SCARBOROUGH, ONTARIO

'Scarborough' is the area that forms the eastern part of the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was a separate city for over 200 years, but has been part of the 'East District' of Toronto since 1998. The Scarborough name is still used by most local residents, and is recognized by Canada Post as a municipality name. Scarborough has characteristics of a suburb of old Toronto, but retains much of its own character and flavour. Certain neighbourhoods in Scarborough are popular destinations for new immigrants to Canada, who bring part of their own culture to that of Scarborough. Because of the topography of the Bluffs, the Rouge Valley and the other creeks and many minor tributaries, Scarborough is said to be the greenest and leafiest part of Toronto. ^[1]

History

Naming

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The area was named after Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England by Elizabeth Simcoe, the wife of John Graves Simcoe, the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada. The bluffs along Scarborough's Lake Ontario shores reminded her of the limestone cliffs in Scarborough, England. On August 4, 1793, she wrote in her diary, "The shore is extremely bold, and has the appearance of chalk cliffs, but I believe they are only white sand. They appeared so well that we talked of building a summer residence there and calling it Scarborough."^[2]
Before then, the area was named Glasgow, after the Scottish community.^[3]

Incorporation

Scarborough was incorporated as a township on 1 January, 1850^[4]. On 15 April, 1953, Scarborough was included within Metropolitan Toronto, a new upper level of municipal government with jurisdiction over regional services such as arterial roads and transit (the Township retained control over services of a local nature). Scarborough was incorporated as a borough on 1 January 1967, and later incorporated as a city in 1983, at all times remaining within Metropolitan Toronto. It was amalgamated into the new City of Toronto on 1 January 1998, losing its separate legal identity. Scarborough's population as of the 2006 census is 607, 876.

Settlement

A survey map of Scarborough from the 1880s.

The first known evidence of people in Scarborough comes from an archaeological site in Fenwood Heights, which has been dated to 8000 BCE.^[5] The site contains the remains of a camp of nomadic hunters and foragers, and there is no evidence of permanent settlers.
In the 1600s the area was inhabited by the Seneca^[6] at the village of Ganatsekwyagon, who were later displaced by the Mississaugas, who were themselves displaced by the British settlers who began to arrive in the late 1700s. After surveying the land in 1793^[7], it was opened to settlement by British subjects with the first issue of land patents in 1796, although squatters had already been present for a few years.^[8] The first post office opened in 1832 in Scarborough Village.
The expansion of Toronto in the west in the 19th century lead to the development of housing stock along the Kingston Road and Danforth Road corridors in Scarborough. As the urban area continued to expand, much of rural Scarborough was converted to suburban housing developments in the last third of the 20th century. At the start of the 21st century, growth has occurred along the Highway 401 corridor at the northern end of the Scarborough RT; several highrise condominium projects have increased the residential density around Scarborough City Centre.

Demographics

An aerial view of western Scarborough near Highway 404

Religion in Scarborough in 2001.

Apartment building on Silver Springs Boulevard.

In 2001, Scarborough's population was 593,297, with a density of 3 160.9/km². A study based on census data between 1996 and 2001 shows that Scarborough's growth rate was more than 6%, the highest growth in Toronto. Its population is second to North York, but if this trend continues it should be the most populated district in Toronto by 2010.^[9]
A significant portion of Scarborough's population is composed of immigrants and descendants of immigrants who have arrived in the last four decades. Fifty-four percent of residents are foreign born.^[10] Chinese residents make up 17.73% of the population, South Asian Residents account for 17.76% of the population, Black Canadian residents make up 10.09% of the population, while Filipino Canadian residents account for 5%. The remaining visible minority groups each represent less than 2% of the population. The immigrant population has created vibrant multicultural locales in various areas of Scarborough. One of the more notable among these is the heavy concentration of Chinese businesses and restaurants in the Agincourt neighbourhood. Many of Scarborough's main arteries, including segments of Kingston Road, Eglinton Avenue East and Lawrence Avenue East, feature Caribbean, Chinese and Halal restaurants and shops, as well as businesses representing the other ethnic groups in the area.

