East York

East York, often referred to as Old East York, is a neighbourhood of neighbourhoods, each with their own unique diverse charms. These include; Broadview North, Crescent Town, Glebe Land/Danforth Village, Todmorden Village, and Woodbine Heights.
 
East York, offers a balance of tree lined residential streets, commercial pockets for shopping and commerce, as well as an abundance of nature and parkland.
 
The Lower Don Parklands, featured in this design, provides East York residents and visitors with a tranquil oasis for communing with nature. It is not uncommon to find yourself sharing this natural beauty with deer and other fauna that call this area home.
 
Prior to the 17th century, the area would have been inhabited by First Nations people including the Mississaugas, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples.
Some village and camp sites along the Don River have been occupied for the last 4000 years.
 
In the 1790's Elizabeth Simcoe, wife of John Simcoe (Upper Canada's first lieutenant-governor), became enchanted with the beauty of East York's Don River, and made a series of paintings of the area.
 
In the 1820's Thomas Helliwell, from Todmorden, purchased land in the area and constructed a saw mill.
 
Much of East York was constructed prior to WW2, in a pedestrian-oriented block pattern, with some Edwardian style areas, like Woodbine heights dating back to the early 1900's.
 
For many years, East York did not allow the serving of alcoholic beverages. Those wanting to partake would head south to the Danforth. This prohibition was eliminated in the 1970s.