Lawrence Avenue

Lawrence Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is divided into east and west portions (Lawrence Avenue East and Lawrence Avenue West) by Yonge Street, the dividing line of east-west streets in Toronto. It begins in the east near the Rouge River, east of Port Union. In the west, it ends at Royal York Road. From there, the road continues as The Westway, an arterial road that ends at Martin Grove Road.

Lawrence Avenue East is interrupted at Bayview Avenue, by the west branch of the Don River. A detour north on Bayview leads to Post Road, and a connection back to Lawrence Avenue on the east side of the valley. This detour runs through The Bridle Path, one of Toronto's most affluent neighbourhoods. East of Leslie Street, Lawrence becomes a principal arterial road, passing through Don Mills. East of the Don River is the Lawrence Avenue exit of the Don Valley Parkway. Lawrence continues as a three-lane road through most of Scarborough, with many strip malls flanking its sides. The segment east of Morningside Avenue is primarily residential.

History

Lawrence Avenue was named for Jacob Lawrence, a tanner and farmer in the area of Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue.

When the Don Valley Parkway was constructed in the 1960s, Lawrence was rebuilt between the Woodbine Avenue allowance, and Victoria Park Avenue, as a "jog eliminator" between the former concession roads of North York and Scarborough Townships. This portion to Kingston Road (former Highway 2), is a minimum of six lanes wide. Lawrence Avenue served as the "Base Line" for the Scarborough Township Survey in the 1800s, and remains a key road in that area.

Public Transit

The Toronto Transit Commission's 52 Lawrence, 54 Lawrence East, 58 Malton, and 162 Donway bus routes provide service along the length of the avenue. There are three rapid transit stations; Lawrence at Yonge Street and Lawrence West at Allen Road on the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line, and Lawrence East on the Scarborough RT, between Kennedy Road and Midland Avenue.
GO Transit has two commuter rail stations on Lawrence Avenue; Rouge Hill, on the Lakeshore East line, and Weston on the Georgetown line.

Neighbourhoods

* The Bridle Path
* Bendale/Cedarbrae
* Don Mills
* Highland Creek
* Lawrence Heights
* Lawrence Park
* Port Union
* Weston
* Wexford

Buildings/Sites

* Amesbury Community Centre
* CIBC, 750 Lawrence West; major computer centre.
* Cedarbrae Mall
* Winston Churchill Collegiate Institute, named after Winston Churchill.
* Don Mills Centre
* Don Mills Collegiate Institute
* Edwards Gardens
* Glendon College, York University.
* Havergal College.
* Lawrence subway station.
* Lawrence East RT station.
* Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute
* Lawrence Plaza, one of the earliest plazas in Toronto.
* Lawrence Square Mall - former RS Simpson Limited warehouse.
* Lawrence West subway station.
* McGregor Park Community Centre and Arena.
* Sir Oliver Mowat CI, named after Oliver Mowat.
* Rouge Hill GO Station
* Scarborough Hospital, Scarborough General division.
* David and Mary Thomson Collegiate Institute, named after Scarborough's first European (Scottish) born pioneer families.
* Thomson Memorial Park
* Toronto French School
* Weston GO Station

ee also

* Eglinton Avenue

References

* [http://www.lostrivers.ca/points/Lawrence.htm Lawrence family]