Kingston Rd. west of Birchmount
Our latest installment in the Today in History series comes from the pages of the Toronto Daily Star on Feb. 25, 1927 and provides an interesting glimpse into the history of development in Toronto.
In 1927 the population of Toronto was over half a million people and growth in the suburbs was significant enough to warrant a news story.
The article notes a changing settlement pattern with residents starting to move to the north and the west of the city in greater numbers than before.
This is borne out by the population chart, which shows that back in 1927 Birch Cliff had more residents than all of North York.
It’s also interesting to note that Scarboro (note the old spelling) was considered a separate suburb from Birch Cliff.
And while there are many familiar names on the list of suburbs such as East York and Leaside there are also other areas that have faded in prominence over the years.
One example might be Lambton Mills, an important crossing on the Humber River at Dundas that was named for its grist and saw mills in the 1800s.
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Toronto Suburbs Population Goes Up
Toronto suburbs have gained almost 9,000 in population during the past year, according to the Might Directory figures, just published.
The figures give a total population in the immediate suburbs of 103,917.
A notable feature is that the trend of population now seems to be toward the north and west. Fairbank, Lambton Mills and Mount Dennis show good gains. East York shows an increase also, but he directory officials say that a rechecking of this district since the canvas as made last year reveals that there has been a receding wave, and it is likely that East York stands now just about the 20,000 mark. The canvassers found that many people who went to small houses in the eastern suburbs last summer did not stay in them when the cold weather came.
The figures are as follows:
This is part three of our “Today in History” series commemorating the upcoming 100th anniversary celebration of Birch Cliff Public School, which is taking place on Sept. 23/24, 2016. To read the other pieces click here: 1935, 1929.
