North York/Willowdale Neighbourhood

Although North York often gets a general suburban label, this municipality actually consists of a several distinct neighbourhoods. There are the mega-mansions of The Bridle Path, the low-income families at Jane-Finch as well as a north-end version of Koreatown. To see how truly diverse Toronto is, take a trip up north. "North Toronto" was traditionally thought of as the area around Yonge and Eglinton but has come to be the area comprised of Willowdale, Don Mills, the Bridle Path, and North York communities combined. This fast-growing commercial hub is home to Nestle, Royal Bank, Xerox, Imperial Oil, Hummingbird Communications, Trimark Financial, H.J. Heinz, Suncor, Procter & Gamble, Warner Brothers, Petro Canada, and British Airways. Willowdale, north of Sheppard Avenue and east of Yonge Street is the oldest neighbourhood of the area. Don Mills Apartments ¬ Torontoﾒs first planned community ¬ is southeast of Willowdale and features Toronto apartments for rent offering great rental value. The Bridlepath, in the Bayview and Lawrence area, is another of Torontoﾒs exclusive neighbourhoods, known for opulent modern homes on large lots. Homes here fetch several million dollars! Over 40 TTC bus routes wind through North York. The new Sheppard Subway line operates along Sheppard Avenue from Yonge Street to Don Mills Road with stations at Yonge Street, Bayview Avenue, Bessarion, Leslie Street and Don Mills. The Sheppard Line connects with the Richmond Hill GOTransit line at the Leslie Station and with Markham Transit at Don Mills Station. GO Transit service connects with York Mills and Yorkdale subway stations. Hwy 401 running east-west and the north-south arteries of Yonge, the Don Valley Parkway and Hwy 400/Black Creek Dr ensure that commuting time to downtown Toronto is a manageable 15-30 minutes. Major shopping centres include Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Fairview Mall, Sheppard Centre, North York Sheridan Mall, Bayview Village and Don Mills Shopping Centre.