Forest Hill, Toronto

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Forest Hill is a neighbourhood and former village in Midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located north of Downtown Toronto. The village was amalgamated into Toronto in 1967 and the area has retained its name as a neighbourhood. Along with other neighbourhoods such as Rosedale and The Bridle Path, it is one of Toronto's wealthiest neighbourhoods, with an average income, among income recipients 15 or older in private households, of $157,600 in Forest Hill South and $89,700 in Forest Hill North,<ref name="Neighbourhood Profiles">Template:Cite web</ref> compared to the $59,250 average income in Toronto's Census Metropolitan Area and $54,450 in Canada as a whole.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

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Forest Hill was originally incorporated as a village in 1923, and later amalgamated by the province into the City of Toronto in 1967, along with the Village of Swansea. The village was named after the summer home of John Wickson, the father of Toronto architect Frank Wickson; previously, it had been known as Spadina Heights (a name that continued to be applied to the neighbourhood into the twentieth century). Spadina Heights is a derivative of the First Nations (namely Ojibwe) word ishapadenah, meaning a hill or sudden rise in land. Rather than electing a mayor as in a city, the leading municipal official was the reeve of the village.Template:Citation needed

In the late 1960s, the City of Toronto planned to construct a highway that would run from Highway 401 to downtown Toronto via the Cedarvale Ravine and Spadina Road. Forest Hill and the Annex would be bisected by the proposed route, and numerous local houses would be sacrificed for the new expressway. This prompted local residents to rise to protest and raise the awareness of the greater public.

On March 1, 1971 Bill Davis replaced John Robarts as head of the ruling Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Public opinion was divided and Davis was facing a provincial election in the fall. While the Tories held 12 of the 25 seats in Metro Toronto the expressway threatened to physically divide influential downtown ridings that were key to Tory support. The Liberals, who supported the expressway, had 7 Metro seats. The NDP,who opposed, had 6. Though Toronto Metro Council was largely in favor of continuing the expressway, by the end of May Davis, accepting the argument that Spadina would increase rather than decrease traffic congestion and pollution, made his decision to cancel it, while also undercutting a major NDP issue, and on June 3rd he rose in the legislature to make the announcement.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The Forest Hill War Memorial was erected by Page and Steele Architects at Eglinton Avenue and Vesta Road in 1980, in memory of those who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

When the Village was amalgamated into the City of Toronto, the agreement granted local residents the right to have their garbage picked up from their doorstep rather than from the curb. It wasn't until 1993 that the public learned that this extra service cost $420,000 a year and was paid for by the municipal government. This time, the public opinion of other Torontonians forced the city to discontinue this favour to Forest Hill residents.<ref name="ED_FH_history">The history of the Forest Hill neighbourhood by Elli Davis, accessed on June 30, 2011.</ref>

The neighbourhood's originalTemplate:Clarify boundaries were Bathurst Street to the west, Upper Canada College to the east, Eglinton Avenue to the north, and Lonsdale Road and a portion of Montclair Avenue to the south (the original boundaries of School Section 30). Neighbourhoods north of Eglinton are sometimes though not unanimously regarded as Forest Hill. In 1999 Robert Fulford compared Forest Hill to Rosedale, the other traditional home of Toronto's elite: "While Rosedale has remained stable for half a century, Forest Hill's prestige has been growing steadily. There's a key tonal difference in the architecture of the two places: where big Rosedale houses shout 'history,' big Forest Hill houses shout 'grandeur.' More than any other district in the central city, Forest Hill has become the site of spectacular new 'neo-traditional' homes built on a grand scale, usually with lawns to match."<ref>"1999 real estate guide." Fulford, Robert. Toronto Life. Toronto: March 1999. Volume. 33, Iss. 3; pg. Insert</ref>

Location

Currently, for the purposes of social policy analysis & research, the city of Toronto's Social Development, Finance & Administration division divides Forest Hill into two neighbourhoods: Forest Hill North and Forest Hill South.<ref name="About Toronto Neighbourhoods">Template:Cite web</ref>

Forest Hill Village extends roughly from Briar Hill Avenue in the north (the Upper Village, officially part of Forest Hill North) to Heath Street in the south (the Lower Village, officially the major part of Forest Hill South along Spadina Road between Bathurst Street/Cedarvale Ravine (whichever is further east) and Avenue Road. The designations Upper and Lower are based on height of land and not on positions on a map or along a watercourse.

