| Etobicoke | |
|---|---|
| — Dissolved municipality — | |
| Etobicoke skyline in 2009 | |
| Location of Etobicoke (red) compared to the rest of Toronto. | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Municipality | Toronto |
| Incorporated | 1 January 1850 (township) 1 January 1967 (borough) June 1983 (city) |
| Changed Region | 1954 Metropolitan Toronto from York County |
| Amalgamated | 1 January 1998 into Toronto |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Rob Ford (Toronto Mayor) |
| • Governing Body | Toronto City Council |
| • MPs | Kirsty Duncan (L) Ted Opitz (C) Bernard Trottier (C) |
| • MPPs | Shafiq Qaadri (L) Donna Cansfield (L) Laurel Broten (L) |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 123.93 km2 (47.8 sq mi) |
| Population (2001 census)[1] | |
| • Total | 338,117 |
| • Density | 2,728.3/km2 (7,066.3/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Postal code span | M8V-M9C, M9P-M9R, M9V-M9W |
| Area code(s) | 416, 647 |
Etobicoke i/ɛˈtoʊbɨkoʊ/ (with a silent 'k') is a dissolved municipality located within the current city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the western section of the current city, it had an official population of 338,117[1] as measured by the 2001 Census and 334,491 people as of the 2006 Census. While it only contains 13% of Toronto's population, it occupies about 20% of its total land area. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River, on the west by Etobicoke Creek, the city of Mississauga and Toronto Pearson International Airport (though a small portion of the airport extends into Etobicoke) and on the north by Steeles Avenue West.
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Different groups of First Nations peoples used the land that is now Etobicoke at different times. As the Algonquins gradually moved west from the Atlantic to Lake Erie, it is almost certain that they would have occupied this land at some point. By the time they were mostly settled on the shores of Georgian Bay, The Huron-Wendat were the primary residents of the north shore of Lake Ontario and, somewhere in the 17th century, they were pushed out by the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) people. After continued harassment from the south, a coalition of the Ojibway, Odawa and Potawatomi Algonquin nations, known as the Three Fires, gradually pushed the Haudenosaunee off this land and the Mississaugas settled there by 1695, fishing and growing crops more locally in the summer and hunting further afield in the winter.[2]
The name "Etobicoke" was derived from the Mississauga word wah-do-be-kang (wadoopikaang),[3] meaning "place where the alders grow", which was used to describe the area between Etobicoke Creek and the Humber River. The first provincial land surveyor, Augustus Jones, also spelled it as "ato-be-coake". Etobicoke was finally adopted as the official name in 1795 on the direction of Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe.[4]
Etobicoke was intended by the British to be included in the Toronto Purchase of 1787.[4] However, whether the western boundary of the purchase was the Humber River or the Etobicoke River (now, Etobicoke Creek) was disputed. The Mississauga Indians allowed British surveyor Alexander Aitkin to survey the disputed land, and eventually the dispute was settled, with the Mississauga recognising the purchase as extending to Etobicoke Creek, and the British paying an additional 10 shillings for the purchase.
Settlers began to move in from Britain. Early settlers included many of the Queen's Rangers, who were given land in the area by Simcoe to help protect the new capital of Upper Canada. In 1793-95, the Honourable Samuel Smith, a colonel in the Queen's Rangers, received land grants of 1,530 acres (6.2 km2), extending from today's Kipling Avenue to Etobicoke Creek, and north to Bloor Street.[5] The first land patent was issued to Sergeant Patrick Mealey on March 18, 1797 for a plot on the west side of Royal York Road on Lake Ontario.[6] This was part of the First Military Tract, or "Militia Lands", which extended from today's Royal York Road to Kipling Avenue, south from Bloor Street. More land was granted the members of the Queen's Rangers in the First Military tract, but most Rangers did not occupy their land and many sold their acreage to others after a short time.
