Riverdale Neighbourhood

Riverdale is a large area in the east end of Toronto that encompasses many smaller neighbourhoods.  In the broadest sense, Riverdale runs from the Don Valley Parkway east to Jones Avenue, and south from Danforth Avenue to Eastern Avenue, with a small area called the Jones Pocket extending from Jones to Greenwood Avenue between Danforth and the CN rail lines.

Sub-neighbourhoods include North Riverdale (Danforth to Gerrard between the Don Valley and Jones); Riverside, south of Gerrard to Eastern Avenue between the Don Valley and Empire Avenue; Withrow Park, centred around the park of that name between Logan and Bain Avenues, just south of Danforth, and Riverdale South, below the CN rail lines, merging into Riverside and also the adjacent Leslieville which runs east from Empire.  To decrease confusion, especially since the recent renaissance of Leslieville, many people simply refer to areas north of Gerrard as Riverdale and south of it as Leslieville.

The majority of Riverdale’s homes were built between the 1880’s after it was annexed by the city of Toronto and the 1920’s.  They are mostly two to three-storey semi-detached Victorian homes, with a mix of detached and row housing included. In the 1980’s, the artistic and literary community rediscovered Riverdale, with prices then being very affordable and the neighbourhood family friendly. Because of this, it has undergone a considerable ‘gentrification’ since then, with prices rising significantly over the last twenty years.  It is a hot, trendy market these days, with a fully renovated home moving very quickly on the market.

Danforth, the northern boundary of Riverdale, is an eclectic mix of Greek restaurants, boutique shopping, specialty and gourmet shops, cafes, and design stores.  Every year, the street shuts down one weekend in the summer for the Taste of the Danforth to celebrate everything Greek, but especially the food.  To the south along Gerrard Street, a large Chinese community brings the Orient to residents with shops, restaurants and fresh produce stores.

Withrow Park

There are several public and Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the Riverdale neighbourhood, along with a variety of alternative schools, including Equinox Holistic Alternative, Subway Academy One, and the EAST Alternative School of Toronto.  Although there are no local private schools, there are several within easy distance, De La Salle, Branksome Hall, Upper Canada College, and Bishop Strachan to name a few.

There are many parks in Riverdale:  Withrow Park, Riverdale Park East, with its popular tobogganing hills, Greenwood Park, and Jimmy Simpson Park.  All have swimming facilities, baseball diamonds and tennis courts.  Greenwood offers day camps and hockey and skating classes, Jimmy Simpson Recreation Centre has a gymnasium and games room, and the Pape Recreational Centre has meeting rooms along with an indoor pool and weight room.

Access to all parts of Toronto is one of Riverdale’s prime attractions. The Don Valley Parkway is just minutes away, as are the Gardiner Expressway and Lakeshore Boulevard.  Driving along Danforth, over the Bloor viaduct and you are on Bloor Street, right in the heart of downtown Toronto.  There are several bus and streetcar routes throughout Riverdale, along with the Broadview, Chester and Pape stations of the Bloor-Danforth subway line.

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Schools in Riverdale