View source for Etobicoke

{{Short description|District of Toronto, Ontario, Canada}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}}
<!-- Infobox begins -->
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Etobicoke
| official_name      = 
| native_name        = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
| other_name         = 
| settlement_type    = [[Amalgamation of Toronto|Dissolved city]] ([[List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities|lower-tier]])
| image_skyline      = {{Photomontage
| photo1a = The Queensway – Humber Bay 2024.jpg
| photo2a = Humber Bay Park East 2024.jpg
| photo2b = Queen Elizabeth Way from Royal York.jpg
| photo3a = Toronto - ON - Humber Bay und Humber Bay Arch Bridge.jpg
| size = 250
| position = center
| spacing = 2
| color = #FFFFFF
| color_border = #FFFFFF
}}
| image_caption      = From top, left to right: Humber Bay Park East, [[Downtown Toronto]] from Humber Park, [[Gardiner Expressway]] from Royal York Road, [[Humber Bay Arch Bridge]]
| image_flag         = Flag of Etobicoke, Ontario (1995–1997).svg
| image_seal         = Logo of Etobicoke, Ontario (Pre-1997).svg
| image_shield       = Coat of arms of Etobicoke.png
| shield_alt         = [[Coat of arms of Etobicoke|Coat of arms]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = "The Leading Edge of Metro"
| image_map          = Etobicoke locator.png
| map_caption        = Location of Etobicoke (red) compared to the rest of Toronto.
| pushpin_map        = <!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map -->
| pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| coordinates        = {{coord|43|36|58|N|79|30|45|W|region:CA-ON|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = Canada
| subdivision_type1  = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Province]]
| subdivision_type2  = Municipality
| subdivision_name1  = [[Ontario]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Toronto]]
| established_title  = Incorporated
| established_date   = January 1, 1850 (township)<br/>January 1, 1967 (borough)<br/>June 1983 (city)
| established_title1 = Changed Region
| established_date1  = 1954 [[Metropolitan Toronto]] from [[York County, Ontario|York County]]
| established_title2 = Amalgamated
| established_date2  = January 1, 1998 into [[Toronto]]
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = [[Toronto City Council|Councillors]]
| leader_name        = {{Collapsible list
 | title = Ward councillors
 | frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;
 | title_style = 
 | list_style = text-align:left;display:none;
 | 1 = [[Vincent Crisanti]]
 | 2 = [[Mark Grimes]]
 | 3 = [[Stephen Holyday]]
 | 4 = [[Justin Di Ciano]]
 | 5 = [[John Campbell (Ontario politician)|John Campbell]]}}
| leader_title1      = [[House of Commons of Canada|MPs]]
| leader_name1       = {{Collapsible list
 | title = Federal reps
 | frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;
 | title_style = 
 | list_style = text-align:left;display:none;
 | 1 = [[Kirsty Duncan]] [[Liberal Party of Canada|(L)]]
 | 2 = [[Yvan Baker]] (L)
 | 3 = [[James Maloney (lawyer)|James Maloney]] (L)}}
| unit_pref          = <!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired-->
| area_footnotes     = {{ref label|Stats_Canada|1|1(sc)}}
| area_total_km2     = 123.93
| area_land_km2      = 
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_water_percent = 
| elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use<ref> </ref>  tags-->
| elevation_m        = 
| population_total   = 376,237
| population_as_of   = [[Canada 2021 Census|2021]]
| population_footnotes = {{ref label|Stats_Canada|1|1(sc)}}
| population_density_km2 = 3035.9
| population_demonym = Etobian<ref>{{cite news| title = Etobian sets record straight | newspaper = The Toronto Star | language = en | date = February 22, 2007 | url = https://www.thestar.com/news/2007/02/22/etobian_sets_record_straight.html | access-date = August 19, 2015}}</ref>
| population_note    = 
| postal_code_type   = Postal code span
| postal_code        = M8V-M9C, M9P-M9R, M9V-M9W
| area_codes          = [[Area codes 416, 647 and 437|416, 647, 437]]
| website            = 
| footnotes          = 
| leader_title2      = [[Legislative Assembly|MPPs]]
| leader_name2       = {{Collapsible list
 | title = Provincial reps
 | frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;
 | title_style = 
 | list_style = text-align:left;display:none;
 | 1 = [[Doug Ford]] ([[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|PC]])
 | 2 = [[Kinga Surma]] (PC)
 | 3 = [[Lee Fairclough]] ([[Ontario Liberal Party|OLP]])}}
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
}}
 <!-- Infobox ends -->

'''Etobicoke''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=etobicoke.ogg|ɛ|ˈ|t|oʊ|b|ᵻ|k|oʊ}}, {{respell|eh|TOH|bik|oh}}) is an administrative district and former city within [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west end, Etobicoke is bordered on the south by [[Lake Ontario]], on the east by the [[Humber River (Ontario)|Humber River]], on the west by [[Etobicoke Creek]], the cities of [[Brampton]], and [[Mississauga]], the [[Toronto Pearson International Airport]] (a small portion of the airport extends into Etobicoke), and on the north by the city of [[Vaughan]] at [[Steeles Avenue|Steeles Avenue West]].

The area of Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 1790s. Primarily an agricultural district, it was incorporated in 1850 as Etobicoke Township. The municipality grew into city status in the 20th century after [[World War II]]. Several independent villages and towns developed and became part of Etobicoke, first when [[Metropolitan Toronto]] was formed in 1954 and later, in a 1967 consolidation. In 1998, its city status and government dissolved after it was [[amalgamation of Toronto|amalgamated]] into present-day Toronto.