The census of 1805 counted 84 people in the township of Etobicoke. In 1806 William Cooper built a grist mill and saw mill on the west bank of the Humber river, just south of Dundas Street. The 1809 census counted 137 residents.[4] The Dundas Street bridge opened in 1816, making the township more accessible.
On May 18, 1846 the Albion Road Company was incorporated. Its purpose was to build and maintain a road to the north-west corner of Etobicoke, where a new community was planned. At the same time, John Grubb, who had already founded Thistletown, hired land surveyor John Stoughton Dennis to plan a community at the intersection of Islington Avenue and Albion Road, to be named Saint Andrew's. Plan 6 for this community was registered on October 15, 1847. The French master of Upper Canada College, Jean du Petit Pont de la Haye, contracted land surveyor James McCallum Jr to create a plan for the community planned by the Albion Road Company, and Plan 28 was registered for Claireville on October 12, 1849.[6]
The township of Etobicoke was incorporated on January 1, 1850.[7] The first meeting of the town council was held on January 21. Present at the meeting were reeve William Gamble, vice-reeve W. B. Wadsworth and aldermen Moses Appleby, Thomas Fisher and John Geddes.[8] The council convened monthly meetings at a variety of places. In 1850, the population of the township was 2904. By 1881, the population of Etobicoke township was 2976.[8]
In 1911, the community of Mimico was incorporated on land taken from Etobicoke township.[9] New Toronto was incorporated on January 1, 1913.[4] Early on there was talk of merging Mimico and New Toronto. A 1916 referendum on amalgamating the two communities was approved by the residents of Mimico, but rejected by residents of New Toronto.[5] In 1917, Mimico became a town and in 1920, New Toronto became the Town of New Toronto. Long Branch was incorporated in 1930 as a village.
In 1954, Etobicoke Township became a part of the newly-formed regional government, the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto ("Metro"). In 1967, the township of Etobicoke was merged with three small lakeside municipalities — the Village of Long Branch, the Town of New Toronto, and the Town of Mimico — to form the Borough of Etobicoke. The borough was reincorporated as a city in 1984.[7] In 1998, six local municipalities (including Etobicoke) and the Metropolitan Toronto government merged to form the amalgamated city of Toronto.
In 2006, Etobicoke was 61.5% White, 14.0% South Asian, 9.3% Black, 3.1% Latin American, 2.6% Chinese, 2.5% Filipino, 1.4% Korean, 1.1% West Asian, 1.0% Arab, 1.0% Southeast Asian, and 2.5% Other. 47.8% of the population are immigrants.[1]
English is the most spoken language in Etobicoke, followed by Italian, Punjabi, Russian, Gujarati, Somali, Persian and Hindi/Urdu.
Etobicoke has the lowest population density of the former cities and boroughs that currently make up the city of Toronto. This is mainly due to its expanses of industrial lands. Several major freeways are routed through the area, making the area ideal for automobile-based transportation. Public transit does not serve the area well, with few rapid transit connections; however, there are many bus routes that service the area frequently.
Many exceptions to Toronto's gridded street matrix are found in Etobicoke. A number of overpasses and awkward intersections, such as Bloor/Kipling/Dundas West (Six-Points), have been created in an effort to reconcile the grid with these planning anomalies.
Etobicoke has numerous public parks, notable among them is James Gardens on the banks of the Humber River. The park includes seasonal flowers, walkways, a rock garden, streams, and waterfalls. It is a very popular site for taking wedding photographs. The Humber Bay park is located in Etobicoke.
The central/southern areas of Etobicoke are better served by public transit and closer to the city centre. These areas, such as Markland Wood, The Kingsway, New Toronto, Mimico and Long Branch, consist of large green spaces, numerous parks, golf courses (including St. George's Golf and Country Club, ranked 3rd best in Canada),[10] numerous restaurants and cafes, and fine boutiques. Residential development consists primarily of single-family dwellings, although several large multi-storey hi rise condominium developments have been built in south Etobicoke near the Humber River over the past few years. Kingsway South neighbourhood has attracted many affluent individuals and families (as of 2001, over 50% of households have an income in excess of C$100,000/year),[11] and remains one of Toronto's more prominent neighbourhoods.
