The Junction
Victoria Lofts in the Junction
History is alive and well in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood, where classic architecture and sturdy, turn-of-the-century buildings house young families, successful businesses, and a thriving artistic community alike. Named for the four rail lines that crossed paths there back when it was called the Town of West Toronto, the Junction has gone through many changes in its hundred year history. Founded as a township to house the workers of the railroad and the industry that would spring up around it, the Junction’s prime location led to years of prosperity before an economic downturn forced the city of West Toronto to merge with Toronto proper, cementing its status as a prosperous suburb.
These days, what were once factories and warehouses forms a wide variety of boutiques and restaurants, and anyone looking for a looking for a broad range of shopping can find them tucked away just north of the train tracks, where the site of the former Ontario stockyards has been transformed into a modern shopping destination, offering big box stores for all possible consumer needs. Local dinning takes on an international flare with the Junction’s many restaurants; Indian Kiss delivers the best in Indian takeout, West Town Chinese Restaurant offers a taste of the East, while The Purple Onion Steakhouse provides the finest cuts of beef straight from the grill.
In addition to the bohemian character of its shops and its thriving artistic community – the Junction Arts Festival drew a quarter-million attendees in 2010! – the Junction is also the perfect location for young families looking for a place to raise their children. With some of the best public schools right in the neighbourhood, such as Annette Street Public and High Park Alternative, as well as many parks and a variety of leisure activities, the Junction is a nurturing, broadly multicultural environment, and its proximity to downtown Toronto ensures that it will never feel like an isolated suburbia.
The Junction
Walking down Pacific Avenue, it’s easy to imagine the hoofbeats of the thoroughbreds that once galloped down the track of the Carlton Raceway, which stood here before even the railroads came. And while the pace may have slowed some since the first Queen’s Plate was run here in 1860, the neigbourhood is every bit as vibrant now as it was when the first pathways were cleared to help move goods west towards Michigan. It was perfectly situated for commerce then, and perfectly suited for comfortable city living now.