North York is a suburb of Toronto, with a population of approximately 655,000 people. It is located between Etobicoke and Scarborough. Until 1954 North York was its own town, however that is when it was included in Metropolitan Toronto due to being one of the fastest growing parts of the region. Later though it was officially titled a borough in 1967, and finally becoming a city in 1979.
North York is a major business district, and is considered a secondary economic hub to Downtown Toronto. North York is also highly diverse: over 57% of the people who live here were not born in Canada and the demographics are divided amongst many different cultures, from Chinese to Korean, and Filipino to Middle Eastern. There isn’t one culture that’s predominantly present over the others which gives this suburb a very distinct cultural make up.
One of the busiest areas of this region is Flemingdon Park. It is a large economic hub, home to corporations like McDonald’s of Canada and Celestica. Other major companies, like Foresters Insurance, Bell, Home Depot Canada, Sport Alliance of Ontario, TD Bank and Deloitte all have offices here. In fact, Home Depot’s Canadian head office is located here.
If you’re just visiting the area you’ll be happy to know that North York is also home to two of Toronto’s five major shopping malls: Fairview Mall and Yorkdale Shopping Center. There are also several other smaller neighbourhood malls. There are three major hospitals here: North York General Hospital, Humber River Regional Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center. What’s more is that North York also houses campuses for several major post-secondary institutions like York University, Seneca College, Osgoode Hall Law School and Tyndale University College and Seminary.
If you aren’t just visiting, and are looking to settle down here then it’s a great place to live, too. There’s endless clubs, sports and activities for you and the family to get involved in. The North York Aquatic Club, founded in 1958, is very popular and has even produced some Olympic swimmers. What’s more is the Downsview Park Sports Center is a 485,000-square foot facility, and is the official headquarters and training facility of Volleyball Canada. And, if you’re feeling a little more upscale, there’s the Granite Club which is an invitation-only athletic club.
In terms of schooling, all schools are run by the Toronto District School Board but the TDSB’s head offices are in North York. There is both a public and Catholic school board, along with private schools so there’s plenty of options when selecting an education for your children.
While North York is part of the Metropolitan Toronto there is enough cultural diversity, sports, clubs and activities going on to make it feel like it is its own city, far away from Toronto. It benefits from large city perks such as the subway system but it is large enough to have a subway only within North York. Being a major, secondary financial hub there’s a lot of job opportunities right in the suburb, meaning residents aren’t commuting for hours on end to get to work and the sense of community is strong and present.