The central areas of Etobicoke, although farther from the subway line, are still well-served by public transit buses. These neighbourhoods are generally middle class.
Unfortunately, some areas in Etobicoke have become neglected, "inner-ring" suburbs, such as Rexdale. These central and northern areas of Etobicoke contain numerous high-density apartment complexes set in the middle of sizable, open fields and parks.
Etobicoke is home to Humber College, University of Guelph-Humber, Woodbine Race Track and Slots, Woodbine Centre and Sherway Gardens Shopping Centre.
Public schools in Etobicoke are overseen by the Toronto District School Board. High schools include Central Etobicoke High School, Etobicoke Collegiate Institute, founded in 1928, Kipling Collegiate Institute, Lakeshore Collegiate Institute (originally New Toronto Secondary School, founded in 1950), Martingrove Collegiate Institute, North Albion Collegiate Institute, Richview Collegiate Institute, founded in 1958, Silverthorn Collegiate Institute, Thistletown Collegiate Institute, West Humber Collegiate Institute, founded in 1966, Etobicoke School of the Arts, founded in 1981 in the former Royal York Collegiate Institute, Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy (formerly, Collegiate Institute), and the School of Experiential Education, an alternative school founded in 1971.
In addition to the public school system, Etobicoke is home to several Catholic schools, overseen by the Toronto Catholic District School Board. These include Michael Power/St. Joseph, Bishop Allen Academy, Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School (formerly Keiller Mackay Collegiate Institute), Father John Redmond, Father Henry Carr, Holy Child, Our Lady of Sorrows Elementary School, Nativity of Our Lord Elementary School, Father Serra Catholic School, and Monsignor Percy Johnson Catholic Secondary School.
Grade schools include: Second Street Junior-Middle School (1950), Seventh Street Junior School (c1925), and Twentieth Street Junior School (all in New Toronto); James S. Bell Junior-Middle School in Long Branch; John English Junior-Middle School, which is now located in the former Mimico High School (the original John English School is now a community centre), David Hornell Junior School on Victoria Street in Mimico, for grades JK-5 (1961) and the Karen Kain School of the Arts formerly Crestwood Public School.
Other schools include: Humberwood Downs J.M.A., West Humber Junior, Smithfield, Elmbank, Humbercrest, Eatonville Junior School and Missisauga private school; West Glen Junior School, located on Cowley Avenue, educates in grades JK-5 (1953; Norseman Junior Middle School , which opened its doors to students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 in January 1953. From 1968 to 1981, it became the middle school for the area with Grades 6, 7, and 8. Since 1981, the school has served students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8. The second storey serves middle school, Grades 6 to 8.
Skyservice, an airline, was headquartered in Etobicoke, until its recent demise.[12][13] Canada 3000 had its headquarters in the City of Etobicoke before it became a part of Toronto;[14] the headquarters remained there until the closing of the airline.[15]
Etobicoke has a wide range of indoor and outdoor sporting leagues including baseball, soccer, football, hockey, and ringette. Some of the prominent clubs include the Etobicoke Kangaroos Australian rules football club the Serbian White Eagles FC club, the Stars Diving Club and Toronto Croatia. Southern Etobicoke is also home to the new Lakeshore Lions Arena.
Etobicoke is generally divided into three large areas that roughly correspond to the three political ridings. Each consisting of neighbourhoods, mostly developments of 19th century 'postal villages' (rural neighbourhoods), that were built at important points along the early roads and railways; especially the three former 'Lakeshore Municipalities' that separated from Etobicoke in the early 20th century and Etobicoke's central Islington community:
Markland Wood is the farthest western community within Etobicoke/Toronto along Bloor Street west, a mixed area for housing with some hi-rise rentals.
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