Queens Quay in 1910
Queens Quay begins west of Bathurst Street at Stadium Road and ends at Lake Shore Boulevard East, where it continues north as
Parliament Street. The roadbed is built entirely on infill and is the closest road to Lake Ontario throughout the downtown core. Though once abutted by industrial and transportation uses from end to end, much of its length is now lined with recreational and residential uses. The
509 Harbourfront streetcar line now travels in a dedicated
streetcar right-of-way in the median from
Bay Street to
Bathurst Street. The length east of Yonge Street retains some industrial uses, although this is changing with the development of residential and commercial uses. In 2015,
Waterfront Toronto announced its plans to turn Queens Quay into a grand lakefront boulevard by placing streetcar lanes in the centre, traffic only on the north side and a bicycle and pedestrian focused space on the south side. The plan reduces the number of traffic lanes on Queens Quay to two, to the north side of the streetcar tracks. Additionally, the plan calls for the beautification and extension of the Harbourfront streetcar line along Queens Quay East between Yonge and Cherry streets. The newly modified Queens Quay was completed in 2015 from Bathurst Street to Bay Street.
Lake Shore Boulevard Lake Shore Boulevard, often incorrectly compounded to
Lakeshore Boulevard, is so named because of its course along the
Lake Ontario shoreline. Although the road west of
Roncesvalles Avenue (which was the eastern terminus of the original
Lake Shore Road, which continued as Queen Street) has existed since the 19th century, much of the remainder of the route was created between the 1920s and 1950s. Lake Shore Boulevard east of the
Humber River was doubled in width by widening into the right of way of Lake Shore Road, replacing it, which resulted in the demolition of the rail overpass leading to the Queen/Roncesvalles intersection by 1960. Incorporating various streets (that mostly formed the original route of former
Highway 2) such as Laburnam Avenue, Starr Avenue and Dominion Street, the route was pushed east to
Bathurst Street on January 28, 1924. From there, it continued as Fleet Street to Cherry Street, incorporating a segment of the latter. Keating Street continued east from a point just south of that intersection to Leslie Street, and a new extension was built to turn north to tie into a short southerly extension of Woodbine Avenue. These three streets were reconstructed to form a continuous roadway, and renamed as part of Lake Shore Boulevard on August 25, 1959. West of downtown, Lake Shore Boulevard is served by TTC streetcar routes
501 Queen and
508 Lake Shore.
Mill Street Mill Street runs from Parliament Street to Bayview Avenue. Now associated with the heritage
Distillery District,
Corktown, Toronto and
Mill Street Brewery, the road was named in reference to the
Toronto Rolling Mills, a rail-making plant founded by Sir
Casimir Gzowski in 1857 that was once located at Rolling Mills Road (once called East Street and later Water Street) until 1874 and torn down for use as
Grand Trunk Railway railyard (now used by
GO Transit). Mill Street Brewery, owned by
InBev, is named after this street and continues to maintain a brewery and restaurant on that street in the Distillery District.
Front Street Front Street is so named because it fronted the
Lake Ontario shoreline at the time of the original layout of York. The early street was called
Palace Street. In the early years of the 20th century, the
Toronto Harbour Commission revitalized the stagnant industrial waterfront. Largely as a result of this process, the shoreline was filled several hundred metres south to Queens Quay. Front Street begins at Bathurst Street and crosses through
downtown Toronto north of the rail viaduct. The road passes the
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the
CN Tower and
Union Station before eventually merging with Eastern Avenue. A short side street section branches off at the diversion and continues east to
Bayview Avenue. It was connected with Kingston Road in 1998 following the removal of the old
Woodbine Racetrack. Eastern Avenue begins at a curve along
Front Street east of Parliament Street; eastbound traffic on Front is defaulted onto Eastern Avenue, vice versa for westbound traffic on Eastern. The road crosses the
Don River, merging with Richmond Street and Adelaide Street and providing access to the
Don Valley Parkway. East of Broadview Avenue, it travels parallel to and three blocks south of Queen Street East along the King Street
alignment to east of Coxwell Avenue, where it curves northward and meets Queen Street. North of Queen Street, the road becomes Kingston Road. The street was split into east and west sections in 1884. In 1926, at the request of property owners, Adelaide Street West was extended from Bathurst Street to Shaw Street, incorporating the entirety of Defoe Street and McDonnell Square. The most recent extension came in 1965, when Adelaide Street East was routed onto Duke Street, which crossed between Jarvis Street and Parliament Street. This was done in advance of the opening of the lower section of the Don Valley Parkway and eastern section of the Gardiner Expressway. Newgate and Duke Streets were amalgamated into Adelaide Street East. Between the Eastern Avenue ramp and Bathurst Street, Adelaide Street serves as the eastbound member of a
one-way pair, together with Richmond Street as the westbound member.
