About The Junction Toronto
Toronto’s The Junction is a testament to the saying: “Fall 10 times, get up 11.” Formerly recognized as its own independent city (known simply as “West End”), the area has seen highs and lows–from a booming railway & manufacturing hub (Heintzman Piano Company, Canadian Cycle & Motor co; Canadian Pacific) to the deeply-felt depression of the late 1800s.
Culturally speaking, the Junction was first adopted by Irish Catholics who found the overcrowded tenement housing in Cabbagetown and Brockton underwhelming. The burgeoning local meat industry also drew flocks of Italians, Polish, Macedonians, and Croatians. Today we continue to see this influence, particularly in ‘Little Malta,’ the area found along Dundas near St. John’s Road.
Probably the most famous facet of the Junction’s Toronto history involves its nearly 100-year banning of alcohol; the heavily enforced prohibition lasted (incredibly) all the way until the year 2000. (Drinking and drunken fights among the working class rail and meatpacking industry workers had become a problem by the turn of the century).
Today, on any given day, residents of the area can be found at a variety of cafes (Cool Hand of a Girl), pubs (Hole in the Wall, Indie Ale House), restaurants (Nodo, Dirty Food Eatery), boutiques (Mjolk), and parks. A reflection of its working-class roots (and perhaps because of the end of prohibition), there is no shortage of pubs and unique start-ups in this entrepreneurial, and just down-right awesome, part of Toronto. It was even named one of the 50 coolest neighbourhoods in the world by Time Out magazine.
The Junction is the perfect place for you if you’re looking for a neighbourhood that avoids ‘cookie-cutter’ and embraces the idiosyncratic. This off-the-cuff quality has attracted a fun variety of residents and created a strong sense of community and identity. Classic brick stone residential homes, revamped industrial-finished lofts, and new builds are all available in the area – making the options as unique as the people who inhabit them.
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