File:Forest Hill North Aerial view 2025.jpg
Forest Hill is home to extensive residential development, including apartments.

The Upper Village was slower to develop because it had previously been occupied by the old Belt Line Railway, and then by industry.<ref name="TN_History">History of Forest Hill Template:Webarchive by Torontoneighbourhoods.net, accessed on June 30, 2011.</ref> Its houses were built mostly in the 1940s and 50's. Many homes have been, or are being significantly renovated, with some being torn down completely to make way for monster 'neo-classical' homes.<ref name="ED_FH_history" />

Forest Hill North extends from Briar Hill Avenue in the north to Eglinton Avenue West in the south, and from Latimer Avenue in the east to Allen Road and Marlee Avenue in the north-west and south-west, respectively. For administrative purposes, Forest Hill North is Toronto neighbourhood #102.<ref name="About Toronto Neighbourhoods"/>

File:Forest Hill South in Autumn 2024.jpg
Forest Hill South in Autumn

As the name would imply, Forest Hill South (designated as Toronto neighbourhood #101) is directly south of Forest Hill North. It extends from Eglinton Ave West in the north to Tichester Road in the south, and from Bathurst Street in the west to Elmsthorpe Road in the northeast and Avenue Road and the Oriole Parkway in the east. There is an additional stretch of Forest Hill South between Bathurst Street and Spadina Road, north of Lonsdale Road. South Hill borders Forest Hill South to the south.Template:Citation needed

Politically, the residents of Forest Hill North are represented either in the Eglinton-Lawrence ward or in the St. Paul's (west) ward.<ref>City of Toronto: Neighbourhood profiles - Forest Hill North</ref> Meanwhile, Forest Hill South is neighbourhood #101. Similarly, the residents of Forest Hill South are represented in either the St. Paul's (west) ward or the St. Paul's (east) ward.<ref>City of Toronto: Neighbourhood profiles - Forest Hill South</ref>

Character

File:Intersection of Bathurst and Eglinton, 2013 04 09 -ad (15482044136).jpg
The intersection of Bathurst Street and Eglinton Avenue

Lower Forest Hill is a tree lined upscale neighbourhood comparable to nearby Rosedale. According to its older building codes in the 1920s to 1930s, all homes had to be designed by an architect and have a tree in the front yard. The result was a multitude of well manicured brick and mason mansions. At Spadina Road and Lonsdale Avenue is Forest Hill Village, a small shopping district containing boutique shops, a small grocery, banking and other services. Two elite private boarding schools, The Bishop Strachan School for girls and Upper Canada College for boys can be found nearby. To the west along Lonsdale and Heath Street there are serval luxury condo buildings and to the north along Eglinton there is a group of more modest co-op apartments.<ref name=Dunkelman>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=Micallef>Template:Cite book</ref>

The Loblaws grocery at Bathurst Street and St Clair Ave West is accessible to the subway, St Clair West Station however the walking distance (a few hundred meters) from the station to the Bathurst Street bus stop makes this one of the most inconvenient transfers in the city.<ref name=Micallef />Template:Rp

The more northerly Upper Forest Hill homes, built in the 40s and 50s are smaller but have a similar lot sizes.<ref name="ED_FH_history" /><ref name="Dunkelman" /> This area is dominated by Tudor and Georgian styles, but the architectural styles range from French Colonial with terra cotta tiles to English country manors with sweeping lawns. Luxurious details such as sculpture gardens, porte-cochères, and imposing gated entrances are quite widespread. For example, Old Forest Hill Road hosts "a style of domestic architecture that's often been described as Stockbroker Baronial".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The stretch along Eglinton from Bathurst to the Spadina Expressway contains a wide variety of small shops, restaurants, food stores and other services.Template:Citation needed

Housing

File:Houses on Warren Road in Toronto's Forest Hill neighbourhood.jpg
Streetscape of Warren Road in Forest Hill

In 2007, the average sale price for a Forest Hill South home was $4,320,000, although renting a place in the neighbourhood was still relatively affordable as of 2011.<ref name="ED_FH_history" /> Like much of Toronto today, that is no longer the case.

