The High Park Neighbourhood, or often simply High Park, after the park, is a neighbourhood bounded on the south by Bloor Street, on the west by Runnymede Road, on the north by Annette Street, Quebec Avenue and Humberside Avenue, and on the east by the GO Transit Weston Subdivision rail tracks (formerly owned by Canadian National Railway). It is located in the Parkdale—High Park provincial and federal electoral districts. The area east of Keele Street is also known informally as the "West Bend" neighbourhood.
The History of High Park
HIgh Park North exists within the traditional territories of the Missisauga Anishinaabeg. The area, however, has also been home to Huron-Wendat and Haudenosaunee nations throughout history. High Park North exists on part of an old trading trail that led down toward the lake. This trail is the namesake for Indian Road, Indian Road Crescent, and Indian Grove.
High Park falls entirely within the boundaries of the town of Toronto Junction, which was purchased from the Keele estate in 1882 by Daniel Clendenan, who subdivided the farm and racetrack for a residential district (now called High Park North) to serve the Junction commercial district. As Bloor Street was still an uneven and a mostly undeveloped street, early housing in the area was concentrated to the north and east, where it was easier to access the stores and industry along Dundas Street. High Park Avenue in particular was the site of many early homes of the Junction wealthy, as was modern Evelyn Crescent; many of these houses are still standing. High Park North emerged as a neighbourhood once Bloor Street was widened and evened out following World War I, when most of the residential homes which still exist today were built.
20th Century
In 1915, Bloor Street was the site of a major public works at the north-west corner of High Park. The street, west of High Park Avenue, was crossed by creeks that emptied into Grenadier Pond. The creek banks were steep, making the roadway treacherous and difficult for traffic. A rail trestle was built to cross the gap at a level of 60 feet. The rails were used for rail cars to dump soil around the trestle. The trestle was completely buried and the present Bloor Street roadway built on top. Existing north-south roadways connecting to Bloor Street were raised to meet the new level of Bloor Street and this facilitated the development of the neighbourhood. The first building in Canada designed by a Canadian trained female architect was constructed in the neighbourhood during this period. This landmark building by Jean Hall is a 1925 fourplex located at 63 Jerome Street.
Concurrent with the arrival of the subway line in the 1960s, there were many residences razed in order to build apartment buildings.
In the 1960s, the area directly north of High Park was the site of 'block-busting' development. After the construction of the Bloor-Danforth subway line in the 1960s, the nearby residences on High Park Avenue, Quebec Avenue and Gothic Avenue were bought up by developers, razed and large apartment buildings were built. The area from north of the subway line to Glenlake Avenue is now almost entirely high-rise towers. At the time, the City government was very much pro-development, and there were no local ratepayer/community associations as is seen today. By the 1970s, local residents formed associations in harmony with new reform Council members, partly to fight the block-busting north of High Park.
High Park
High Park is Toronto's largest public park featuring many hiking trails, sports facilities, diverse vegetation, a beautiful lakefront, convenient parking, easy public transit access, a dog park, a zoo, playgrounds for children, a couple of eateries, greenhouses, picnic areas, a bunch of squirrels and various events throughout the year.
High Park Sports Facilities
High Park offers many sports facilities for sports enthusiasts. There are six public tennis courts in the park and the Howard Park Tennis Club offers private memberships. On the west side of Colborne Lodge Drive there are three baseball diamonds and two soccer fields. The outdoor swimming pool - near the baseball diamonds - is open during the summer until Labour Day. There is also a wading pool with free admission
Cherry Blossoms in High Park
High Park attracts many visitors in early spring to admire the beautiful cherry blossoms. This usually happens in late April or early May.
Most of the Sakura cherry trees are located around Hillside Gardens and there are a few by the Duck Pond as well.
Cherry blossoms last for about a week to a week and a half if the weather is nice but if it rains while they are in bloom then the flower petals fall quicker and the blooming may be over in just a few short days. Some years - not too often - if the weather is unusually cold in April then the trees may not bloom at all since Toronto's climate is about as cold as the Sakura trees can tolerate. .
High Park Gardens
High Park has so many different plants and trees and flowers that you will discover a new species or pick a new favourite tree each time you visit the park. The most famous part is Hillside Gardens which starts by the restaurant in the middle and ends by the lakefront. If you're looking for more privacy, however, and enjoy quiet walks then the best places to visit are the long winding network of trails that are not as prominent to the weekend-visitors and many times you can walk for a long time and only come across squirrels and birds along the way. If you like company and prefer to be around lots of other people then the area around Grenadier Café and the duck pond are that places to be.
The Hillside gardens are spectacular every day of the day. There are several waterfalls in the middle of the gardens and two small bridges and the flowers around the water are breathtakingly beautiful. Don't forget to bring your camera! You can take hundreds of pictures and they'll all be unique - High Park is truly a photographer's paradise.
High Park Real Estate
High Park’s winding tree-lined streets are lined with impressive Victorian, Edwardian, and Tudor-style homes. These captivating houses were built largely during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Several of these houses have been divided into multiple-family dwellings. High Park’s distinctive brick homes feature a variety of architectural details that vary from house to house. These features include leaded and stained glass windows, lush wood trims, french doors, hardwood floors and fireplaces.
The desirability of living close to High Park and the subway keeps developers operating in the neighbourhood, although not on the scale of the past. In the first decade of the 2000s, a condominium development was built on the site of a former gas station on the south side of Bloor Street, overlooking High Park on the landfill of the former bridge over Wendigo Creek.
One block east of High Park Avenue, between Pacific and Oakmount, a block of Edwardian-era homes was purchased for demolition. The area is the site of a condominium development overlooking High Park. A tenant of one of the homes remained while the other homes became vacant and boarded up until eviction in 2010, much like the block-busting of the 1960s and 1970s. This is the first block of older homes directly on Bloor Street, facing High Park, to be demolished for apartment building.
Looking for the best of The High Park?
Parks
Schools
Please click here for a comprehensive list of schools in High Park..
Restaurants
The Wicket: This comfy local watering hole features wings, burgers & hearty mains, plus a 2nd-floor game room.
Saci’s Wooden Plate: Traditional Hungarian recipes in a new renovated restaurant with incredible service.
The Mugshot Tavern: Narrow watering hole decorated with celebrity mugshots serving pub grub plus craft beer & cider.
Cafés
.Hannah’s Café and Bakery: Sandwiches, pastries & coffee served in a bright, relaxed setting with outdoor tables & park views.
Enigma: Café serving all-day breakfast, sandwiches & more in a relaxed space with red, art-covered walls.
The Merseyside: Quaint coffee shop with vintage decor serving soups, salads & sandwiches, plus house-baked pastries.