East York is a former municipality within the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was a semi-autonomous borough within the overall municipality of Metropolitan Toronto until 1998, when it was amalgamated into the new “megacity” of Toronto in 1998. Before the amalgamation, it was Canada’s only borough.
It is separated by the Don River from the former City of Toronto. Traditional East York is southeast of the river, and the neighbourhoods of Leaside, Bennington Heights and densely populated Thorncliffe Park are northwest of the river. The heart of East York is filled with middle-class and working-class homes, with extensive high-rise developments along peripheral major streets and in Crescent Town and Thorncliffe Park.
Once known for its unique status as Canada’s only borough, East York is today a sleepy residential neighbourhood nestled between downtown and Scarborough. But though it may be lacking in cultural hotspots, young professionals have begun to settle in kid-friendly East York, since the area boasts everything from entrenched hockey and baseball leagues to one of the city’s best skate parks.
