Bayview Village

Bayview Village is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, formerly in North York before it was amalgamated into Toronto in 1998. It is part of federal and provincial electoral district Willowdale, and Toronto electoral wards 24: Willowdale (East) and 33: Don Valley North (East). In 2006, it had a population of 15,370. [http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/cns_profiles/cns52.htm City of Toronto Demographics for Bayview Village] ]

The area is bordered on the north by Finch Avenue East, on the west by Bayview Avenue, on the east by Leslie Street, and on the south by Highway 401 also including the grounds of North York General Hospital, east of Leslie in the neighbourhood's southeast corner, according to the City of Toronto's definition. The Bayview Village Association regards the east boundary as the Don River (east branch), and the south boundary as Sheppard Avenue East, thereby excluding land between the Don River and Leslie, Sheppard and Highway 401, and the hospital. [ [http://www.bayviewvillage.org/Bayview%20Village%20map.htm Bayview Village Association map] ]

Housing is mostly suburban, predominantly in the ranch bungalow style, built in the late 1950s and 1960s. Several of the street names recall that the area was a racehorse training stable and grounds before being developed.

Homeowners are actively represented by the Bayview Village Association. This is a volunteer group of residents who work to monitor city and provincial initiatives on a wide range of topics including traffic, local development, parks, and safety. In addition, they produce a regular newsletter distributed to all homes covering a wide range of topical issues. The Bayview Village Association also hosts a number of events throughout the year including clean-up days, all-candidates meetings, community fairs, etc..

There are three schools in the actual Bayview Village area, a public elementary, a public middle school and one private school housed in a former public elementary school. There is also a Catholic Elementary school located on the west side of Bayview Avenue. Most high school students who live in Bayview Village attend Earl Haig Secondary School, located west of Bayview.

In the area, there United, Greek Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican churches, the latter is located just outside the area's southwest boundary.

The main shopping centre serving the area is also called Bayview Village, located at the northeast corner of Sheppard Avenue and Bayview Avenue.

Most of the houses are original. There has only been some limited infill housing (newly built houses replacing the older ones) within the Bayview Village area. Most homes have undergone renovation and landscaping to fit the park-like neighbourhood. New developments include high rise condominiums on the north side of Sheppard Avenue, on the south side of Bayview Village on the site of the former St Gabriel's Catholic church, and townhouse developments.

The recently built Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Sheppard subway passes through the neighbourhood, including Bayview and Bessarion stations.

Demographics

Bayview Village’s major ethnic and cultural groups (by ancestry) in 2001:
* Chinese - 18%
* Canadian - 8%
* English - 7%
* Jewish - 5%
* Scottish - 5%
* Irish - 4%
* Iranian - 4%
* Romanian - 3%
* East Indian - 3%
* German - 3%
* Other - 40%The percentage of population below the poverty line dropped from 19% (in 1996) to 15% (in 2001).

External links

* [http://www.bayviewvillage.org/ Bayview Village Association]

References

Toronto Neighbourhood Geography
Center=Bayview Village
North=Bayview Woods-Steeles
East=Don Valley Village
Henry Farm
South=St. Andrew-Windfields
West=Willowdale East