Etobicoke has a highly diverse population, which numbered 365,143 in 2016. It is primarily suburban in development and heavily industrialized, resulting in a lower population density than the other districts of Toronto. Much of its cityscape is characterized by larger main streets, shopping malls, and cul-de-sac housing developments. Etobicoke has several expressways, including [[Ontario Highway 427|Highways 427]], [[Ontario Highway 401|401]], [[Ontario Highway 409|409]], the [[Queen Elizabeth Way]] and [[Gardiner Expressway]]. Etobicoke is the western terminus of [[Line 2 Bloor-Danforth]] of the [[Toronto subway]] and is served by four suburban rail stations of [[GO Transit]]. [[Humber Polytechnic]] is in Etobicoke, encompassing two campuses, one of which is also home to the [[University of Guelph-Humber]].

==Toponymy==
The name "Etobicoke" derives from the Mississauga word ''wah-do-be-kang'' (''wadoopikaang''),<ref>{{cite book|last1= Nichols|first1= John D|last2= Nyholm|first2= Earl|title= A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe|year= 1995|location= Minneapolis|publisher= [[University of Minnesota Press]]|isbn= 978-0-8166-2427-0|oclc= 31242698}}</ref> meaning "place where the [[alder]]s grow". This was how they described the area between [[Etobicoke Creek]] and the [[Humber River (Toronto)|Humber River]]. The first provincial land surveyor, [[Augustus Jones]], also spelled it as "ato-be-coake." Etobicoke was finally adopted as the official name in 1795 at the direction of [[Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada|Lieutenant Governor]] [[John Graves Simcoe]].<ref name="BH">{{cite web |url=http://www.kingswayratepayers.com/histetobicoke.htm |title=A Brief History of Etobicoke |first=Paul |last=Willoughby |access-date=March 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324022239/http://www.kingswayratepayers.com/histetobicoke.htm |archive-date=March 24, 2012 }}</ref>

==History==
At different times throughout history, different groups of First Nations peoples used the land that is now present day Etobicoke. As the [[Algonquin people|Algonquins]] gradually moved west from the Atlantic to Lake Erie, it is almost certain they would have occupied this land.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} By the time they were mostly settled on the shores of Georgian Bay, the [[Wyandot people|Huron-Wendat]] were the primary residents of Lake Ontario's north shore. During the 17th century, the powerful [[Haudenosaunee]] ([[Iroquois]]) confederacy, made up of nations based to the south of the lake, pushed them out.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nash |first1=Alice |last2=Strobel |first2=Christoph |title=Daily Life of Native Americans from Post-Columbian Through Nineteenth-Century America |date=2006 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing |isbn=9780313335150 |page=86}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Lamoureux-St-Hilaire |editor1-first=Maxime |editor2-last=Macrae |editor2-first=Scott |title=Detachment from Place: Beyond an Archaeology of Settlement Abandonment |date=2020 |publisher=University Press of Colorado |isbn=9781646420087 |page=61}}</ref>

After continued harassment from the Iroquois to the south, a coalition of the [[Ojibway]], [[Odawa people|Odawa]], and [[Potawatomi]] Algonquin nations, known as the Three Fires, gradually pushed the Haudenosaunee off this land. The Algonquian-speaking [[Mississaugas]] settled here by 1695, fishing and growing crops more locally in the summer and hunting farther afield in the winter.<ref>Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation and Praxis Research Associates. Date unknown. ''The History of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation.'' Hagersville, ON: Author.</ref>

[[File:Map of the Toronto purchase (normal orientation).jpg|thumb|left|upright|A map depicting the [[Toronto Purchase]] in 1787. The inclusion of Etobicoke in the purchase was contested until 2010, when the dispute was settled between the [[Government of Canada]] and the [[Mississaugas]].]]
The British officials intended Etobicoke to be included in the [[Toronto Purchase]] of 1787.<ref name = "BH" />

However, the Mississauga and government disagreed as to whether the western boundary of the purchase was the Humber River or the Etobicoke River (now, Etobicoke Creek). The [[Mississauga Indians]] allowed British surveyor [[Alexander Aitkin]] to survey the disputed land, and the British paid an additional 10 [[shilling]]s for the purchase, although the purchase was never formally agreed to. The dispute was settled between the government and the Mississauga First Nation in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Government of Canada |title=Fact Sheet - The Brant tract and the Toronto Purchase specific claims |url=http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100016064/1100100016065 |date=September 15, 2010 |access-date=April 29, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415004921/http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100016064/1100100016065 |archive-date=April 15, 2013 }}</ref>

Immigrants from the British Isles were among the new settlers, as well as Loyalists who had left the rebellious Thirteen Colonies, by then the United States. Early settlers included many of the [[Queen's Rangers]], who Simcoe gave land to help protect the new capital of Upper Canada and develop this frontier area. In 1793-95, the Honourable Samuel Smith, a colonel in the Queen's Rangers, received land grants of {{convert|1530|acre|km2}}, extending from today's [[Kipling Avenue]] to Etobicoke Creek, and north to [[Bloor Street]].<ref name="NTH">{{cite web|url=http://www.newtorontohistorical.com/Early%20History.htm |title=Early History |publisher=New Toronto Historical Society |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090120202339/http://www.newtorontohistorical.com/Early%20History.htm |archive-date=January 20, 2009 }}</ref>

