East Danforth

East Danforth, also known as Danforth Village, is an informal neighbourhood in the east end of

The area first appeared in the 19th century as the 'Coleman' postal village centered on the intersection of Danforth and Dawes (a street built through the lands of the local Taylor family) with a general store and inn.^[1][2] With the building of the railways in the mid-19th century the area acquired a train station, East Toronto.

By the turn of the century the area was called "Little York" (an original name of Toronto) and became a part of the short-lived

In the 1960s and 1970s, a number of apartment towers were built in the area, most notably the Crescent Town area just north of Danforth at Victoria Park and the Main Square complex south of Danforth at Main Street. Most of the area remains low-rise, with low-end stores along Danforth and single-family homes to the north and south. At the far east of the neighborhood is the Shoppers World Danforth, a strip/shopping mall built in 1962 (revamped in the 1990s) and housed in a former munitions factory.

Demographics

The district is within several City of Toronto official neighbourhoods: Danforth,^[4] Greenwood-Coxwell,^[5] Woodbine Corridor^[6] and East End Danforth.^[7]

Culture

The area contains numerous Anglican churches, including St. Luke Anglican Church (at Coxwell and Cosburne Avenues.), St. Andrew’s Japanese Anglican Church (at Donlands Ave. and Chan Lane) and Church of the Resurrection (at Woodbine Ave. and Milverton Blvd.). Orthodox Christianity in the area is represented by Metamorphosis Greek Orthodox Church (at Donlands Ave. and Strathmore Blvd.), St. Raphael Greek Orthodox Church (at Glebemount and Barker Avenues), and the Holy Trinity Macedono-Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church (at Glebeholme Blvd. and Monarch Park Ave.).

The neighbourhood is home to one of Toronto's oldest mosques, Madina Masjid, established in 1974 by Gujarati immigrants from India. It underwent major renovations in 2007 and is now, at more than 30,000 square feet, also one of Toronto's largest mosques.^[8] In addition to the Madina Masjid (mentioned above), East Danforth is also home to Masjid Taqwa (at Danforth and Greenwood Avenues), established by Sri Lankan immigrants in 1996.^[9]

Schools

• Earl Haig Public School is an elementary-middle school, which enrolls students from kindergarten to grade 8.
• George Webster Public School is an elementary-middle school, which enrolls students from kindergarten to grade 8.
• Secord Elementary School is an elementary school, which enrolls students from kindergarten to grade 6.^[10]
• Earl Beatty Public School is an elementary-middle school, which enrolls students from kindergarten to grade 8.
• Gledhill Public School is an elementary school which enrolls students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6.^[11]
• St. Brigid Catholic School is an elementary school offering classes from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8.^[12]

References

Further reading

• Radwanski, Adam. "A taste of the other Danforth." The Globe and Mail. August 9, 2008
• Barmak, Sarah. "The Other Danforth; It's urban and handy to the subway, but for intensification this 'avenue' has to settle for a Tim's and an Esso." Toronto Star. Aug 18, 2007. pg. CO.1
• Ireland, Carolyn. "Hot Neighbourhoods: Danforth Mosaic." The Globe and Mail. September 30, 2010