Richmond Street Richmond Street is named after
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond. Lennox came to Canada in 1818 as Governor-in-Chief of
British North America, and died a year later after being bitten by a
rabid fox while touring the countryside. Richmond Street absorbed Duchess Street east of Jarvis and became a one-way road in 1958 as part of a process to build ramps to Eastern Avenue and the Don Valley Parkway. Richmond Street is a westbound one-way street from Yonge Street to Strachan Avenue, and it is one-way eastbound from Niagara Street to Bathurst Street. It is serving as the westbound member of a
one-way pair, together with Adelaide Street as its eastbound counterpart. Between its western terminus at Strachan Avenue and Bathurst Street, the street is one-way, alternating directions twice.
Queen Street Queen Street, known as
Lot Street until 1844, was named in honour of
Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 until her death in 1901. For a time, Lot Street served as the northern limit of York. On the north side of the street, large park lots were granted to
loyalists and government officials, many of whom never visited Upper Canada during their lives. The central portion of Lot Street was constructed as the baseline for surveys along Yonge Street by the Queen's Rangers in 1793 as the first
concession road. It was later extended west to Ossington Avenue as part of the Governor's Road (
Dundas Street). Queen Street begins at an intersection with the Queensway, Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street and crosses through
Parkdale, the
Fashion District,
downtown Toronto,
Riverdale,
Leslieville,
East Toronto and
The Beaches, ending east of Victoria Park Avenue at a residential street named Fallingbrook Road in Scarborough. Aside from the easternmost three blocks from Neville Park Boulevard to Fallingbrook Road, the entirety of the street is served by the
501 Queen streetcar route.
Dundas Street Dundas Street was named by
John Graves Simcoe in honour of the Right Honourable
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville. Like Yonge Street, named in a similar example of
cronyism, Dundas Street was created as a defensive road. Simcoe feared the impending invasion of the Americans following the
Revolutionary War, an event that would occur in
1812. Dundas Street was to connect York with
Detroit, then a British settlement; it reached as far as
London, Simcoe's proposed new capital. The street was constructed by the Queen's Rangers between
Dundas and the
Thames River in 1794, and later extended east to York by pioneer road builder
Asa Danforth in 1797. Dundas Street used to begin at the present-day intersection of Queen Street West and Ossington Avenue. It travelled north along Ossington Avenue, then turned west at
Garrison Creek along the current Dundas Street. By the 1920s, Dundas Street was extended east through
downtown Toronto to Broadview Avenue along several existing but discontinuous streets, comprising Arthur Street (Ossington Avenue to Bathurst Street), St. Patrick Street (Bathurst Street to McCaul Street), Anderson Street (McCaul Street to University Avenue), Agnes (University Avenue to Yonge Street), Crookshank (Yonge Street to Victoria Street, now separated and known as Dundas Square, though the public square itself is named
Sankofa Square and Wilton Avenue (Victoria Street to Broadview Avenue). This was done by correcting several irregularities, or "jogs", between the streets. These jogs are evident east of Bathurst Street and east of Yonge Street. Amid the
protests following the
murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, over 10,000 people have signed a petition calling the city to
rename Dundas Street "due to its namesake's involvement in supporting the gradual abolition of slavery in the British Empire in the 18th century" as opposed to immediate abolition. Dundas station has been renamed TMU station as a result.
Gerrard Street section of Gerrard Street
Gerrard Street was established on January 6, 1875 by incorporating
Don Street and
Lake View Avenue. It is named after Irish businessman Samuel Gerrard, a personal friend of the Honourable John McGill. The bridge over the
Don River was completed and opened on December 16, 1923. Gerrard Street begins at University Avenue in the
Discovery District, surrounded by
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre,
Mount Sinai Hospital,
Toronto General Hospital and
The Hospital for Sick Children. It travels east through
downtown Toronto, past
Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and
Regent Park before crossing the
Don River on the Gerrard Street Viaduct, constructed between 1922 and 1924. The road continues through
East Chinatown and
Gerrard India Bazaar (also known as Little India). At Coxwell Avenue, the road deviates one block to the north; this split has led to the distinct parts being labelled as Upper and Lower Gerrard Street. Gerrard Street ends at Clonmore Avenue, west of Warden Avenue; traffic is forced onto Clonmore Avenue, where it can travel as far as Birchmount Road.