On March 18, 1797, Sergeant Patrick Mealey received the first [[land patent]] for a plot on the west side of [[Royal York Road]] on Lake Ontario.<ref name="EH2">{{cite web|url = http://www.etobicokehistorical.com/Stories/Beginnings/body_beginnings.html|title = Beginnings!|author = Bob Given|publisher = Etobicoke Historical Society|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080511221822/http://www.etobicokehistorical.com/Stories/Beginnings/body_beginnings.html|archive-date = May 11, 2008}}</ref> This was part of the First Military Tract, or "Militia Lands", which extended from today's Royal York Road to Kipling Avenue, south from Bloor Street. The Crown was providing land to Loyalists in compensation for property they left behind in the U.S. and to veterans of the American Revolution in payment for service. In other parts of Ontario, the Crown granted land to the Iroquoian First Nations who had served as allies during the war and were forced to cede most of their land in New York to the state. The Crown granted more land to members of the Queen's Rangers in the First Military tract, but most did not occupy their land. Many sold their acreage after a short time.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

The census of 1805 counted 84 people in the township of Etobicoke. In 1806, [[William Cooper (businessman)|William Cooper]] built a [[grist mill]] and [[saw mill]] on the Humber river's west bank, just south of [[Dundas Street (Toronto)|Dundas Street]]. The 1809 census counted 137 residents.<ref name = "BH" /> The Dundas Street bridge opened in 1816, making the township more accessible.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}
[[File:John Grubb House.JPG|thumb|John Grubb's House, built in 1832. Grubb helped found the community of [[Thistletown]] in present-day Etobicoke.]]
On May 18, 1846, the Albion Road Company was incorporated. Its purpose was to build and maintain a road to the north-west corner of Etobicoke, where a new community was planned. At the same time, John Grubb, who had already founded [[Thistletown]], hired land surveyor [[John Stoughton Dennis]] to plan a community at the intersection of [[Islington Avenue]] and [[Albion Road (Toronto)|Albion Road]], to be named Saint Andrew's. Plan 6 for this community was registered on October 15, 1847. The French master of [[Upper Canada College]], Jean du Petit Pont de la Haye, contracted land surveyor James McCallum Jr. to create a plan for the community planned by the Albion Road Company, and Plan 28 was registered for [[Clairville, Toronto|Claireville]] on October 12, 1849.<ref name = "EH2" />

The township of Etobicoke was incorporated on January 1, 1850.<ref name="archives">{{cite web|url = http://www.toronto.ca/archives/records_etobicoke.htm|title = Etobicoke Records|date = August 24, 2017|publisher = City of Toronto}}</ref> The first meeting of the town council was held on January 21. Present at the meeting were [[Mayor#Continental Europe|reeve]] [[William Gamble (Canada)|William Gamble]], vice-reeve W. B. Wadsworth and aldermen Moses Appleby, Thomas Fisher, and John Geddes.<ref name="OMG">{{cite web|url = http://www.etobicokehistorical.com/Stories/Municipal_Government/municipal_government.html|title = Our Municipal Government|author = Robert A Given|publisher = Etobicoke Historical Society|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071010133658/http://www.etobicokehistorical.com/Stories/Municipal_Government/municipal_government.html|archive-date = October 10, 2007}}</ref> The council convened monthly meetings at a variety of places. In 1850, the township's population was 2904.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}} By 1881, the population of Etobicoke township was 2976.<ref name = "OMG" />

In 1911, the community of [[Mimico]] was incorporated on land taken from Etobicoke township.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.torontofamilyhistory.org/chronology.html|title = Toronto Chronology|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929044646/http://www.torontofamilyhistory.org/chronology.html|archive-date = September 29, 2007}}</ref> [[New Toronto]] was incorporated on January 1, 1913.<ref name = "BH" /> Early on, there was talk of merging Mimico and New Toronto. A 1916 referendum on amalgamating the two communities was approved by the residents of Mimico, but rejected by residents of New Toronto.<ref name = "NTH" /> In 1917, Mimico became a town and in 1920, New Toronto became the Town of New Toronto. [[Long Branch, Toronto|Long Branch]] was incorporated in 1930 as a village.<ref>[http://torontofamilyhistory.org/kingandcountry/tdsb/secondary-g-m Secondary Schools: G to M « For King and Country]. Torontofamilyhistory.org. Retrieved on July 26, 2013.</ref>

In 1954, Etobicoke Township became a part of the newly formed regional government, the Municipality of [[Metropolitan Toronto]] ("Metro"). In 1967, the township of Etobicoke was merged with three small lakeside municipalities&nbsp;— the Village of Long Branch, the Town of New Toronto, and the Town of Mimico&nbsp;— to form the Borough of Etobicoke. The borough was reincorporated as a city in 1984.<ref name="archives"/> In 1998, six local municipalities (including Etobicoke) and the Metropolitan Toronto government [[Amalgamation of Toronto#1998 amalgamation|merged to form the amalgamated city of Toronto]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toronto.ca/toronto_history/amalgamation/amal_speech.htm|title=The Toronto Amalgamation: Looking Back, Moving Ahead|author=Roda McInnis|access-date=April 12, 2012}}</ref>

==Character==
{{promotional section|date=October 2020}}
[[File:Toronto from Humber Park.jpg|left|thumb|[[Humber Bay Park]] is one of several municipal [[urban park]]s in Etobicoke.]]
Etobicoke has the lowest population density of the former cities and boroughs comprising the city of Toronto. This is mainly due to its expanses of industrial lands along the various expressways.

