The Annex

Infobox City
official_name = The Annex
subdivision_type2 = Country
subdivision_name2 = Canada
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = Ontario
subdivision_type = City
subdivision_name = Toronto


image_size=275px
image_caption=Larger homes typically found in the Annex north of Bloor Street


mapsize=150px
map_caption=Location of Annex within Toronto

The Annex is a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 'traditional' boundaries of the neighbourhood are north from Bloor to Dupont, west to Bathurst, and east to Avenue Road. [cite web |url=http://www.torontoneighbourhoods.net/regions/toronto_central/04_overview.html |title=Toronto Neighbourhoods Net Boundaries|publisher=TorontoNeighbourhoods.Net] The City of Toronto defines a broader "Annex" neighbourhood, with official boundaries of north from Bloor Street, extending west to Christie Street, north to the CNR/CPR railway tracks, and east to Yonge Street. [cite web |url=http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/cns_profiles/cns95.htm |title=The Annex Neighbourhood profile |publisher=City of Toronto] This includes the areas of "Seaton Village" or "West Annex" to the west of Bathurst and "Yorkville" to the east of Avenue Road.

It is an affluent neighbourhood with well-educated residents and it borders the University of Toronto. The Annex has traditionally been home to many of the university's faculty, as well as housing the university's student body. The Annex is in the political riding of Trinity—Spadina, which is represented both provincially and federally by the New Democratic Party.

History

European settlement of this area began in the 1790s when surveyors laid out York Township. The area east of Brunswick Avenue became part of the village of Yorkville, while the region west of Brunswick was part of Seaton Village. In 1883, Yorkville agreed to annexation with the City of Toronto. In 1886, Simeon Janes, a developer, created a subdivision which he called the Toronto Annex.

First residents of the area included Timothy Eaton, patriarch of the Eatons Department Store, and George Gooderham, president of Gooderham & Worts Distillery. The Annex's Golden Era lasted until the 1920's, when the upper classes began to migrate northward to newer more fashionable suburbs in Forest Hill and Lawrence Park.

Those who stayed behind helped form the Annex Residents Association. This powerful lobby group saved the Annex from the proposed Spadina Expressway which would have divided the Annex in half, had it been built.

The Annex has endured and is now over one hundred years old. It remains one of Toronto's premier neighbourhoods. [cite web |url=http://www.torontoneighbourhoods.net/regions/toronto_central/04.html |title=Toronto Neighborhoods, The Annex]

Character

It is mainly residential, with quiet, tree lined one-way streets lined with beautiful Victorian and Edwardian homes and mansions, most of them built between 1880 and the early 1900s. During the 1950s and 1960s, an influx of Hungarian immigrants moved into the neighbourhood after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution was suppressed, and many of the businesses and properties along Bloor are owned by Hungarian-Canadian families.

The stretch of Bloor Street between St. George and Bathurst is a vibrant social and retail area, offering to Toronto a wide range of services from upscale dining to discount retailers like Honest Ed's. When someone says that they are "going to the Annex," this stretch of Bloor St. is usually what they are referring to. Favorite locales include: Future Bakery, Sushi on Bloor, Sonic Boom, The Bloor Cinema, Lee's Palace, and The Brunswick House.

In fact, The Annex is known for many of Toronto's "bests." For one of the best baked treats, you can head to the DT Bisro Patisserie on Harbord, the best baked bread is in the Harbord Bakery, right across from the DT Bistro. It also offers one of the best bookstores, the Toronto Women's Bookstore, which caters a loyal following from University of Toronto students and faculty. The Annex is also known for harboring the two best sushi spots in town, one block away from each other: New Generation Sushi and Sushi on Bloor. [cite web |url=http://blogto.com/theannex |title=Blog Toronto: The Annex]

The Annex is also one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in Toronto in which to rent or own a home. Because of its proximity to the university, it has a high rate of seasonal tenant turnover, and its residents range from university students to long-time residents, including well-established and wealthy families. The neighbourhood's appeal sometimes results in the stretching of its borders by realtors and residents of surrounding areas. For example, Seaton Village, the architecturally-similar district between Bathurst St. and Christie St., is considered by some to be the "West Annex", although the street signs on that stretch of Bloor call it the Korean Business Area. The area between Bloor and College Street is also sometimes referred to as the "South Annex" (again, most often by realtors).

