Humber Valley Village

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Humber Valley Village is a community located in Toronto, Ontario. It is within Etobicoke and is a relatively middle to high-middle class community.

The boundaries of this neighbourhood are often debated. Some people include south to Bloor Street, and others only to Dundas Street. The solid boundaries, on the other hand, are Islington Avenue to the west, Eglinton Avenue to the north, and the Humber River in the east.

This parcel of land was developed by Robert Home Smith, immediately after he developed The Kingsway neighbourhood to the south. Construction started in the mid 1930s, and continued after his death until the 1960s. This 30 year span produced many different styles of homes that were popular at the time. The designs include: Georgian, Colonial, Tudor, English Cottage, Cape Cod, ranch bungalows, split-level, contemporary and modernist designs[1].

This neighbourhood can be further broken down into smaller communities. The area south of Dundas is commonly referred to as The Kingsway. The triangular quadrant north of Dundas from Islington to Royal York, but south of Reigate is known as Chestnut Hills. The area surrounding Edenbridge, on the west side of Royal York is known as Lincoln Woods. Finally, the northern corner of Islington and Eglington is sometimes referred to as The Greens of St. George's (at least by real estate agents). Sometimes streets in the neighbourhood become their own little community as well, for example people tend to connect to names like Valecrest, North Dr, Chestnut Hills, or The Kingsway, all of which are streets in this neighbourhood.

This neighbourhood is the wealthiest part of Etobicoke, and considered at par with the exclusive neighbourhoods that developed along Avenue Rd, and Yonge St, between Bloor and Highway 401. This wealth is evident in the schools. Catchment areas for schools such as Lambton-Kingsway, Humber Valley Village, Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School, Etobicoke Collegiate Institute, and Richview Collegiate Institute are very defined. In some cases, those who do not live in the boundaries must apply with a lottery system to gain acceptance. There is also an independent elementary school, Kingsway College School, in the area, located on Dundas St.

The defining element of this community would be the parks system. Not only are there five golf courses within one kilometre of every side of the borders, but huge networks of green space surround the Humber River. This connects to the Martin Goodman Trail, which follows Lake Ontario.