Carlton Street Carlton Street was named by Ann Wood, wife of both
Andrew Ryan McGill and then
John Strachan, after her brother, Guy Carleton Wood, who was in turn named after
Guy Carleton; it is unknown when the "e" was dropped from the spelling. In 1930, as part of a depression relief program, Carlton Street was realigned east of Yonge Street in order to meet with College Street. The realignment can be seen at the site of the Richard R. Horkins building (the one-time head office of the
Toronto Hydro at 14 Carlton Street), where Carlton Street (heading west) suddenly angles in a northwesterly direction to meet Yonge Street. Prior to that, Carlton Street met Yonge Street south of the present intersection by several dozen metres. The completed intersection was opened in early June 1931. Carlton Street is home to
Maple Leaf Gardens;
Toronto Maple Leafs mascot, Carlton the Bear, is named after this street. It extends from Yonge Street east to Parliament Street as a major thoroughfare. After a sharp jog north at Parliament Street, Carlton continues east of Parliament as a residential street, ending at the edge of
Riverdale Park. In 2011, several of these institutions have collaborated with
Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario (Francophone Assembly of Ontario) on a proposal to have the area formally designated as the city's "French Quarter".
Bloor Street / Queens Park in 2011
Bloor Street was named by 1855 after Joseph Bloore. It was surveyed as the first concession road north of the baseline (now Queen Street). It has been known by many names, including the Tollgate Road (as the first tollgate on Yonge north of Lot Street was constructed there in 1820), then St. Paul's Road (after the nearby church, constructed 1842), and possibly Sydenham Road (after Lord Sydenham, Governor General 1839–1841). Although Bloore had an "e" at the end of his surname, Bloor Street was never spelled with it, as evidenced on numerous maps produced before his death. Between
Dundas Street and its east end, it was originally a part of
Ontario Highway 5 before being transferred to the city. Canada's most expensive shopping district is located on the
Mink Mile section of Bloor Street.
Danforth Avenue " attracts one million visitors over three days every August in
Greektown.
Danforth Avenue, known as the
Don and Danforth Road until 1871, takes its name from pioneer road builder
Asa Danforth, who built the
Governors Road and Danforth Road by the end of the 18th century, under the direction of surveyor general
Augustus Jones. Danforth Avenue, however, was constructed in 1851 by the Don and Danforth Plank Road Company, connecting the Don Mills Road (now Broadview Avenue north of Danforth Avenue) with the Danforth Road. The road was extended east to Kingston Road (formerly
Highway 2) in 1935, which included the construction of the present interchange.
Greektown is located on Danforth Avenue between Chester Avenue and Dewhurst Boulevard. Danforth Avenue was the site of
a mass shooting that took place on July 22, 2018.
Annette Street Annette Street is named after Annette Greene (1837–1900), wife of developer and barrister Columbus Hopkins Greene (1830–1921).
Dupont Street in 2023
Dupont Street is named for George Dupont Wells, son of Colonel Joseph Wells. George was one of the first students of
Upper Canada College, and several other streets are named after him. These include Wells Street and Wells Hill. Dupont Street begins at Dundas Street as a continuation of Annette Street. It runs parallel to (though with a few jogs) and south of the CPR Midtown tracks east to Avenue Road. The
Galleria Mall, located on the southwest corner of Dupont Street and
Dufferin Street, was the only enclosed shopping centre located on Dupont Street, as well as in Old Toronto west of Avenue Road and north of Bloor Street / Danforth Avenue. The section east of Bathurst Street was formerly a part of
Vaughan Road. It runs from
Yonge Street to
Old Weston Road.
Burnhamthorpe Road Burnhamthorpe Road is named after a village in
Mississauga, which in turn was named by settler John Abelson for his home
Burnham Thorpe,
England. The street only runs for a short distance in Toronto, where it begins at
Dundas Street, but it becomes one of the main arterial roads across the City of
Mississauga to the west before reaching its western terminus just west of, and after breaking at,
Sixteen Mile Creek in
Oakville. The street was originally called Mono Sixth Line Road.