It is interesting to note that, although the Annex is widely regarded as being peaceful, vibrant, and highly desirable, it is also fairly dense. In fact, if the rest of the geographical Toronto (the official City of Toronto, not including suburban municipalities) was built in a similar manner to the Annex, the entire population of the sprawling GTA (approximately 6 million people [Statistics Canada Census 2006] ) would fit in an area less than one-tenth the size that it does now [Population of approx. 6 000 000 divided by average Annex population density of 8 500 people/km² gives approx. 706 km²; current size of Greater Toronto Area is approx. 7 125km². From Census 2001 Data and http://www.brocku.ca/maplibrary/atlas96/Toronto/TO_popdens.PDF] .

eaton Village

Seaton Village or 'West Annex' is that part of the Annex west of Bathurst Street. Although the Koreatown shopping district is at its southern border, it is sometimes referred to as the "West Annex". While Seaton Village shares several characteristics with The Annex (notably its architecture and its popularity with University of Toronto students), it is generally quieter, more family-oriented, and with smaller, less expensive homes.

Vermont Square Park is near the centre of Seaton Village. The park has a playground, including a wading pool. St. Albans Boys and Girls club and the Bill Bolton hockey arena are also located in the park.

Clinton Street features a house almost totally covered with circular "woodcakes" cut from billiards cues.Bielski, Zosia. [http://www.canada.com/cityguides/toronto/story.html?id=f76d092e-f520-4133-be8e-9771ad648801&k=48291 "Home on the strange: odd abodes celebrated"] , "National Post", 12 August 2006. Retrieved 28 January 2008.]

Yorkville

The area east of Avenue Road is known as Yorkville, after a former town, annexed by the City of Toronto. It is now predominantly a shopping district, with many former residential homes converted to offices, restaurants or stores.

Culture

The neighbourhood has a thriving cultural scene, with the Tranzac (Toronto Australia-New Zealand) Club, the Bathurst Street Theatre, the Bloor Theatre (repertory cinema), the Jewish Community Centre, and, until recently, the now closed Poor Alex Theatre at Bloor and Brunswick. Stores are open late and some restaurants are open well past midnight.

Transportation

The Annex is well served by public transit, including four Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway stations: Bathurst, St. George, Spadina, and Dupont. Bus services operate on Bathurst north of Bloor and on Spadina Road; streetcars operate on Spadina Avenue, Bathurst Street south of Bloor, and College Street.

Notable persons

The Annex is home to the Canadian writer Margaret Atwood and the former Governor General and broadcaster Adrienne Clarkson. The noted urban theorist and activist Jane Jacobs lived at 69 Albany Avenue for the 37 years up to her death in April 2006. [Globe and Mail, 2006-04-29, page M3] Members of the rock band Sloan also reside in the neighbourhood.

Seaton Village is the former home of Canadian poet and children's author Dennis Lee and Oscar-winning (for "Chicago") sound engineer David Lee (no relation). It is the current home of novelist and playwright Ann-Marie MacDonald and sociologist Barry Wellman.It is also where George Pops who has a residence.

References

External links

* [http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/cns_profiles/cns95.htm The Annex Neighbourhood profile]
* [http://www.theara.org/ The Annex Residents Association]
* [http://www.theannex.com The Annex.com]
* [http://www.toronto.com/feature/7892/AnnexStGeorge.html The Annex history on Toronto.com]
* [http://www.torontoneighbourhoods.net/regions/toronto_central/04.html The Annex on torontoneighbourhoods.net]
*wikitravel|Toronto/The Annex|The Annex

Toronto Neighbourhood Geography
North = Wychwood, Casa Loma
Yonge and St. Clair
East = Rosedale
South = Palmerston-Little Italy
West = Dovercourt-Wallace Emerson
Center = The Annex