Toronto/North York

North York is a suburb of Toronto that was a separate city until 1999 when six municipalities were merged into the present City of Toronto. North York has a unique charm being its own brand of multiculuralism. North York has a university, historical sites, parks, ravines, and various unique neighbourhoods.

Understand
The area of the former city of North York is demographically, ethnically and culturally diverse and can be classified into many areas or districts depending on one's perspective. Some examples appear below but many are largely generalizations that provide an incomplete perspective. Its name can be somewhat confusing as North York is located south of York Region but north of the former city of York which amalgamated along with North York to form the current city of Toronto.

North York has the following districts:


 * North York Centre. Yonge St, from Highway 401 to Finch. Rural in character until after World War II, this is the central business and cultural district. Home to a performing arts centre, movie theatres, shopping centres and other amenities, the area boasts a significant concentration of highrise condo buildings and an impressive skyline.
 * Koreatown North. Yonge St between Churchill Ave and Steeles Ave. Second largest population of Koreans in Toronto next to the downtown Koreatown, it is one of the largest congregation of Koreans outside of their native land. Developed starting in the early 1990s, this new Koreatown has many retail stores, Korean grocery stores (some quite large), karaoke bars (especially active on Fridays) and family restaurants catering to younger Koreans and those living in the north part of Toronto. Large numbers of Chinese live here as well. You'll find the Persian section bleeds into the Korean strip to the south.
 * Persian Section. Yonge St between Finch and Steeles. Many Persian grocers and restaurants line this section of Yonge Street, while the residential streets house a large Persian population. Some of the cheapest and best Shish Kebabs, Halva, and Baklava can be purchased here. You'll find the Korean strip bleeds into the Persian Section to the north.
 * The Peanut. Don Mills Road, between Sheppard and Finch Ave, this community has a significant public housing population, immigrants and refugees, sole-support families and youth. It has been an area with a notable level of criminal activity.
 * York Mills. Yonge St and Leslie St, Lawrence Ave to Highway 401. Home to the famous Bridle Path, lined with multi-million dollar estates and mansions, this area boasts the highest household incomes in Canada. Also home to Glendon College, part of York University.
 * Lawrence Manor. Allen Rd to Avenue Rd, Briar Hill Ave to Highway 401. Developed in the 1950s, this is the heart of Jewish Toronto, when many Toronto Jews moved out of the city core. Many orthodox Jews live on the residential streets off Bathurst, which is lined with synagogues, Hebrew schools, bookstores, delis and kosher markets.
 * Little Moscow. Bathurst from Sheppard to Steeles and Steeles from Dufferin to Yonge. Known for its Russian populace, with a large Russian Jewish population, one will find various stores with Russian signs. As in its multi-ethnic namesake city, there are Russians, Ukrainians, Georgians, and other ethnic groups from the former USSR. It has grown significantly since the breakup of the USSR and has swollen into Thornhill and Richmond Hill.
 * Downsview. Downsview was a farm in the 1870s near the present-day intersection of Keele Street and Wilson Avenue. It now extends beyond the intersection of Sheppard Avenue and Dufferin Street, in the former City of North York. The area includes several large post-World War II subdivisions. It includes Downsview Airport, the former site of Canadian Forces Base Downsview, which has been largely converted into Downsview Park. The airport is still used as a manufacturing and testing facility for Bombardier Aerospace.
 * Jane and Finch Corridor. The area is roughly bounded by Highway 400 to the west, Black Creek Ravine to the east, Grandravine Drive to the south, and Shoreham Drive to the north within Downsview. The Jane-Finch community has long been a media darling, with attention focussed on crime and gang activities. While there is little doubt that Jane-Finch has crime, there are other areas of North York and Toronto which have similar challenges. It also has one of the highest proportions of youth, sole-supported families, refugees and immigrants, low-income earners and public housing tenants of any community in Toronto. In January 2009, there was an effort to return to its original community name of University Heights to get rid of its notorious tag.
 * Flemingdon Park is bordered on the north by Eglinton Avenue East, on the west by the Don River (west branch), and on the east and south by the Don River (east branch). The 2 branches of the Don join at the neighbourhood’s southwest corner. The south border is a parkland access road that used to be known as Old Lawrence Avenue. The community derives its name from its first European owner, Robert John Fleming, the mayor of Toronto in 1892-1893 and 1896-1897, and the nearby Don River. This is another community with a significant crime rate, and highest proportions of immigrant, low income and sole-support families.

