Scarborough Village

Scarborough Village
Neighbourhood
Eglinton Avenue at the Eglinton GO Station, east of Bellamy Road
Coordinates: 43°44′35″N 79°13′08″W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
City	Toronto
District	Scarborough
Changed Municipality	1998 Toronto from Scarborough
Government
• MP	John McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood)
• MPP	Mitzie Hunter (Scarborough—Guildwood)
• Councillor	Gary Crawford (Ward 36 Scarborough Southwest)
Elevation	158 m (518 ft)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code(s)	(416) and (647)

Scarborough Village is a neighbourhood in the suburb of Scarborough in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was one of the earliest settlements in the former township of Scarborough with the distinction of being the site of the township's first post office. Today, the neighbourhood is composed of private and public housing, apartment complexes, schools, a few condominiums, and strip mall plazas. The neighbourhood lies along the Scarborough Bluffs escarpment.

History

Scarborough Village established as a settlement in the 1800s by Cornell and Secor as a crossroads village. It was centered on Markham Road between Kingston Road to the south and Eglinton Avenue to the north. The area provided settlers with access to the lakeshore and partially served as a through-way for soldiers during the War of 1812. In 1832, it became the first community in the former Township of Scarborough to have its own post office. By 1856, Scarborough Village became a subdivision and by 1860, the area of Scarborough Village had its first completed brick schoolhouse. By the 1890s, a general store, a blacksmith shop, a store that sold farm accessories, and a large railway hotel were built in the area. The area only contained about a dozen dwellings. During the 1930s, Kingston Road had become a major route connecting Old Toronto with the rest of eastern Ontario communities, as well as Montreal. After the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway tracks north of Eglinton Avenue, Kingston Road had decreased in traffic and few businesses began to close.

Demographics

According to the 2006 Canadian Census (0331.01 census tract) approximately 80% of the population is first generation Canadian. Meaning that 80% of the population was born outside of Canada compared to the 9% who are second generation and 11% who are third generation. Second generation refers to persons who were born in Canada, but have at least one parent who was born outside of Canada, and third generation refers to persons who were born in Canada with both parents born in Canada. However, in the 2011 National Household Survey the number of first generation Canadian's shrunk to 68%, while the second generation percentage increased to 26%. Additionally, the percentage of third generation Canadian's decreased to 6%. The average income among individual incomes between 2006 and 2011 has increased by 10.95% (Statistics Canada, 2011). However, individuals under the $10,000 and $19,999 category showed a dropped significantly in income levels in 2011, 185 individual are making less money under this category (Statistics Canada, 2011).. The most significant increase occurs in the 20,000 to 29,999 category, which reveals an increase of 300 individuals (Statistics Canada, 2011).

Transportation

The neighbourhood is served by its heavily used Toronto Transit Commission bus routes 86 Scarborough and 116 Morningside, which connect to Kennedy on the Toronto subway. Other routes, 102 Markham and 9 Bellamy, connect to Warden to the south while the latter route connects to the Scarborough Centre to the north. The Eglinton GO Station is located in the west of the neighbourhood for express transit to Downtown Toronto and other destinations along its line.

Its southern border, Kingston Road, is a major roadway providing access to south-western Scarborough, East York, and Downtown Toronto in the west and extends to Durham Region in the east.

Notable places

• Markington Square — largest plaza in Scarborough Village
• Scarborough Village Alternative School
• Christ Church of Scarborough Village — oldest church in Scarborough Village (though rebuilt several times)
• Scarborough Village Community Centre — a branch of the Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division
• Scarborough Village Theatre — part of the Scarborough Village Community Centre and home to Scarborough music theatre, Scarborough Players, and Scarborough Theatre Guild

Famous residents

• Robert McCowan, for whom McCowan Road is named
• Alexander Muir, the author of the song "The Maple Leaf Forever"