Swansea, Toronto

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Swansea is a neighbourhood in the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, bounded on the west by the Humber River, on the north by Bloor Street, on the east by High Park and on the south by Lake Ontario. It was originally a separate municipality, the Village of Swansea, which was annexed by the City of Toronto in 1967.

[edit] History

Swansea was incorporated as a village in 1926. The Swansea Village corporate seal reveals a great deal about the colourful history of this neighbourhood. Included on the Swansea seal is explorer Étienne Brûlé, who in 1615 became the first European to set foot on what is now Swansea. Also shown is a First Nations member. This is symbolic in that it recognizes that First Nations members were the first people to inhabit Swansea, hundreds of years ago. The hills in the Swansea Village seal represent Swansea's rolling countryside, which is similar to the topography found in Swansea, Wales, after which this neighbourhood is named. The water in the Swansea seal refers to Swansea's natural boundaries, which include Lake Ontario, the Humber River and Grenadier Pond. In 1967, Swansea Village joined Forest Hill Village as one of the last two independent villages to be annexed by the City of Toronto.

[edit] Residents

Swansea's high end homes are located either at the western edge of High Park overlooking Grenadier Pond, or at the Brule Gardens enclave found in the north-west pocket of Swansea. Swansea also contains a large number of semi-detached houses and bungalows located mostly in the centre of the neighbourhood. The typical Swansea house was built between 1905 and 1935. At the south end of Swansea, down Windermere Avenue, is a cluster of rental apartment buildings. This pocket includes some of the original Swansea workers' cottages, built in the 1880s. Swansea Village is the only Toronto neighbourhood that has its own community run Town Hall. Swansea is also the only Toronto neighbourhood to have a lake, a river, and a pond as its natural boundaries. Swansea's hilly terrain, winding roads and many mature trees accentuate the storybook houses that line the residential streets of this neighbourhood. There is currently construction going on for a 20+ condo and a twinplex south of Swansea, across Swansea Mews on the corner of The Queensway and Windermere Ave. The twinplex are finished and have been occupied since the beginning of winter 2006 while the condo is still under construction with residents moving in during the Fall of 2006. This area is known as "Windermere By The Lake".

[edit] Shopping District and Recreation

The most convenient shopping district for Swansea residents is the Bloor West Village shopping district on Bloor Street West. The shopping district stretches all along Bloor Street as well. There is also a small plaza in the southern area of Swansea. The plaza also contained a supermarket called Valu-Mart which was closed down, as well as Shoppers Drug Mart which was moved to The Queensway to attract more customers. The Swansea Town Hall and Community Centre includes a small gymnasium, and a selection of meeting rooms available for a variety of functions. Swansea Town Hall is also the home of the Swansea Memorial Public Library, the smallest branch of the Toronto Public Library system. This branch specializes in material for children and seniors and provides complete inter-library loan services. Rennie Park, located on the east side of Rennie Terrace, south of Morningside Avenue, has four tennis courts, an artificial ice rink, and a wading pool. Swansea Recreational Centre, a part of Swansea Public School, has a gym and a pool. High Park, which can be accessed from Bloor Street, features a full day of recreational activities including fishing, theatre performances, train rides, an animal zoo, historical exhibits, a restaurant and a myriad of fitness opportunities.

	Former Municipalities in Toronto
Municipalities Amalgamated in 1998	East York - Etobicoke - North York - Scarborough - Toronto - York - Metropolitan Toronto
Municipalities Amalgamated in 1967	Forest Hill - Leaside - Long Branch - Mimico - New Toronto - Swansea - Weston
Municipalities Amalgamated 1883-1914	1912 : Dovercourt - Earlscourt 1910 : Moore Park - North Toronto 1909 : Bracondale - Midway - West Toronto - Wychwood 1908 : Deer Park - East Toronto 1905 : Rosedale 1890 : Bedford Park - Davisville - Eglinton 1889 : Parkdale 1888 : Seaton Village 1884 : Brockton - Riverdale 1883 : Yorkville