In a book of essays about the Ward, one of the chapters mentions Yonge St. as a divide in Toronto in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. St. John's Ward to the west of Yonge was the poorest area of the city and the city's main immigrant reception area, while St. James ward to the east included the then-elite district around Jarvis and Sherbourne.
I also recall that the bias towards the west among ethnic groups was related to this. When Jews and Italians left the Ward, east was either too exclusive (around Jarvis/Sherbourne) or really no better (around the Don River). North was also too exclusive. So west along the Dundas and College streetcar lines was the "natural" direction.
Last edited by Docere; Dec 19, 2016 at 12:26 AM.
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