The residential areas are primarily single-family dwellings, although several large multi-story high-rise condominium developments have been built in south Etobicoke near the Humber River over the past few years. The central and northern areas of Etobicoke have many high-density apartment complexes set in the middle of sizable, open fields and parks. The central/southern areas, such as [[Markland Wood]], [[The Kingsway, Toronto|The Kingsway]], New Toronto, Mimico and Long Branch, have large green spaces, many parks, and main street shopping areas.{{Original research inline|date=July 2024}}

Etobicoke has many public parks. Located on the banks of the Humber River, [[James Gardens]], a popular site for [[wedding photography]], features seasonal flowers, walkways, a rock garden, streams, and waterfalls. Etobicoke also has [[Centennial Park (Toronto)|Centennial Park]], a large recreational park, and [[Colonel Samuel Smith Park]] and [[Humber Bay Park]] on the lakeshore. Etobicoke has several golf courses. [[St. George's Golf and Country Club]] was ranked in 2007 as one of the three best golf courses in Canada.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scoregolf.com/golf-course-guide/name.cfm/St-Georges-Golf-Country-Club-facility-overview/Toronto/Ontario/x10-11871-001/ |title=St. George's Golf and Country Club |date=January 28, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070128040649/http://www.scoregolf.com/golf-course-guide/name.cfm/St-Georges-Golf-Country-Club-facility-overview/Toronto/Ontario/x10-11871-001/ |archive-date=January 28, 2007}}</ref>

===Neighbourhoods===
[[File:Islington-City Centre West new high-rise residential 2021.jpg|thumb|New condos in Islington-City Centre West (2021)]]
{{main|List of neighbourhoods in Toronto#Etobicoke|l1=List of neighbourhoods in Etobicoke}}
Etobicoke is generally divided into three large areas roughly corresponding to its political ridings. Each has neighbourhoods, mostly developments of 19th-century '[[postal village]]s' (rural neighbourhoods), that were built at key points along the early roads and railways; especially the three former 'Lakeshore Municipalities' that separated from Etobicoke in the early 20th century and Etobicoke's central Islington community:
[[File:MimicoLakeCresNeoGeorgianHouses.jpg|thumb|A [[Georgian architecture#Post-Georgian developments|Neo-Georgian]] designed home in [[Mimico]]. The Lakeshore's neighbourhoods were first to urbanize in Etobicoke.]]
'''The Lakeshore''' ([[Etobicoke—Lakeshore (federal electoral district)|Etobicoke—Lakeshore]]), along the north shore of Lake Ontario and the "Lake Shore Road" (now Lake Shore Boulevard West), comprises three former municipalities that were the first to urbanize and became separate municipalities during the first half of the 20th century: Mimico, New Toronto and Long Branch, and related communities that were never separate from the Township of Etobicoke; namely, [[Alderwood, Toronto|Alderwood]] (originally a suburb of New Toronto), and [[Humber Bay]] (a historic gateway community connecting to Toronto) which was originally sprawl from the east side of the Humber River that was subsequently split by the construction of Ontario's first motor vehicle 'freeway' in 1938, which cuts across the top of southern Etobicoke; (the Queen Elizabeth Way).

Today, the original remnant residential (northern) section of Humber Bay is north of The Queensway, east of Mimico Creek to the Humber River. The commercial, southern section of Humber Bay retains only Christie's Biscuits bakery, as high-rise condominium towers and clustered row housing have forced out virtually all other commercial/industrial employment uses. In the late 1990s, the former McGuiness Whisky factory was converted into a high-rise loft condominium which became the centrepiece of the Mystic Pointe development. Etobicoke's first railway opened through the area in 1855, just north of the Lake Ontario shoreline, leading to the first period of growth as it replaced Dundas Street in Central Etobicoke as the main means of transportation and the industrial centre along its right-of-way.
[[File:Humber Valley Village house.JPG|left|thumb|A residence in [[Humber Valley Village]] neighbourhood. Development in the Humber Valley Village began in the early 20th century.]]
'''Central Etobicoke''' (Etobicoke Centre); the oldest communities in Etobicoke developed along the first street, Dundas Street, in the south of this area, which crosses the width of Etobicoke on the escarpment formed by the ancient shoreline of Lake Iroquois. This area centres around the [[Islington–City Centre West|Islington]] community, the former administrative centre of Etobicoke and later Etobicoke's 'downtown' which is near the central 'Six Points' intersection at its western boundary. The rural [[Richview, Toronto|Richview]] community developed directly to the north of Islington in the 19th century on Eglinton Ave. (formerly Richview Rd.), as did the gateway [[Humber Heights-Westmount|Humber Heights]] communities (connecting to Toronto): Westmount and Humbervale, to the east on Eglinton. Development of the until-then largely undeveloped eastern part of central Etobicoke (originally a forest reserved for the use of government mills as "The King's Mill Reserve"; "Kingsmill"), the "Humber Valley", was largely the work of Robert Home Smith starting about 1900 and including the communities of [[The Kingsway, Toronto|The Kingsway]] and [[Humber Valley Village]]. The Kingsway neighbourhood has attracted many affluent individuals and families (as of 2001, over 50% of households have an income in excess of {{CAD|100,000}}/year).<ref>Kingsway South (15): Social Profile #3 – Neighbourhoods Households & Income. 2001. City of Toronto. [http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/pdf3/cpa15.pdf]</ref>

