Weston, Toronto
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Weston is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the north-west end of the city. The neighbourhood generally lies south of Highway 401, east of the Humber River, north of Eglinton Avenue, and west of Jane Street. Weston Road just north of Lawrence Avenue is the "downtown" core of Weston, with many small businesses and services.
In addition to its traditional Anglo-Canadian roots, Weston is currently home to people of various cultures and ethnicities from around the world.
[edit] History
The first European settlement was in the 1790s, when a saw mill was built on the west side of the Tanaouate River (which we now call the Humber River) on an old native trading path along the Humber River, named after the well-known Humber estuary in Yorkshire, England. In 1815, James Farr, a prominent local mill owner, named it "Weston" after the place of his birth north of London in Hertfordshire Britain. As this page on Weston notes, "Weston grew along both sides of the river until 1850 when a disastrous flood destroyed the west bank settlement. Improvements to Weston Road (then known as Main Street) and the arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1856 stimulated substantial growth on the east side."
The Town of Weston grew, and over the 19th century became an important industrial centre for the Toronto area. The symbol adopted for the town, an outline of an old-fashioned bicycle, was based on this history of manufacturing and especially the old CCM bicycle factory on Lawrence Avenue just east of Weston Road. Models of bicycles now hang from the streetlights along Weston Road.
Weston was incorporated as a village in 1881, and then as a town in 1914; but in 1967 it became part of the Borough (later City) of York. In 1998, York was in turn amalgamated with the five other members of Metropolitan Toronto, (Toronto, Etobicoke, North York, East York, and Scarborough) in the new "megacity" of Toronto.
So in a sense, the Town of Weston has not existed as a legal reality for almost forty years, but the strength of identity of the area is such that it continues to be informally known as "The Town of Weston" to this day. In fact, many of the areas businesses and residents still use "Weston, Ontario" on the sender address for mail, without any reference being made to Toronto. The town has a historic library (previously a Mechanic's Institute and Carnegie library) and there is a Weston farmers' market every Saturday morning from early June to the first weekend in November.
Of late, the issue of the proposed Blue22 hi-speed rail link between Toronto Airport and Union Station downtown has become a hot political issue in Weston. . So called for its 22 minute ride from end to end, it has been proposed for completion by 2009. Under the current proposal, there is no plan for the line to stop in Weston where the route would pass. Weston is currently a station stop on the Georgetown GO line. If approved, the link would see the construction of three additional tracks through the neighbourhood and would increase rail traffic more than four fold. Community activists are worried about the link severing the community (vehicle traffic on one street will be permanently blocked from crossing the tracks, replaced by a pedestrian bridge) and the possibility of lower future property values due to increased noise and diesel fumes. It was an issue during the Canadian Federal Election being held on January 23, 2006 where incumbent liberal MP, Alan Tonks, supported the link, while the other candidates opposed it. It is also an issue in the February 2007 provincial by-election, where all local candidates came out against the link, but which was still supported by the governing Liberals.
[edit] Gallery
 weston town hall - may 23 1955 (built 1883- demolished 1957) |
 south of little avenue, looking north at streetcar on weston road 1909? |
 grand trunk railroad station in weston @ john street (currently GO station) ca. 1900 |
 plan of union mills in weston |
 CPR weston station 1949 |
 1965 aerial of weston |
 construction of weston public library (1914) |
 map of weston 1878 |
[edit] External links
- Welcome To Weston
- Weston Place
- Weston Village BIA
- Toronto Public Library - Weston Branch
- Weston Community Coalition
- Weston Community Coalition rapid transit proposal
- Weston GO Station — TRAIN STATION
- TTC 89 Weston route map
- Weston Neighbourhood Profile from city of toronto website
- Google Maps Image Of Weston
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| Municipalities amalgamated in... | ||
| 1998 | East York · Etobicoke · North York · Scarborough · Toronto · York · Metropolitan Toronto |  |
| 1967 | Forest Hill · Leaside · Long Branch · Mimico · New Toronto · Swansea · Weston | |
| 1883– 1912 |
1912: Dovercourt · Earlscourt 1910: Moore Park · North Toronto 1909: Bracondale · Midway · West Toronto · Wychwood 1908: Deer Park · East Toronto 1905: Rosedale 1890: Bedford Park · Davisville · Eglinton 1889: Parkdale 1888: Seaton Village 1884: Brockton · Riverdale 1883: Yorkville | |
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