I was working at the store a couple of days ago, and a fellow cashier and I were having the following conversation:
Cashier: So… what are you doing this weekend?
Me: I dunno, I thought I’d go downtown to the Silver City at Yonge and Eg and pick up a movie…
Cashier: Eglinton is downtown?
Me: …Well, where’s downtown to you, then? (half-laughing myself)
Cashier: Bloor. Anything south of Bloor–
Other cashier: chimes in South of Queen Street!
None of us could agree where ‘downtown’ started and the sort-of outlying suburban area ended. So I pose the question to you, Toronto residents: where does downtown Toronto begin?
I don’t know how the city defines downtown, but I’d agree with south of Bloor. The PATH system is essentially south of Dundas (and therefore clearly downtown). No self respecting downtown could include Rosedale. I’d be tempted to add limits at Bathurst and Jarvis or Wellsley as well.
I’ve always considered downtown to be everything south of Bloor, and then boxed in on either side by I guess Bathurst and I guess Sherbourne/Church, although they’ve been working hard to develop west of Bathurst. East of Sherborne is Cabbagetown, then Little India (my favourite) and then you’re into the Beaches.
North of Bloor is going to be the Anex and Yorkville.
I’ve always called the Yonge and Eglington area uptown.
Well, a couple of years ago, Eglington/Yonge would have been downtown North York, while downtown Toronto would have been spadina/university/etc.
As someone who always frequented bars , while living in TO , downtown was almost always the fashion district, now its a hub location depending on what you want to do and the crowd you want to associate with.
We’re all pretty much in agreement. Having lived there for 10 years, I’d say “downtown” was south of Bloor, down to Front, bounded on the east by University (I think Spadina is pushing it) and on the west by Jarvis (Sherbourne is pushing it). But the “core” of downtown would probably be Yonge and Dundas.
Well, I was downtown yesterday: Queen West east from Bathurst to the Eaton centre, with a stop off in Chinatown to get Pocky. I agree that downtown is bounded by maybe Front or King, Bathurst, Bloor, and… Jarvis, maybe? I’m quite certain that the St. Lawrence market is downtown.
Actually, the Queen West strip west of Bathurst has been getting more and more downtown-ish for the past five years, since the big clothing chains have moved into Queen West from John to Spadina.
Eglinton is downtown?