O'Connor Drive '''O'Connor Drive''' takes its name from Senator
Frank Patrick O'Connor, who owned Maryvale farm in
Scarborough Township. In 1913, O'Connor opened the
Laura Secord Candy Shop on Yonge Street named after
War of 1812 heroine
Laura Secord, which has since become a national chain. O'Connor Drive begins at the northern terminus of Broadview Avenue and progresses east to Woodbine Avenue, where it turns to the northeast and continues to Victoria Park Avenue and Eglinton Avenue.
Rathburn Road Rathburn Road is a street in
Etobicoke and
Mississauga, which roughly parallels
Burnhamthorpe Road to its north between the
Credit River and
Islington Avenue, breaking at the
Etobicoke Creek, which divides the two cities. Its street name was acquired in 1954 to avoid name duplication and before known as Rosethorn Road.
St. Clair Avenue St. Clair Avenue, once the
Third Concession, crosses through a majority of the city. The road is separated into two sections by the
Don Valley. The western segment begins east of the
Humber River at Scarlett Road in the former city of
York, where it is angled and does not follow the concession line as a result of road realignments for the construction of the
Canadian Pacific Railway crossing in 1912. From there, it proceeds east past Runnymede Road, where it enters Old Toronto. After that, it continues to run past the
Vale of Avoca to east of Mount Pleasant Road, but stops short of the Don valley. On the opposite side, it begins near O'Connor Drive and continues along the same
alignment to Kingston Road.
Davisville Avenue Davisville Avenue is named after John Davis, who opened Davis Pottery at Yonge and Davisville in 1845. Davis Pottery became nationally renowned; Davis used the newfound fortune to build schools and churches, and became the first postmaster of the growing village. Davisville Avenue was built in the early 20th century as one of several roads connecting Yonge Street with the planned town of
Leaside. It begins as a continuation of Chaplin Crescent at Yonge Street and proceeds eastwards to Bayview Avenue. It travels east for approximately 1.8 km from Millwood Road, crossing the Charles H. Hiscott Bridge before terminating at Don Mills Road. Overlea Boulevard continues east into southern
Flemingdon Park as Gateway Boulevard.
Coca-Cola's Canadian Head Office was located at 42-46 Overlea Boulevard from 1965 to 2013, when it moved to downtown Toronto. An on-site bottling plant was demolished after its production line was relocated to
Brampton, including a 1964
Walter Yarwood sculpture called
Coca-Cola that stood in front of it. The head office complex, designed by Mathers and Haldenby, was listed on the City of Toronto's heritage registrar in 2012. In a November 2020 report,
Surface Transit Network Plan Update, Overlea Boulevard along with Don Mills Road and Pape Avenue were identified as the ninth most important surface transit corridor by the City of Toronto's Transportation Services Division, City Planning Division, and the
Toronto Transit Commission.
Metrolinx plans to build an elevated
Thorncliffe Park Station at the intersection of Overlea Boulevard and Thorncliffe Park Drive (west side) as part of its
Ontario Line project. During the
COVID-19 pandemic, East Toronto Health Partners operated a mass immunization clinic at East York Town Centre at 45 Overlea Boulevard. Opened on March 24, 2021, it was the fourth such facility in the City of Toronto.
Rogers Road Rogers Road is named after Stephen Rogers, who immigrated from
Teignmouth,
Devon and built one of the first houses in the
Oakwood area in 1876 at the present corners of Rogers Road and Oakwood Avenue. It was constructed in the 1920s to serve
Prospect Cemetery. The road crosses between Weston Road (incorporating a former section of
Old Weston Road) and
Oakwood Avenue along the southern boundary of the former city of York. It had
its own streetcar line, which was later replaced by a
trolley bus line, in turn later replaced by the route 161 Rogers Road
bus.
Eglinton Avenue Eglinton Avenue, once the
Fourth Concession, takes its name from
the village that was established at its intersection with Yonge Street. There are several possible origins of the name, all of which lead back to the
Earl of Eglinton. Several Scottish veterans of the
War of 1812 settled in the area, possibly naming it after their Earl of Eglinton, Hugh Montgomerie. Hugh's successor, Archibald William Montgomerie, was famous for a lavish tournament held at his
Eglinton Castle in 1839. For two years prior to the formation of
Metropolitan Toronto, the section of Eglinton Avenue through Scarborough was known as Highway 109. Eglinton Avenue is the only road in Toronto to cross all six former municipalities. It begins in Mississauga and travels east through
Richview,
Mount Dennis,
Little Jamaica,
North Toronto,
Leaside, the
Golden Mile,
Brimley and
Scarborough Village before ending at Kingston Road. The majority of Eglinton Avenue is abutted by commercial strip plazas, auto dealerships, and dense apartment blocks, though almost every zoning condition presents itself along the road.
