East End vs. Midtown: which has a better urban vibe?

[Docere]

I think most would agree that the west end (i.e. Davenport, Parkdale-High Park, and western University-Rosedale and Spadina-Fort York) has probably the best urban vibe outside downtown. But what about the east end (Danforth and Beaches wards) vs. midtown (St. Paul's ward)?

Midtown is more dense/high-rise, but on the other hand it's probably less "hipster" and more establishmentarian.

[trofirhen]

I recall being in Toronto years back, and going to The Beaches. For me, it was the mellowest, most charming part of the city. I could live there any day

[Docere]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

I recall being in Toronto years back, and going to The Beaches. For me, it was the mellowest, most charming part of the city. I could live there any day

The Beaches is in many ways the "best" east end neighborhood, as there's nothing in really in the west end like it. It being a bit removed probably adds to the charm.

A lot of east end neighborhoods dare I say feel like a pale imitation of the west end, and there's more "gaps" in the urban flow of neighborhoods. Little Italy, Ossington Strip, Little Portugal, West Queen West and so on. There are some gaps in the northwest fringe of the west end though (around Dupont and Davenport say), more like the east end in some ways.

[GeneralLeeTPHLS]

The immediate west end is definitely the most prime urban area outside of the downtown proper....but now, in terms of what would be next between those two areas chosen?

I'd put my money on the east end, I lived there for a time and although I've resided in Midtown for most of my life, I can say it is more suburban. Big differences between the two would be the road design, housing and just the way the communities grew. Much of Midtown has been shaped by mid-century design principles and roadwork, which allow for dense housing, but a more quiet, not quite as urban experience...especially when it comes to how avenues are more stark compared to inner streets. I find the East End has more or less mostly older housing stock, more gridded and thereby efficient road design, more retail pockets and not as many parks, but the park spaces you do find are generally a bit more....well designed.

Keep in mind Midtown and the East End are very similar IMO, at least outside of the difference in skylines, but the road design is notable. (Also, the age of housing....it's not much of a difference, and in fact, is the same in some areas. You can find century old houses in both areas)

[Docere]

Yeah, the inner west end to downtown transition is pretty seamless. University Ave./Queen's Park don't really interrupt the "flow." Around Spadina it's a "downtown" and "neighborhood" transition zone. The western boundary of downtown is the least "hard."

Transition from downtown to east end is less smooth due to postwar urban renewal, Don River and DVP. Going north you have the CPR tracks/Dupont and Rosedale Valley.

Midtown has high-rise/high-density Yonge Corridor, east end is more low-rise residential and lacks an equivalent. St. Clair West (west of Bathurst) has a similar level of urbanism to The Danforth, but I'm not sure if it's "midtown" or "west end" there. The west end (if defined as old city west of Bathurst) is rather diverse. Bathurst to Christie or Oakwood may be more midtown-ish, beyond there it's not really "midtown" anymore.

[isaidso]

They're both fine but a little too shabby and sleepy for me. It's fine for a visit 1-2 times/year but no more than that.

[Docere]

Yonge and St. Clair is "shabby"?

[GeneralLeeTPHLS]

The closest you could get to high density in the East end would be probably Throncliffe Park when I think of it...there's no real solid collection of apartment buildings anywhere in East York and on the fringes that can compete with that area in terms of sheer density with units and housing types. (Just something I was thinking about from an earlier post by Docere)

St. Clair is an interesting road to follow down I find...I agree with your sentiment. It drops off once you get past Dufferin or so. I mean, its still solid and fairly urban, but it's not the type of street design or planning you'd associate with Midtown...by then you're too far off and in an area which is definiteively it's own area. I mean, Midtown is somethign that starts and spreads fromYonge....theres only so far you can venture west and east before you bleed into something more distinctly...."un-Midtown"

[Docere]

Midtown is kind of vaguely defined, and there seems to be some overlap with North Toronto, though I suspect the term "North Toronto" is falling out of use. Most commonly used for the semi-suburban neighborhoods north of Eglinton, but it included the more densely populated and busy Davisville/South Eglinton area too (which is probably now commonly referred to as Midtown more than anywhere else at this point). Further south, Yonge and St. Clair was commonly referred to as midtown when I was growing up.

[GeneralLeeTPHLS]

I think as the area has grown, and well, since alglamation, the idea of "Midtown" has come to be more say, middle of the new "megacity", and residents have only come to adjust to that idea recently. Yonge and Bloor to Yonge and St. Clair in itself is generally the Midtown most Torontonians are used to....but with alglamation, I think the notion of shifting the "district" (it's more just a name...you can't really define Midtown that well) northward to Eglinton came about mroe naturally than anything, now that Toronto's Uptown (which was Yonge and Eglinton) is well...in a sense, North York (It's up from Downtown, and well, the opposite direction from downtown, whereas Midtown is the in-between roughly)

It's an interesting topic I find...and I think what was North Toronto is slowly being recognized, at least in the southern parts, is that it's more or less the centre of the city now...and calling it Midtown does make sense. Historically, the area was North Toronto...as in the pocket of development north of downtown (A.K.A. the town of Eglinton), and still retained that name even as suburbia sprang up in the post war years. The area is still very much....North Toronto in that sense, but seeing as how it's also become the geographic centre of the city (more of less....of course the geographic centre is more east), calling it Midtown is a name of convenience in one way, and a good label when thinking of it's place in the city.

[Doady]

Beaches is unique in the GTA, a continuous waterfront integrated with the surrounding neighbourhood. Only other place that comes close is Ajax. It is kinda isolated, especially coming from the west end, compared to Yonge/St. Clair is more like a secondary downtown.

I don't know why Toronto area is weighted more to the west than the east. Scarborough probably more on the level of Mississauga than of Etobicoke, Oshawa not the same level as Hamilton, nothing comparable to Brampton east of Markham and Toronto, and Beaches probably not on the same level as Parkdale either.

But the waterfront on the east side probably superior to the west side. Maybe this summer I will have to take the train to Danforth station to check it out. With the LRT construction, getting to Port Credit station not as convenient as it used to be, but I will try.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Doady

I don't know why Toronto area is weighted more to the west than the east.

Back in the factory days the wind would blow from the west to the east, so the east end would get all the smoke and pollution. It's a common theme in a lot of cities from similar times (wealthier neighbourhoods developed in cleaner areas). You can see this in Montreal too with an area like Anjou/Nord-Isle.

[Docere]

The Don definitely delayed development. The west end was pretty much built up before WWI. The east end continued to fill in during the interwar period - the construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct spurred growth. The westward tilt is still noticeable today. Danforth and Pape, about 3.5 km from Yonge and Bloor, isn't too far from "bungalow belt" territory. Contrast that with equidistant Bloor and Dovercourt.

[Docere]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Back in the factory days the wind would blow from the west to the east, so the east end would get all the smoke and pollution. It's a common theme in a lot of cities from similar times (wealthier neighbourhoods developed in cleaner areas). You can see this in Montreal too with an area like Anjou/Nord-Isle.

It's not just affluent neighborhoods, the west end is more populated than the east end period. There are more working class neighborhoods in the west too.

[Docere]

A document from 1965 that divides the (old) city of Toronto into West, Central, North and East sectors.

https://archive.org/details/proposal...e/n33/mode/2up

The distance between Bloor and Bathurst and Bloor and Jane, Danforth and Broadview and Victoria Park, and Rosedale station to Yonge and Teddington Park are all about 6 km.

[GeneralLeeTPHLS]

Interesting map, considering how development had gone ahead in that time, and how development has continued in the years since in those areas specifically.