As Etobicoke developed in the post-war years, low-density residential areas filled in most of the rural areas between the old communities including [[Thorncrest Village]], [[Princess-Rosethorn]] and [[Eringate – Centennial – West Deane]] as well as the older [[Eatonville, Ontario|Eatonville]] community to the west of Islington. Central Etobicoke includes Etobicoke's most exclusive neighbourhoods, with fine housing stock and many large treed properties. Along the East and West Mall parallel to [[Ontario Highway 427|Highway 427]] exists a mix of hi-rise rentals, townhouses and post-war bungalows. [[Markland Wood]] is the farthest western community within Etobicoke/Toronto; situated along Bloor Street West, it is predominately single family housing with some mixed hi-rise rentals.
[[File:Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown from Kipling.jpg|thumb|Apartment buildings in [[Smithfield, Toronto|Smithfield]]. Most neighbourhoods in North Etobicoke were built in the years following [[World War II]].]]
'''North Etobicoke'''; The 19th-century Etobicoke communities are [[Claireville, Toronto|Clairville]], [https://www.etobicokehistorical.com/highfield.html Highfield], [[Rexdale]], [[Smithfield, Toronto|Smithfield]], Thistletown which grew along two formerly private roads (now Albion Rd. and Rexdale Blvd.) constructed diagonally across farms in Northern Etobicoke as a shortcut for travellers to Peel County (especially modern Brampton). First developed as an urban area by [[Rex Heslop]] in the post-[[World War II]] years around the new [[The Elms, Toronto|Rexdale (the Elms)]] community, northern Etobicoke has many apartment buildings as well as a large 'skyway' industrial park to the west, developed after Malton Airport (in nearby Mississauga) became Toronto's main "Pearson International" Airport.

==Demographics==
{{See also|List of people from Etobicoke|l1=People from Etobicoke}}
{{Historical populations
|title       = Federal census<br/>population history<br/>of Etobicoke
|type        = Canada
|align       = 
|width       = 
|state       = 
|shading     = 
|percentages = 
|footnote    = ''Source: [[Statistics Canada]]''<br/><ref name=1851census>{{cite book | title=Census of the Canadas, 1951-2, Personal Census | year=1853 | publisher=Board of Registration and Statistics | location=Quebec}}</ref><ref name=1861census>{{cite book | title=Census of the Canadas, 1961-2, Personal Census | year=1863 | publisher=Bureau of Agriculture and Statistics | location=Quebec}}</ref><ref name=1931census>{{cite book | title=Census of Canada, 1931 | year=1932 | publisher=[[Government of Canada]] | location=Ottawa | chapter=Table 12: Population of Canada by provinces, counties or census divisions and subdivisions, 1871-1931}}</ref><ref name=1971census>{{cite book | title=1971 Census of Canada | volume=I: Population, Census Subdivisions (Historical) | year=1973 | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | location=Ottawa | chapter=Table 2: Population of Census Subdivisions, 1921–1971}}</ref><ref name=1976census>{{cite book | title=1976 Census of Canada | series=Census Divisions and Subdivisions, Ontario | volume=I: Population, Geographic Distributions | year=1977 | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | location=Ottawa | chapter=Table 3: Population for census divisions and subdivisions, 1971 and 1976}}</ref><ref name=1981census>{{cite book | title=1981 Census of Canada | volume=II: Provincial series, Population, Geographic distributions (Ontario) | year=1982 | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | location=Ottawa | chapter=Table 4: Population and Total Occupied Dwellings, for Census Divisions and Subdivisions, 1976 and 1981 | isbn=0-660-51092-8}}</ref><ref name=1986census>{{cite book | title=Census Canada 1986 | volume=Population and Dwelling Counts – Provinces and Territories (Ontario) | year=1987 | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | location=Ottawa | chapter=Table 2: Census Divisions and Subdivisions – Population and Occupied Private Dwellings, 1981 and 1986 | isbn=0-660-53460-6}}</ref><ref name=1991census>{{cite book | title=91 Census | volume=Population and Dwelling Counts – Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions | year=1992 | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | location=Ottawa | chapter=Table 2: Population and Dwelling Counts, for Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 and 1991 – 100% Data | isbn=0-660-57115-3}}</ref><ref name=1996census>{{cite book | title=96 Census | volume=A National Overview – Population and Dwelling Counts | year=1997 | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | location=Ottawa | chapter=Table 10: Population and Dwelling Counts, for Census Divisions, Census Subdivisions (Municipalities) and Designated Places, 1991 and 1996 Censuses – 100% Data | isbn=0-660-59283-5}}</ref><ref name=2001census>{{cite web | title=2001 Community Profiles: Etobicoke, Ontario (City / Dissolved) | url= https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3520019&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Etobicoke&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | access-date=September 13, 2025}}</ref>
|1851|3483
|1861|3503
|[[1871 Canadian census|1871]]|2985
|[[1881 Canadian census|1881]]|2976
|[[1891 Canadian census|1891]]|4557
|[[1901 Canadian census|1901]]|4413
|[[1911 Canadian census|1911]]|6193
|[[1921 Canadian census|1921]]|10445
|[[1931 Canadian census|1931]]|13769
|[[1941 Canadian census|1941]]|18973
|[[1951 Canadian census|1951]]|53779
|[[1956 Canadian census|1956]]|103621
|[[1961 Canadian census|1961]]|156035
|[[1966 Canadian census|1966]]|219542
|[[1971 Canadian census|1971]]|282686
|[[1976 Canadian census|1976]]|297109
|[[1981 Canadian census|1981]]|298713
|[[1986 Canadian census|1986]]|302973
|[[1991 Canadian census|1991]]|309993
|[[1996 Canadian census|1996]]|328718
|[[2001 Canadian census|2001]]|338117
}}

