North York City Centre | |
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Business district | |
Municipality established | 1850 York Township |
Changed municipality | 1922 North York from York Township |
Changed municipality | 1998 Toronto from North York |
North York City Centre is a central business district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the administrative district of North York. It is located along Yonge Street, between just south of Sheppard Avenue northward to Finch Avenue with its focus around Mel Lastman Square, a civic square, and spreads eastwards and westwards a few blocks, generally as far as Doris Avenue and Beecroft Road. The district is a high-density district of condominium and office towers with ground-floor commercial uses along the wide six lanes of Yonge Street.
The district was developed following the extension of the Yonge subway north to Finch Station. In the 1970s and 80s, the former City of North York encouraged the development of the area as a downtown, locating its civic offices, a public square, a central library, an arts centre and an aquatic centre on the west side of Yonge, about 600 metres north of Sheppard. The area's growth increased following the opening of North York Centre station at Mel Lastman Square and the Sheppard subway line. A shopping mall and cinemas were developed on the east side of Yonge Street across from Mel Lastman Square in the 1990s.
It is mostly located in the larger official neighbourhood of Willowdale, part of the former city of North York, and a former municipality (postal district) of its own, but also abuts the Lansing neighbourhood on the east side of Yonge Street near Sheppard Avenue. Following the amalgamation of North York with the rest of Toronto, North York City Centre became the largest of four central business districts in the new city outside Downtown Toronto.[1] All of the civic facilities were retained by the new City of Toronto.