Geography

Scarborough's borders are Victoria Park Ave. to the west, the Rouge River, the Little Rouge Creek and the Scarborough-Pickering Townline to the east, Steeles Ave. E. to the north, and Lake Ontario to the south.
Scarborough is home to an earthen cliff formation known as the Scarborough Bluffs. The Bluffs can be found along the shore of Lake Ontario, stretching about 14 km, and reaching heights of more than 60 m in places. They are part of a much larger formation known as the Iroquois Shoreline, most of which is located somewhat further inland. The Iroquois Shoreline marks the extent of a prehistoric lake, Glacial Lake Iroquois, whose level was quite a bit higher than present-day Lake Ontario's. It shrank in size at the close of the last ice age.

The Rouge River

Erosion has been a problem along the Scarborough Bluffs. Some properties located near the brink have been abandoned, and some houses condemned, as the brink wears back away from the lake. The erosion process was accelerated by the 19th century ship-based removal of aggregates (stone-hooking) from the beaches at the base of the Bluffs for construction in Toronto. The removal of this material allowed wave action to directly scour the base of the Bluffs in many sections. Since the 1980s, large areas of beach at the base of the Bluffs have been reinforced with limestone breakwaters and construction rubble infilling.
Scarborough is also notable for the Rouge River Valley, many parts of which are still in a natural, wooded state. The valley is home to a great variety of wildlife including deer, foxes, and the occasional coyote. In the mid-1990s, there were several unconfirmed sightings of a cougar in the Rouge Valley. One witness even produced a videotape purportedly showing it.
Highland Creek is another significant feature of Scarborough's geography. It runs from the northwest to the southeast across Scarborough. Some sections of the river run through parks and remain in a fairly natural state, while other parts run through industrial or residential districts where the flow is often diverted or channelled. Sections of the creek are marked by deep ravines and valleys, which contain little or no urban development. The deep valley the creek cuts in its bottom sections remains primarily parkland, with little or no development taking place within the valley.

Culture

The Main Entrance to the Toronto Zoo.

Scarborough residents have developed their own unique sense of humour, as evidenced by Mike Myers, whose ''Wayne's World'' character was inspired by growing up in the area. Other Scarborough natives include Eric McCormack (''Will & Grace''), John Candy (Second City, ''SCTV''), and the musical group Barenaked Ladies. Jim Carrey (''Ace Ventura'', ''Dumb and Dumber'', ''Bruce Almighty'') also lived in Scarborough during his teen years. Scarborough has also proved to be the home of many prominent hip-hop artists, including Maestro Fresh Wes, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Saukrates and the group BrassMunk.
In 1840, a Scottish settler in Scarborough named Sandy Glendinning penned "A Scarborough Settler's Lament" to the tune of "O' A' the Airts the Wind Can Blaw"; the song is one of homesickness for his home in Scotland, probably near Moffatt in the Borders, as all the places in the song are local landmarks. The song, which appears in the ''Penguin Book of Canadian Folk Songs'', edited by Edith Fowke, was recorded by American folksinger Wendy Grossman and by the Canadian singer-songwriter Stan Rogers.
The Scarborough Town Centre is the largest commercial and entertainment hub east of Yonge Street in Toronto. It is located next to the Scarborough Civic Centre, Albert Campbell Square, and Consilium Place. This area was developed as a city centre under the old City of Scarborough government. The ''Scarborough Walk of Fame'' is also located in the Town Centre, consisting of a number of plaques embedded in pavement to honour notable residents, past and current. The inaugural inductees included NBA player Jamaal Magloire, Olympic gold medallist Vicky Sunohara as well as 8 other prominent residents contributing to advances in medicine, arts, and community. Scarborough stars shine on Walk of Fame
In 1974, the Toronto Zoo was moved from its original downtown location to its current location in the Rouge River valley.^[11] The new location enabled the zoo to increase its overall area from 3 hectares to over 300 hectares. The zoo was transformed at this time from a 19th century zoo with a few animals cramped behind iron bars into a then modern zoo where space was provided to animals and the setting attempted to duplicate the animals' natural environments.
The topography of Scarborough has provided the area with an abundance of golf courses. The Toronto Hunt Club was established in 1895 alongside Lake Ontario and is private. Scarborough Golf and Country Club was established in 1912 and is private. Cedarbrae Golf and Country Club was established in 1922 and moved to its current Rouge River Valley location at Steeles Ave East in 1957, it is also a private course. Dentonia Park is a public executive course established in 1967 and is nestled in a lush park beside the Victoria Park subway station. The Tam O'Shanter Golf Course was established in 1973 and is nestled alongside Highland Creek.
On May 17, 2006, the ''Nike Malvern Sports Complex'' was opened in the Malvern neighbourhood. Nike Canada donated $500,000 to build the complex, which includes a basketball court, a practice soccer pitch, and a running track. The track was constructed from 50,000 used running shoes. The complex was built on the grounds of the Blessed Mother Teresa Catholic Secondary School, but is open to the public. Olympic hurdler Perdita Felicien was on hand at the opening to encourage youth to participate in sports. Malvern complex aimed at youth