Public transit
Line 1 Yonge-University runs in a 'U' shape, travelling from North York south along Yonge Street, through the downtown area to Union Station, then travelling north through North York to the City of Vaughan, just north of Toronto.

Using the eastern arm of Line 1 from south of Finch station, Central North York is easily accessible by transit to and from downtown from stations Sheppard-Yonge, North York Centre and Finch stations. York Mills station also serves North York, but is south of the North York city centre. Finch subway station is also a regional hub hosting Viva express buses from York Region, GO commuter buses and a large number of TTC buses.

The western arm of Line 1, south from Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, has a number of stations serving North York: Pioneer Village (on Toronto's and North York's northern boundary), York University, Finch West, Downsview Park, Sheppard West, Wilson, Yorkdale, Lawrence West and Glencairn stations. Yorkdale Station has a GO bus terminal and a pedestrian link to Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

The street levels of the northern six subway stations on the western arm of Line 1 from Downsview Park to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre are architecturally interesting. You must exit the station at ground level to appreciate them: to do this, you should have a day pass or use a Presto card to take advantage of the 2-hr unlimited stopovers. If time is short, York University and Pioneer Village are recommended, and these two stations are within walking distance of each other.

Subway Line 4 Sheppard is entirely within North York. It connects with Line 1 Yonge-University at Sheppard-Yonge Station and travels east to Don Mills stations. Bayview Village Mall is next door to Bayview Station, and Fairview Mall is adjacent to Don Mills Station.

Other areas of North York are not served by rapid transit (subways). Some areas are well served by bus, with waiting times as little as 5 minutes between buses, while other areas are less well served, resulting in times as long as 20 to 30 minutes between buses, particularly outside rush hours.

York Cemetery
York Cemetery is a large park-like cemetery, divided into eastern and western sections by Senlac Road. It officially opened in 1948 although the first burial occurred in 1946. It has several points of interest for visitors.

Do

 * Golf: Oakdale Golf & Country Club has 27 holes. It hosted the Canada Open in Aug 2023 and will do so again in 2026.
 * Cricket is played at the Cricket, Curling and Skating Club at 141 Wilson Ave off Hwy 401. Canada doesn't play full Test matches, but plays 50- and 20-over internationals, usually here or occasionally at Maple Leaf CC in King City ON.
 * Golf: Oakdale Golf & Country Club has 27 holes. It hosted the Canada Open in Aug 2023 and will do so again in 2026.
 * Cricket is played at the Cricket, Curling and Skating Club at 141 Wilson Ave off Hwy 401. Canada doesn't play full Test matches, but plays 50- and 20-over internationals, usually here or occasionally at Maple Leaf CC in King City ON.

Learn

 * York University founded in 1959 as an offspring of the University of Toronto, is one of three universities in Toronto and is quite excellent in its education offerings. Some would say that its northerly location in the suburbs of the city give it a homey feel while its structure and landscape are breathtaking. Others feel that it is remote and lacking in architectural distinction. Visiting the university is easy as it has its own on-campus subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University.
 * Glendon College, part of York University, but located on its own, very green and historic campus, is home to a bilingual faculty of liberal arts along with a few graduate programmes. It also has links with College Boreal, the French-language community college serving southern Ontario. It can easily be reached by bus routes 124 and 162 from Lawrence station on Line 1 Yonge–University.
 * Seneca College is the main community college serving North York (though Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning attracts many students from the western part of North York especially). Seneca has several campuses, the largest in the eastern section.

Eat
There are dozens of plazas and strip malls in North York that beg for exploration. Don't be dissuaded by visions of suburban purgatory! If you have your own transportation, you can explore and sample tasty authentic Persian, Middle Eastern, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Jewish, Chinese, Caribbean, Indian, Latin American or classic diners and more. Often at better prices and greater quality than downtown strips. When multiculturalism is talked about in Toronto, it is the areas of North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke.



Stay safe
Like any major city, North York (as part of Toronto) has its share of crime, though far less than the rate found in American cities of equal (and even smaller) size. While it is easy to name specific areas (Jane and Finch, Don Mills and Finch) these are based as much on local legend as police data. Additionally, they tend to be out of the way and purely residential areas and so most tourists will have little reason to venture to them. A lot of the crime is gang-on-gang and in the wee hours. Practice good safety routines, keep your wits and you'll be fine. Plan your route ahead of time as best you can, stay in well-lit areas and avoid walking alone at night in deserted areas. Feel free to enjoy late night events, sights, sounds and smells in areas with lots of people. All said, North York is generally one of the safer areas of Toronto, and there is little to fear. If you seem lost or confused, simply ask someone!