Streetscape

File:Timothy Eaton Memorial Church.JPG
Timothy Eaton Memorial Church is a notable landmark in Forest Hill.

Several elements that contribute to the unique character of the area are its sidewalks and local roads, as well as landscaping and natural environment. Most of the area does not have sidewalks. Streets are often wide within the residential interior and many of the intersections have stop signs.

Spadina Road is the only surface transit route running through the neighbourhood, while St. Clair Avenue has a streetcar line connecting to the Yonge-University_Spadina subway. Notable landmarks and structures in Forest Hill include Eglinton Theatre, Grace Church on-the-Hill, and Timothy Eaton Memorial Church. Deep below ground the subway roughly follows the path of the Cedarvale Ravine with exits at St. Clair and Eglinton West stations.

Demographics

Ethnicity

2011 census

Forest Hill North top 5 ethnic and cultural groups (by ancestry) in 2011:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Forest Hill South top 5 ethnic and cultural groups (by ancestry) in 2011:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The numbers add up to more than 100% due to people of mixed ancestry.

2021 census

Forest Hill North top 10 ethnic and cultural groups (by ancestry) in 2021:<ref name="Neighbourhood Profiles"/>

Forest Hill South top 10 ethnic and cultural groups (by ancestry) in 2021:<ref name="Neighbourhood Profiles"/>

Family profile

2006 census

Couple Family Structure Forest Hill North 2006<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

  • 89.9% - Married
  • 29.8% - Without children at home
  • 60.0% - With children at home
  • 21.8% - 1 child
  • 26.4% - 2 children
  • 11.4% - 3 or more children
  • 10.1% - Common-law couples
  • 8.0% - Without children at home
  • 2.1% - With children at home
  • 0.6% - 1 child
  • 1.1% - 2 children
  • 0.0% - 3 or more children

Couple Family Structure Forest Hill South 2006<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

  • 88.2% - Married
  • 37.6% - Without children at home
  • 50.4% - With children at home
  • 13.7% - 1 child
  • 26.4% - 2 children
  • 11.4% - 3 or more children
  • 15.4% - Common-law couples
  • 11.8% - Without children at home
  • 10.3% - With children at home
  • 1.1% - 1 child
  • 1.1% - 2 children
  • 0.0% - 3 or more children

2021 census

Family structure, Forest Hill North:<ref name="Neighbourhood Profiles"/>

  • Total couple families in private households: 2,710 (100%)
  • Married couples: 2,390 (88.2%)
  • Married couples with children: 1,470 (54.2%)
  • Common-law couples: 315 (11.6%)
  • Common-law couples with children: 95 (3.5%)
  • Children in a two-parent family: 2,950
  • Children in a one-parent family: 765
  • Average number of children in census families with children: 1.8

Family structure, Forest Hill South:<ref name="Neighbourhood Profiles"/>

  • Total couple families in private households: 2,540 (100%)
  • Married couples: 2,155 (84.8%)
  • Married couples with children: 1,100 (43.3%)
  • Common-law couples: 380 (15.0%)
  • Common-law couples with children: 80 (3.1%)
  • Children in a two-parent family: 2,305
  • Children in a one-parent family: 510
  • Average number of children in census families with children: 1.9