Economy

Scarborough is a former borough of Toronto, and as such its economy is an integral component of the economy of Toronto. Scarborough lacks the same level of urban density and business infrastructure development as downtown Toronto. A few farms are still present in the northeast corner of Scarborough, reflective of the area's rural past.
Compared to the City of Toronto as a whole, industry in Scarborough is similar in all labour force categories, save for manufacturing which is higher in Scarborough, and professional, scientific and technical services which are lower.^[12] Notable Companies that have its headquarters in Scarborough include Toyota Canada Inc., Eli Lilly Canada Inc., Thomson Carswell, CTVglobemedia, Novopharm Ltd., Cinram International Inc., Honda Canada Inc., Royal Doulton , SKF, Alfa Laval, Novopharm, Yellow Pages, Metrolabel and Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd.
From McCowan RT station, to Midland RT station, centred on Scarborough Town Centre Mall and RT station is a small city centre, including a public square, government buildings, offices and in recent years many new condominiums, not to mention the Town Centre Mall. It has become one of Toronto's many new downtowns in the outer boroughs (another example is North York Centre in Uptown Toronto). See Scarborough City Centre.

Transportation

Scarborough RT leaving Kennedy Station

Scarborough is the home of Ontario's first elevated rapid transit line, the Scarborough RT. The RT was built in 1985. It runs from Kennedy subway station to McCowan Avenue, just east of the Scarborough Town Centre. There are 6 stations along the RT route. The city is reviewing a number of replacement options, including turning it into a streetcar route or an extension of the City's subway system. The RT forms part of the public transit run by the Toronto Transit Commission, which also operates extensive bus routes, and three subway stations within Scarborough.
The GO Transit authority has two major commuter train lines running through Scarborough. The Lakeshore East line runs across the south end of the city, while the Stouffville Line runs in a more north-south fashion in the centre of Scarborough. GO Transit also has a few bus stations and stops in Scarborough which provide connections out of Scarborough. Greyhound Bus runs some services in Scarborough, although most Greyhound destinations are only served through the Toronto Bus Terminal located downtown.
The only major freeway in Scarborough is Highway 401. The highway runs east-west across the middle of Scarborough, with six to eight lanes in each direction. The short, minor freeway Highway 2A runs parallel to Lake Ontario in the eastern part of Scarborough. In the late 1960s, a plan was formed to link Highway 2A with an eastern extension of the Gardiner Expressway. The planned route known as the Scarborough Expressway would have travelled next to the CN railway lines parallel to Kingston Road. The plan failed to materialize but land acquisitions for the expressway route beside the tracks remain vacant. Currently there are plans to turn it into a mix of housing and parkland.
The arterial roads of Scarborough are generally aligned either north-south or east-west. Kingston Road and Danforth Road are two significant exceptions to this grid, both running diagonally in a southwest-northeast direction across the south end of Scarborough. From north to south, the major east-west arterial roads are Steeles Avenue, Finch Avenue, Sheppard Avenue, Ellesmere Road, Lawrence Avenue, Eglinton Avenue and St. Clair Avenue. From west to east, the major north-south arterial roads are Victoria Park Avenue, Warden Avenue, Birchmount Road, Kennedy Road, Midland Avenue, Brimley Road, McCowan Road, Markham Road, Neilson Road, Morningside Avenue, Meadowvale Road and Port Union Road.