Most of Etobicoke's visible minorities and immigrants reside in North Etobicoke, with 62% of its population being foreign-born. Many people from India, Jamaica, Iraq, Guyana, Somalia, Ghana, Philippines, Nigeria, Pakistan and Bangladesh have settled in North Etobicoke. Etobicoke's central and south end has a large European population from countries such as Italy, Poland, former Yugoslavia, and Ukraine, and some of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Toronto such as [[The Kingsway, Toronto|The Kingsway]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=FED&Code1=35029&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Etobicoke%20North&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=35029&TABID=1|title=Census Profile, Etobicoke North, 2016 Census|date=February 8, 2017|access-date=August 30, 2018}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+ [[Ethnic group]]s in Etobicoke (2016)<br />{{small|1=Source: [[2016 Canadian Census]]<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=FED&Code1=35029&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&SearchText=Etobicoke&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1&type=0| title= Census Profile, 2016 Census Etobicoke North [Federal electoral district], Ontario and Ontario [Province]| date= February 8, 2017| access-date = March 25, 2020}},<br>{{cite web| url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=FED&Code1=35027&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&SearchText=Etobicoke&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1&type=0| title= Census Profile, 2016 Census Etobicoke Centre [Federal electoral district], Ontario and Ontario [Province]| date= February 8, 2017| access-date = March 25, 2020}},<br>{{cite web| url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=FED&Code1=35028&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&SearchText=Etobicoke&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1&type=0| title= CCensus Profile, 2016 Census Etobicoke--Lakeshore [Federal electoral district], Ontario and Ontario [Province]| date= February 8, 2017| access-date = March 25, 2020}}</ref>}}
! [[Ethnic origins of people in Canada|Ethnic origins]] !! Population !! %
|-
| [[European Canadians|European]] || 201,505|| {{Percentage | 201505| 360535| 1}}
|-
| [[South Asian Canadians|South Asian]] || 47,780|| {{Percentage | 47780| 360535| 1}}
|-
| [[Black Canadians|Black]] || 40,520|| {{Percentage | 40520| 360535| 1}}
|-
| [[East Asian Canadians|East Asian]] || 15,985|| {{Percentage | 15985|360535| 1}}
|-
| [[Asian Canadians|Southeast Asian]] || 15,595|| {{Percentage | 15595| 360535| 1}}
|-
| [[Latin American Canadians|Latin American]] || 12,385|| {{Percentage | 12385| 360535| 1}}
|-
| [[Middle Eastern Canadians|Middle Eastern]] || 10,775|| {{Percentage | 10775| 360535| 1}}
|-
| [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Aboriginal]] || 4,130|| {{Percentage | 4130| 360535| 1}}
|-
| Other || 12,270|| {{Percentage | 12270| 360535| 1}}
|- style="background:#efefef;
| '''Total population''' || '''365,143'''|| '''{{Percentage | 365143| 365143| 1}}'''
|}

As of 2016, [[English language|English]] was the most spoken language in Etobicoke, followed by (in order) [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Polish language|Polish]], [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=FED&Code1=35028&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Etobicoke&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1 |title=2016 Census Profile. Etobicoke Lakeshore. Statistics Canada |date=February 8, 2017 |access-date=August 30, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=FED&Code1=35027&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Etobicoke&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1|title=Census Profile, Etobicoke Centre, 2016 Census|date=February 8, 2017 |access-date=August 30, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=FED&Code1=35028&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Etobicoke&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1|title=Census Profile, Etobicoke Lakeshore, 2016 Census|date=February 8, 2017 |access-date=August 30, 2018}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Bloor Islington Place 2023.jpg|thumb|left|[[Bloor Islington Place]] is a commercial centre in [[Islington–City Centre West]].]]
[[Islington–City Centre West]] is the [[central business district]] of Etobicoke. [[Pizza Pizza]] and [[Sunwing Airlines]] have their headquarters in Etobicoke.<ref>"[http://beta.pizzapizza.ca/wpf/wp-content/files_mf/fiatonlinerulesfinal73.pdf “FIAT” ONLINE CONTEST RULES & REGULATIONS]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}." [[Pizza Pizza]]. Retrieved on December 5, 2012. "Pizza Pizza, 500 Kipling Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M8Z 5E5"</ref><ref>"[http://www.flysunwing.com/us/privacy-policy.asp Privacy Policy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224104659/http://www.flysunwing.com/us/privacy-policy.asp |date=December 24, 2013 }}." Sunwing Airlines. Retrieved on September 3, 2012. "27 Fasken Drive Toronto, On M9W 1K6 Canada"</ref> [[Skyservice Airlines|Skyservice]]<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20080920174321/http://www.skyserviceairlines.com/eng/collateral/skyservice.corporatebrochure.pdf skyservice.corporatebrochure.pdf]." Skyservice. September 20, 2008. Retrieved on September 4, 2012. "SKYSERVICE AIRLINES 31 Fasken Drive, Etobicoke Ontario, Canada M9W 1K6"</ref> and [[Canada 3000]]<ref>''World Business Directory: 1997. Company Listings : Afghanistan - Germany, Volume 1''. [[Gale Research]], 1996. [https://books.google.com/books?id=J0gWAQAAMAAJ&q=Etobicoke+%22Canada+3000%22 474]. Retrieved from [[Google Books]] on February 13, 2011. "3000 Airlines Ltd. 27 Fasken Dr. Etobicoke, ON, Canada M9W 1K6" {{ISBN|0-8103-6189-2}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8103-6189-8}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.canada3000.ca/corp/corp.htm |title=Canada 3000 Airlines Worldwide Offices |publisher=Canada 3000 |date=January 18, 2001 |access-date=May 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010118225500/http://www.canada3000.ca/corp/corp.htm |archive-date=January 18, 2001}} "CANADA 3000 Airlines Limited Head Office 27 Fasken Drive Toronto, Ontario M9W 1K6"</ref> had their headquarters in Etobicoke before the closure of these airlines.