Jewish community

Wealthy Jews began moving into the village in the 1930s. Holy Blossom Temple relocated to 1950 Bathurst Street in 1938, just outside the boundaries of Forest Hill, as a majority of its "uptown" membership had moved north of St. Clair Avenue. By 1941, Forest Hill village had 1,295 Jewish residents (11% of the population).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With the mass suburbanization of the Toronto Jewish community after 1945, the Jewish population of Forest Hill grew to 11,000 by 1961.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Forest Hill has a number of businesses catering to the Jewish community along Eglinton Avenue West. The 2021 census figures show 8,925 people who gave their religion as Jewish, 38.5% of the total; in answer to the census question about cultural or ethnic origin, 5,125 said Jewish, which is 22.1% of the total (these figures are for Forest Hill North and Forest Hill South combined, as compiled and published by the City of Toronto).<ref name="Neighbourhood Profiles"/>

Politics

Reeves of the Village of Forest Hill

  • 1924–28 Lawrence H. Baldwin
  • 1929–30 A.H. Keith Russell
  • 1931–32 Andrew Hazlett
  • 1933–35 Dr. Hugh M. Cook
  • 1936–37 Arthur S. Leitch
  • 1938–49 Frederick Goldwin Gardiner - became the first Metropolitan Toronto Chairman (1953-1962)
  • 1950–51 Bruce Pettit Davis - lawyer<ref>Acclaim Council In Forest Hill

The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]18 Nov 1950: 5.</ref>

  • 1952 Stewart Robertson - investment broker<ref>Former Reeve Of Forest Hill Served Overseas

Robertson, Stewart. The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]11 Sep 1954: 8</ref>

The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]16 May 1956: 5.</ref>

  • 1956–62 Laurie T. Simonsky - a merchant, and past president of Holy Blossom Temple<ref>Reeve Acclaimed In Forest Hill

The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]20 Nov 1956: 9</ref><ref>Laurie T. Simonsky The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]21 Dec 1951: 5</ref>

  • 1963–67 Edwin J. Pivnick - a professional engineer and a lawyer, was a physics lecturer at University of Toronto before attending law school. He was one of the founders of law firm Minden Gross in 1950. Was first elected to council in 1959. As reeve and a Metro Toronto Councillor, served on Metro's executive committee in 1964 and 1965. Considered running for Mayor of Toronto in 1969 as an official Liberal Party candidate but withdrew his name from consideration at the nominating convention.<ref>Lawyer last Forest Hill reeve The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]17 June 1980: 11.</ref><ref>Edward Pivnick Forest Hill reeve, Toronto Star (1971-2009); Toronto, Ontario [Toronto, Ontario]17 June 1980: A15.</ref><ref>'Ouf to beat Old Guard': No party split: Clarkson, Enright, Michael. The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]25 Sep 1969: 5.</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Federally and Provincially

File:Historical Results in Toronto-St. Paul's and St. Paul's.svg
Electorally, most of Forest Hill lies in the north-centre of Toronto—St. Paul's. This area is typically where the Conservatives are strongest in the riding.

Forest Hill tends to support the Conservative Party of Canada federally and the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario provincially. Home to a large population of affluent Jews, it has gravitated to the Conservatives due to their support for Israel; both the Liberals' capital gains reform and response to the war in Gaza were considered contributing factors to their loss in the 2024 Toronto—St. Paul's byelection, a riding which much of Forest Hill lies in.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Education

File:Forest Hill Collegiate Institute.JPG
Forest Hill Collegiate Institute is a public secondary school operated by the Toronto District School Board.

Secular English-oriented public schools in Forest Hill are operated by the Toronto District School Board. In addition to the Toronto District School Board, three other publicly funded school boards operate in Toronto. The publicly funded English-oriented separate schools in Toronto are operated by the Toronto Catholic District School Board. Secular French-oriented public schools are provided by Conseil scolaire Viamonde, whereas French-oriented public separate school are provided by Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir. However, the latter three school boards do not operate a school in Forest Hill. Public schools in the area include:

  • Forest Hill Collegiate Institute
  • Forest Hill Junior and Senior Public School (Formerly South Preparatory Public School and Forest Hill Senior Public School)
  • West Preparatory Public School
  • North Preparatory Public School

In addition to publicly funded institutions, Forest Hill is home to three private school which provide primary and secondary levels of education. They include:

Notable people

Template:Comment citation needed marked bios in this section do not establish a connection to the neighbourhood.

See also

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References

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