Educational institutions

Centennial College Science and Technology Centre

Both Agincourt Collegiate Institute and R.H. King Academy claim to be the oldest secondary schools in Scarborough. Agincourt Collegiate Institute opened in 1915^[13] as the ''Agincourt Continuation School''. It became a high school in 1954. R.H. King Academy opened in 1922 as the ''Scarborough High School'' being the first high school for in the Scarborough area at that time and became a collegiate in 1930.^[14]

Secondary schools

Joan Foley Hall at the University of Toronto (Scarborough)

Post-secondary schools

★ Centennial College

★ University of Toronto Scarborough

Nicknames

Scarborough has acquired several nicknames. The most popular is ''Scarberia''^[15], a portmanteau of Scarborough and Siberia, a reference to its seemingly distant eastern location to downtown Toronto residents. Depending on the context, being called a ''Scarberian'' can be a badge of honour or an insult.
Scarborough has also acquired a number of nicknames related to the diversity of the area. Such nicknames are typically a combination using the prefix 'Scar' and a suffix derived from the name of a region, nation, or ethnicity. The most widely recognized is Scarlem Growing up black in Oakville Street talk; [Ontario Edition] , which alludes to Harlem. Some people find such nicknames offensive or racist.

Residents and ex-residents

Athletes

★ Joel Brough, field hockey player

★ Denham Brown, NBA basketball player

★ Anson Carter, NHL hockey player

★ Jeff Cowan, NHL hockey player

★ Clifton Dawson, NFL running back for the Indianapolis Colts

★ Dwayne De Rosario, MLS soccer player

★ George Kottaras, catcher for the Boston Red Sox

★ Jamaal Magloire, NBA basketball player

★ Paul Peschisolido, Luton Town F.C. soccer player

★ Cherie Piper, member of the Canadian national women's ice hockey team

★ Mike Ricci, NHL hockey player

★ Chris Stewart, professional hockey player

★ Rick Tocchet, NHL hockey player

★ Paul Tracy, race car driver in Champ Car^[16]

★ Kevin Weekes, NHL hockey player

Media

Mike Myers, an actor from Scarbrough who is best known for his portrayal of Austin Powers and the voice of Shrek

★ Jim Carrey, a well-known comedic actor^[17]

★ Marilyn Denis, a television/radio personality for CityTV (CityLine)/CHUM-FM (Roger, Rick and Marilyn)

★ Andy Donato, editorial cartoonist for the Toronto Sun newspaper

★ Melyssa Ford, model and TV show host

★ David Furnish, filmmaker and civil partner of Elton John

★ Doris McCarthy, world renowned artist

★ Eric McCormack, actor

★ Mike Myers, a comedian known for his portrayal of Austin Powers

★ Alan Park, a comedian who starred in Royal Canadian Air Farce

★ Jasmine Richards, actress

★ Craig Russell, female impersonator

★ Cassie Steele, actor

★ Mark Taylor, actor

Musicians

Barenaked Ladies, a popular band from Scarborough

★ Barenaked Ladies, a popular alternative rock band

★ BrassMunk, rap group

★ Choclair, rapper

★ Deryck Whibley, singer/songwriter and guitarist of Sum 41

★ Fefe Dobson, singer and songwriter

★ Kardinal Offishall, rapper

★ Maestro, rapper and actor

★ Saukrates, rapper

Others

★ Paul Bernardo, a notorious criminal convicted of murder and sex crimes

★ Bill Hastings, Chief Censor of New Zealand

★ Omar Khadr, teenage detainee at American military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

★ Jay Manuel, creative director for America's Next Top Model as well as host of its Canadian counterpart

★ Jayde Nicole, a ''Playboy'' playmate

★ Monika Schnarre, a fashion supermodel

Sister City

★ Indianapolis, Indiana

References

1. How green is my city?
2. Travels with Elizabeth Simcoe
3. Scarborough Historical Society
4. City of Toronto Website
5. Scarborough Fair The first settlers foraged 10,000 years ago Bruce McCowan
6. Province and Ottawa buy native burial site
7. Scarborough History
8. Some humble yet noteworthy events on Scarboro Heights
9. Condo community taps into Scarborough’s growth
10. 2001 Census Data for Scarborough
11. Zoo celebrates 30th anniversary
12. City of Toronto's community economic profile for Scarborough
13. Agincourt Collegiate Institute's Website
14. R.H. King Academy website
15. A cheeky look at the rump of Toronto
Shhh on the S-word, coupled with crime, councillors say
16. Tracy winning his way across Canada
17. Scarborough, Ontario

External links

★ Scarborough Historical Society

★ Scarborough Archives

★ Scarborough Walk of Fame

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