The construction industry in Etobicoke has been booming, with many new condominium towers developed along the waterfront near Humber Bay and along Bloor street. This has helped increase Etobicoke's population after a brief decline.<ref>Dotan, Hamutal. (November 28, 2012) [http://torontoist.com/2012/11/mr-christie-the-ontario-food-terminal-and-development-in-etobicoke/ Mr. Christie, the Ontario Food Terminal, and Development in Etobicoke | cityscape]. Torontoist. Retrieved on 2013-07-26.</ref> The area's film and television industry is also promising.<ref>[http://urbantoronto.ca/forum/showthread.php/10955-Cinespace-Studios-in-Etobicoke-(Kipling-s-of-Norseman) Cinespace Studios in Etobicoke (Kipling s of Norseman)]. Urbantoronto.ca. Retrieved on July 26, 2013.</ref>

Etobicoke is home to a rib fest held every year on [[Canada Day]] long weekend at Centennial Park. The weekend is filled with entertainment, food, midway, and music.

==Education==
{{See also|List of educational institutions in Etobicoke}}
[[File:Humber College H Building (38474534051).jpg|thumb|[[Humber Polytechnic]] is a public [[college (Canada)|college]] in Etobicoke.]]
Four [[state school|public]] [[school board]]s offer [[primary education]] and [[secondary education]] for residents living in Etobicoke, [[Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir]] (CSCM), [[Conseil scolaire Viamonde]] (CSV), the [[Toronto Catholic District School Board]] (TCDSB), and the [[Toronto District School Board]] (TDSB). CSV and TDSB operate as [[secular education|secular]] public school boards, the former operating French first language institution, whereas the latter operated English first language institutions. The other two school boards, CSCM and TCDSB, operate as public [[separate school]] boards, the former operating French first language separate schools, the latter operating English first language separate schools. Before 1998, the boards were responsible for the education in Etobicoke were the [[Etobicoke Board of Education]] for anglophone public secular schools and the Metropolitan Separate School Board for anglophone and francophone [[Roman Catholic]] separate schools.

In addition to primary and secondary schools, two post-secondary institutions are within Etobicoke. [[Humber Polytechnic]] is a public [[college (Canada)|college]] that operates two campuses in Etobicoke, the Humber North campus, and the Lakeshore campus, on the corner of Efstathia Avenue and Kourabiedes Lane. The [[University of Guelph-Humber]] is another post-secondary institution in Etobicoke that is jointly operated by Humber Polytechnic, and the [[University of Guelph]], based in [[Guelph]], Ontario. Guelph-Humber is not an independent degree-granting institution, with its degrees and diplomas issued from Humber Polytechnic, or the University of Guelph.

===History===
In 1924, [[Mimico High School]] was opened in the village of [[Mimico]]. This was followed by [[Etobicoke Collegiate Institute]] in 1928 in central Etobicoke. Today, the Mimico school building is used by John English Junior Middle School.

Other secondary schools were built:
{{div col}}
*[[Royal York Collegiate Institute]] (1953)
*[[Alderwood Collegiate Institute]] (1955)
*[[Burnhamthorpe Collegiate Institute]] (1956)
*[[Thistletown Collegiate Institute]] (1957)
*[[Richview Collegiate Institute]] (1958)
*[[Kipling Collegiate Institute]] (1960)
*[[Vincent Massey Collegiate Institute]] (1961)
*[[North Albion Collegiate Institute]] (1962)
*[[Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy|Scarlett Heights Collegiate Institute]] (1963)
*[[Silverthorn Collegiate Institute]] (1964)
*[[Martingrove Collegiate Institute]] (1966)
*[[West Humber Collegiate Institute]] (1966)
*Kellier Mackay Collegiate Institute (1971)
*[[Michael Power/St. Joseph High School]] (1981)
*[[Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School]] (1986)
*[[Bishop Allen Academy]] (1989)
{{end div col}}

In the village of [[New Toronto]], New Toronto Secondary School was constructed in 1949 and opened in 1950 as a vocational trade school. Beginning in 1963, [[Kingsmill Secondary School|Kingsmill Vocational School]], a junior vocational school, opened at a King's Mill site and two other schools erected: [[Humbergrove Secondary School|Humbergrove Vocational School]] to the north in 1965 and Westway Vocational School in 1969.

At its peak, Etobicoke operated 14 collegiates and 4 vocational schools in 1980. Downsizing occurred in the 1980s when nine high schools were closed due to declining enrollment; Alderwood and New Toronto merged to form [[Lakeshore Collegiate Institute]] in 1983 while Humbergrove, Kingsmill and Westway were consolidated to form [[Central Etobicoke High School]] in 1988.

Etobicoke's first Roman Catholic high school, [[Michael Power/St. Joseph High School]] was first opened in 1949 as St. Joseph's High School in the village of Islington with 150 girls by the [[Sisters of St. Joseph]]. Next door, the [[Basilian Fathers]] established an all-boys school Michael Power High School in 1957. In September 1982, the two schools were merged. Today, Michael Power/St. Joseph serves many students in the southern and central Etobicoke areas predominantly populated by Polish and Ukrainian Byzantine Catholics, who attend southern Etobicoke's two other high schools: [[Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School]] (1986) and [[Bishop Allen Academy]] (1989).

