Country Canada Province Ontario | City Toronto | |
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Don Valley Village is a neighbourhood in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located north of Highway 401, and is bounded by Sheppard Avenue to the south, Leslie Street to the west, Finch Avenue to the north and Highway 404 to the east. Like the nearby Don River Valley (to the east), the neighbourhood has hill and dale topography.
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Map of Don Valley Village, Toronto, ON, Canada
Demographics
The population in Don Valley Village mainly consists of mostly Iranian and Arab immigrants, with sizable Asian, African and Caribbean populations as well. The areas residents are mostly low to middle income. It is home to four notable housing projects (Sparrowways, Villaways, Allenbury Gardens, and Brahms) which comprise the infamous "4 Corners."
Character
The neighbourhood, developed in the 1960s and 1970s, occupies the space that was originally a collection of farming hamlets in the early 19th century. In 1963, Consolidated Building Corporation developed a large part of Don Valley Village, advertising three-bedroom houses for $16,550, and providing a "trade-in" on purchasers' current houses.
Two historical landmarks still exist from that period: the Zion Schoolhouse and the Alexander Muirhead Victorian farmhouse. The area also includes Fairview Mall, one of Toronto's largest shopping centres. Noteworthy facilities just outside this neighbourhood include North York General Hospital (on the south side of Sheppard Avenue), Seneca College's Newnham Campus (on the north side of Finch), and the Cummer Park Fitness Centre (on the west side of Leslie, just north of Finch), which is one of Toronto's largest municipally operated recreational facilities. The Zion Primitive Methodist Church is on the north side of Finch Avenue East, just outside the neighborhood.
Don Valley Village contains low- to middle-income housing, and is home to many new Canadian immigrants, including those of Armenian, Chinese, West Indian, East Indian or Middle Eastern descent. The mix of housing here includes split level homes, semi-detached homes, and family size detached houses featuring Georgian, Tudor, and contemporary-style designs. There are also a large concentration of high-rise apartment and condominium buildings.
The area is extremely well connected to the rest of the city. Close by is the crossroads of two major freeways (Highway 401 and Highway 404/Don Valley Parkway). As well, two subways stations, Don Mills Station – the current eastern terminus of the Sheppard subway line, which connects with nine Toronto Transit Commission routes, one York Region Transit route, and the Viva Green line – and Leslie Station are both located within the neighbourhood.
Schools
Don Valley is served by four school districts.
English-language secular public schools are operated by the Toronto District School Board (TSDB).
English-language Catholic public schools are operated by the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
The Conseil scolaire Viamonde and the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud operate French-language secular and French-language Catholic public schools, respectively.
The Peanut
Don Valley Village encompasses smaller, non-official neighbourhoods. The most prominent of these is "The Peanut", which is centered on 43°47′00″N 79°21′05″W. It is named for the peanut-shaped plot of land created by divergence of the north and southbound lanes of Don Mills Road north of Sheppard Avenue and south of Finch Avenue. The north and southbound lanes, known as Don Mills Road West and Don Mills Road East, split and then are re-joined south of Finch Avenue. This configuration was modeled after Queen's Park in downtown Toronto.
The plot of land formed between the divergent lanes is the site of Woodbine Junior High School, Woodbine Public Arena, Oriole Park and the Oriole Community Resource Centre, Georges Vanier Secondary School, and the "Peanut Plaza" shopping centre. The areas to the east and west of the Peanut are usually referred to as Don Valley Village. Local teens and youths often refer to the surrounding area as the "Four Corners" due to the location of four notable housing projects in the area (Sparrowways, Villaways, Allenbury Gardens, and Brahms, which is located on the north side of Finch, in Hillcrest Village).