Oakridge is a neighbourhood in the city of Toronto, Canada, in the Scarborough district. The community neighbours Birch Cliff to the south, Danforth Village to the east and Cliffside to the west edging onto the Scarborough Bluffs. The neighbourhood is bordered by Victoria Park Avenue to the west, Massey Creek to the north, Warden Avenue to the east travelling south until Mack Avenue which then extends east again to the CNR rail line which forms the southern border.

Description

Though traditionally a working-class neighbourhood, Oakridge is mixed with working-middle and upper-class residents. The racial make up of Oakridge is diverse with many ethnicities and religions. More than 50% of residents were born outside of Canada, and consists of Black,

South Asian South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, ...

, and

East Asian East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea a ...

people. Over 51% of residents are of

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

faith and 20% of

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

faith. The share of population by language spoken at home is 53% English where

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

, Urdu and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

are over 20% and the remaining identify as English-Non Official or other. The section of the Danforth running through Oakridge offers shopping, dining, automotive retail, community centres and other entertainment. Being only a 15 minute commute into Downtown Toronto, the neighbourhood has two subway stations on

Warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically identic ...

and

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

, providing easy access to the City Centre or Central Scarborough. Oakridge's Business Improvement Area is represented by Crossroads of the Danforth. The BIA and merchants organize and operate year-round, admission-free festivals, charity dinners, and dances, including Wheels on the Danforth. The merchants of Crossroads of the Danforth are composed of volunteers from the business community, who work to promote growth and a strong neighbourhood identity. The residential landscape within Oakridge dates from the Edwardian era, but the majority of homes were built during the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

and after World War II. Toronto council classified Oakridge as a neighbourhood improvement area in 2014, after it was assessed as having the lowest "neighbourhood equity score" in Scarborough and the fifth-lowest in the city. The score is based on 15 criteria. Traditionally an immigrant, working class neighbourhood, Oakridge is experiencing the beginning phase of rapid gentrification and was featured in Toronto's Neighbourhood to Watch 2018. The neighbourhood will soon host a Long & McQuade and several new condo developments along Danforth Avenue.

External links

* http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/profiles_map_and_index.htm

References

{{authority control Neighbourhoods in Toronto Scarborough, Toronto

Description

See also

External links

References