Roselawn Avenue Roselawn Avenue is a minor collector road that runs from Yonge Street to just west of Dufferin Street. However, between just east of Marlee Avenue and Bathurst Street in
Forest Hill, Roselawn Avenue becomes Elm Ridge Drive, which has a large traffic circle containing Nicol MacNicol Parkette.
Blythwood Road Blythwood Road is a minor collector road, which connects Yonge Street with Bayview Avenue and the
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Lawrence Avenue begins in the west at
Royal York Road. West of there, the road continues as
The Westway, a windy
collector road that ends at
Martin Grove Road constructed post-World War II to serve the growing
Willowridge-Martingrove-Richview to the south and the
Kingsview Village to the north. In the east, it was the survey baseline or first concession road from Victoria Park Avenue east to the end near the
Rouge River, east of
Port Union. Lawrence Avenue East is interrupted at
Bayview Avenue, by the west branch of the
Don River and by
York University's
Glendon Campus. 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 an arterial road, passing through
Don Mills. In the East Don Valley is the Lawrence Avenue exit of the
Don Valley Parkway. From there, Lawrence Avenue continues as a six-lane road through most of
Scarborough, with many
strip malls flanking its sides. The segment east of
Morningside Avenue is primarily residential. The road ends at Rouge Hills Drive at the entrance to Rouge Park near the mouth of the
Rouge River. George and Thomas Dixon constructed sawmills on their properties abutting the road in 1818 and 1823, respectively. Dixon begins as a westward continuation of Scarlett Road at its northern terminus and travels west to
Highway 427, where it ends by defaulting into
Airport Road (named after
Toronto Pearson International Airport, located on the west side of the highway), after crossing into
Mississauga, which itself continues northwest through
Peel Region to the boundary of
Simcoe County. The stretch between Highway 427 and Martin Grove Road is often referred to as the "Airport Strip", due to the large numbers of hotels serving the airport.
Orfus Road Orfus Road is in the
Yorkdale neighbourhood and runs between Caledonia Road and Dufferin Street. It mainly consists of
outlet stores (mostly fashion), the Yorkdale Adult Day School and the Rinx entertainment complex.
Ellesmere Road Ellesmere Road is named after the village (founded as post office in 1853) that once occupied its intersection with Kennedy Road, which was itself named after
the birthplace of the original settlers in
Shropshire, England. The road travels through Scarborough, where it was laid as the first concession road (Lawrence Avenue being the baseline in the survey of Scarborough). The surrounding land alternates between single-unit homes and commercial strips, along with
industrial parks, throughout its length.
York Mills Road York Mills Road meets Yonge Street, the road to York, in
Hoggs Hollow. Between 1804 and 1926, many mills flourished in this valley, lending to both the name of the road and
neighbourhood. York Mills is an eastward continuation of Wilson Avenue; this continuity did not exist until the opening of the
Yonge Subway extension in 1973. It is primarily residential in nature, except near Yonge Street and between Leslie Street and Don Mills Road, which are mostly commercial. The road ends at
Victoria Park Avenue; a connection to Ellesmere Road is provided via Parkwoods Village Drive, which redirects traffic as it passes Parkway Village Plaza and south of the remaining section of York Mills Road. The road travels east from Yonge as a continuation of Drewry Avenue (which begins at Bathurst Street). At its crossing of the Don River, Cummer curves north, returns to the east and ends at Leslie Street. East of Leslie Street, the road continues as McNicoll Avenue before ending at
Morningside Avenue in Scarborough. East of Morningside Avenue, the road runs as Oasis Boulevard, before curving northwards to serve the
Morningside Heights neighbourhood in northeastern Scarborough.
Steeles Avenue Steeles Avenue is a major arterial road in the north end of the city that marks the boundary between Toronto and
York Region to the north, though the road itself is maintained by The City of Toronto. It is the only road (aside from
Highway 401) to pass uninterrupted, west to east through the full width of the city; it also continues west to
Milton (after traversing
Brampton) and becomes
Taunton Road in
Pickering. The Scarborough section was also once referred as Scarborough Townline. The street is named after Thomas Steele, who resided at what is today Yonge and Steeles beginning in 1856. Later, he purchased the
Green Bush Inn and renamed it the Steeles Hotel. == See also ==