The first [[art school]] in Etobicoke is the [[Etobicoke School of the Arts]] established in 1981. Father John Redmond was designated as the Regional Arts Centre in 2006.

==Sport==
{{Main|Amateur sport in Toronto|List of sports teams in Toronto}}
[[File:Toronto Furies vs Boston Blades 2015-02-01 (16239811468).jpg|thumb|left|The [[Ford Performance Centre]] is an [[ice hockey]] facility in Etobicoke, that is used as the [[home (sports)|home]] arena for the [[Toronto Furies]], and as the practice facilities for the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]].]]
Etobicoke has a wide range of indoor and outdoor sporting leagues including baseball, soccer, gridiron football, ice hockey, and ringette. Some of the prominent clubs include the [[Etobicoke Kangaroos]] [[Australian rules football]] club, the [[Serbian White Eagles FC]] club, [[Toronto Croatia]], and [[FC Ukraine United]], which operate in the [[Canadian Soccer League]], and the [[Toronto Furies]] of the [[Canadian Women's Hockey League]].

Southern Etobicoke is home to the [[Ford Performance Centre]], the home arena for the Toronto Furies, and the practice rink of the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]]. The [[Toronto Patriots]] of the [[Ontario Junior Hockey League]] are based in Etobicoke. Etobicoke is the hometown of Major League Baseball star [[Joey Votto]] as well as National Hockey League stars [[P. K. Subban]], [[Connor Brown (ice hockey)|Connor Brown]], brothers [[Brendan Smith (ice hockey)|Brendan]] and [[Reilly Smith]], and National Hockey League Hall of Famer [[Brendan Shanahan]]. Etobicoke's Centennial Park is a large green space in west Toronto which is a venue for soccer, basketball, skiing, ice hockey, rugby, hiking, track and field. Rexdale (North Etobicoke) is home to the top ranked high school basketball program in Canada, Henry Carr Crusaders. Producing notable US Division 1 and NBA players such as Tyler Ennis and Sim Bhullar. Henry Carr Crusaders were the 2016 AAA Provincial high school basketball champions.

==Transportation==
Several major expressways, such as Ontario Highways [[Ontario Highway 427|427]], [[Ontario Highway 401|401]], [[Ontario Highway 409|409]], and [[Ontario Highway 27|27]], the [[Queen Elizabeth Way]], as well as the city-maintained [[Gardiner Expressway]], are routed through the area. There are numerous four- and six-lane thoroughfares in Etobicoke, laid out in a grid system. Many exceptions to Toronto's gridded street matrix are found in Etobicoke. A number of overpasses and awkward intersections have been created in an effort to reconcile the grid with these planning anomalies. 
[[File:Toronto ON Long-Branch-Loop 16 2011-08-16.JPG|thumb|A [[Toronto Transit Commission]] [[Toronto streetcar system|streetcar]] at [[Long Branch Loop]]]]
Public transportation is primarily provided by the [[Toronto Transit Commission]]'s (TTC) [[Toronto Transit Commission bus system|bus]], [[Toronto streetcar system|streetcar]], and [[Toronto subway|subway system]]. [[Line 2 Bloor-Danforth]] of the TTC subway system has its western terminus at [[Kipling station|Kipling]], along with three other stations. Both Kipling and [[Islington station (Toronto)|Islington station]]s are major transit hubs, with the former serving as a terminal for [[MiWay]] bus services to [[Mississauga]]. Former transit expansion plans in Etobicoke, including the [[Eglinton West line|Eglinton West subway]] and the extension of Line 2 from Kipling to [[Square One Bus Terminal]] in Mississauga, were cancelled by previous provincial governments. Future transit expansion plans include two [[light rail]] transit projects, namely the [[Line 5 Eglinton|Eglinton line]] extension from the future [[Mount Dennis station]] to [[Toronto Pearson International Airport]] and a new [[Line 6 Finch West|Finch West line]] between [[University of Guelph-Humber]] (Humber Polytechnic North Campus) and [[Finch West station]].

Etobicoke is also home to four GO stations: [[Etobicoke North GO Station|Etobicoke North]] station on the [[Kitchener line]], [[Kipling GO Station|Kipling]] station on the [[Milton line]], as well as [[Long Branch GO Station|Long Branch]] and [[Mimico GO Station|Mimico]] stations on the [[Lakeshore West line]].

==See also==
{{Portal|Canada}}
*[[List of reeves and mayors of Etobicoke]]
*[[Toronto Board of Control#Etobicoke|Etobicoke Board of Control]]
*[[Disappearance of Nicole Morin]]
*[[Coat of arms of Etobicoke]]

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist|2}}

===Further reading===
*''Inside Toronto'' – The Weekender; March 27, 2005

==External links==
{{Commons category|Etobicoke}}
*{{wikivoyage inline|Toronto/Etobicoke|Etobicoke}}

{{TorontoMunicipalities}}
{{Toronto Neighbourhoods}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Etobicoke| ]]
[[Category:Former cities in Ontario]]
[[Category:Former municipalities in Toronto]]
[[Category:Metropolitan Toronto]]
[[Category:Neighbourhoods in Toronto]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1797]]
[[Category:Populated places disestablished in 1998]]
[[Category:1797 establishments in Upper Canada]]
[[Category:1998 disestablishments in Ontario]]