the subway. There is no free transfer from Mississauga buses to the TTC.
 * From Brampton (Züm) and Vaughan (York Region YRT, Viva), city bus connections lead to the Humber College North Campus in the northwest corner of Etobicoke.

Get around
With attractions spread out and free parking available at most places, car is the most common and easiest way to get around.


 * TTC,, provides local city bus, streetcar and subway system within metropolitan Toronto, including Etobicoke

Humber Bay Shores
The Humber Bay Shores neighbourhood has a beautiful series of inter-connected lakeside parks and walkways west of the Humber River in southern Etobicoke. There is about of walking distance if you decided to walk all the parks listed here. Thus, if either time or energy is in short supply, a short list would be: Humber Bay Butterfly Habitat, Humber Bay Park East (more attractive than Humber Bay Park West) and Mimico Waterfront Park. The following sites are listed in roughly east-to-west sequence.

Humber Bay Park consists of two man-made peninsulas each being a separate park, logically named Humber Bay Park East and Humber Bay Park West. Both protrude into the bay. The two parks are separated by Mimico Creek but connected by a pedestrian/cyclist bridge at the base of the two peninsulas. The east park is more rustic than the west park.

Mimico Waterfront Park is a promenade running along the lakeshore from Humber Bay Park West to Norris Crescent Parkette for a distance of 1.1 km. Some of the walkway is on footbridges over the water along the shore. Inconsistant park signage names the promenade as Humber Bay Promenade Park and Mimico Waterfront Park. Another sign says the promenade is a component of the much longer Great Lakes Waterfront Trail.

Do

 * A walk, jog and cycle path along the Etobicoke Creek (the Etobicoke-Mississauga border) stretches from Neilson Park Community Centre to Centennial Park. Millwood Park, near the centre of this path in the quiet residential community of Markland Wood, has some of Etobicoke's oldest growth forest and an oak tree that dates back over 300 years.

Airport hotels
A large hotel strip on Dixon Road in Etobicoke (which becomes Airport Road across the 427 freeway in Malton) serves air travellers; see Mississauga for a few additional hotels on the other side of the 427.