Willowdale, Toronto

Willowdale is an established community in the former City of North York, now part of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was originally called "Lansing". North York was merged with five other municipalities and a regional government to form the new "City of Toronto" in 1998.

Willowdale was originally a village centred at the intersection of Willowdale Avenue and Sheppard Avenue East, where a number of small business and commercial buildings still remain. The boundaries of the current neighbourhood extend as far east as Leslie St., west to Senlac Avenue, south to the 401, and north to Steeles Ave. The neighbourhoods abuts Bayview Village to the east and Newtonbrook to the north (sometimes Newtonbrook considered part of Willowdale, as territories of neighborhoods significantly overlap). North York Centre is centred at the intersection of Yonge Street and Empress Avenue and is commonly thought to be a part of Willowdale, though its high-rise residential and commercial development sets it apart from much of the rest of Willowdale in recent years.

The Willowdale neighbourhood consists of single family homes, condominium townhouses and high-rise condominium towers. High density development is restricted along Yonge Street. The single family homes range in age from the original 1910 to 1950's construction (one and two-storey pre-war houses and modest one-and-half storey postwar houses). After the 1990's, very large replacement two-storey luxury homes were constructed by tearing down the original houses. It is in this neighbourhood that the term "monster homes" was first applied by Torontonians.

History

Willowdale was originally settled by Jacob Cummer, who immigrated to Canada from the United States in 1797. Cummer was a mill owner on the nearby Don River, a proprietor of a tinsmith shop on Yonge Street and a self trained doctor and veterinarian. Cummer was held in such high esteem by his neighbours that this area was originally known as Kummer's Settlement.

David Gibson, a distinguished land surveyor, was another leader in this community. Like most of his neighbours, Gibson participated in the ill-fated Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837. He was thus charged with high treason and escaped to the United States were he found employment as the First Assistant Engineer on the building of the Erie Canal.

Gibson returned to his Yonge Street farm in 1851, after being pardoned for his role in the Rebellion. He then helped to establish the "Willow Dale" post office, named after the many willow trees that once graced this district. Members of the Gibson family were still living in Gibson House in the 1920s when the residential subdivision of Willowdale began to take place. The Gibson House, circa 1851, is still standing in its original location at 5172 Yonge Street and is now a historic museum.

Demographics

Population

Home to 61,580 people, Willowdale is an ethnically diverse community, with 59% of all Willowdale residents being immigrants as of 2003. Major ethnic groups in Willowdale include: Chinese: 19.5%, Korean: 6.1%, and Jewish: 5.8%.While English is the mother tongue for 43.7% of the population, other languages with large numbers of speakers include: Chinese: 16%, Korean: 5.4%, and Russian: 5.1%. [ [http://www.toronto.ca/wards2000/ward23.htm] Profile of City of Toronto Ward 23]

Willowdale United Church

The first "church" in Willowdale was called the Cummer Chapel, located at the north west corner of what is now Yonge and Church. This log meeting house was built in 1816 by Jacob Cummer on part of his farm. He and other early members of the church are buried in the cemetery which remains on the site.

The Cummers, who were the first German loyalists and farmers from Pennsylvania, had Lutheran roots. However, they readily mixed in with and married people with Methodist and other roots. Thus the chapel was designated as non-denominational.

A large, yellow, brick and stucco church with a tall spire replaced the log building in 1856. It was called the Methodist Episcopal Church, and became part of the new United Church of Canada in 1925. Between 1931 and 1932, Yonge Street was widened and the front end of the church, facing west, was removed. The front door was relocated to the south side of the building.

Following WW 2, many veterans and their families began to settle in Willowdale. In 1946, the Rev. Welburn Jones became the minister of Willowdale United Church and initiated a building program. In 1954 a substantial building was built on nearby Kenneth Avenue. In 1966, his successor, Rev. Lindsay G. King, replaced him and completed the program. Dynamic changes, involving other churches in the area continue.

Amenities

* Newtonbrook Secondary School
* Elkhorn Public School
* Pineway Public School
* Empress Walk
* Claude Watson School for the Arts
* Earl Haig Secondary School
* A. Y. Jackson Secondary School
* Toronto Transit Commission's Sheppard Subway Line and Yonge Subway Line and associated stations
* St. John's Rehabilitation Hospital
* St. Joseph's Morrow Park High School
* Brebeuf College
* Highland Junior High School
* Zion Heights Junior High School

People

People born in Willowdale include:
*Ice hockey player Kirk McLean
*Ice hockey player Mark Napier
*Ice hockey player Steve Shutt
*Rock lead singer Geddy Lee of Rush

ee also

*Willowdale (electoral district)

External links

Other References
* [http://www.eyag.org/ Early Years Action Group]
* [http://www.toronto.ca/culture/gibson_house.htm Gibson House]