Cedarvale, Toronto: History and Characteristics

Brief historydivided into its respective parts by Vaughan Road, with
Like many neighbourhoods in eastern Canada, theCedarvale to the northeast and Humewood to the
community of Cedarvale was a private plot of landsouthwest.
owned by one man, Sir Henry Mill Pellat, who was theCedarvale itself has two public school, Cedarvale
builder of Casa Loma (a huge castle-like house inCommunity School and Arlington Middle School, which
Toronto that is a major tourist attraction). Pellathave students registered from grades kindergarten to
originally intended the area to be a closed communitynine. Two public schools, Vaughan Road CI and Forest
when he began to develop it in 1912. Due to decreasingHill CI, are located on Vaughan and Eglinton.
funds from the costs of Casa Loma as well as aOver two thirds of the population of Cedarvale is of
plunging real estate market during World War I, theJewish background, making it the highest proportional
only extant reminder of this dream are a couple ofneighbourhood in this aspect in Toronto. As a result,
columns located at the intersection of Bathurst Streettwo major religious sites are landmarks in the area,
and Claxton Boulevard.Holy Blossom Temple and Beth Tzedec Synagogue.
A public relations concern was created in 1966 whenThere are also two private Jewish schools in the
the Spadina Exressway was to be built through theneighbourhood, United Synagogue and Leo Baeck Day
area. In fact, several houses were reclaimed by theSchool, both located on Bathurst Street.
government and the cedars which gave the area itsOne of the key features of Cedarvale is the
name were removed for the project, but the publicCedarvale ravine which runs through the
outcry was such that in 1974 the city decided to haltneighbourhood, off of Bathurst and parallel to Vaughan.
the expressway at Eglinton.This ravine was named for the many cedars that
Cedarvale Todayused to grow along the bottom, and houses
The Cedarvale neighbourhood in Toronto is one half ofoverlooking the site are among the priciest in the
the Humewood-Cedarvale community. This area isneighbourhood. Cedarvale includes a wide range of
bordered by Bathurst Street to the west, Eglintonhouse prices, from $200,000 and up, with everything
Avenue to the north, Arlington Avenue to the westfrom starter homes to varying styles suitable to the
and St. Clair Avenue to the south. The community istastes of practically any home buyer.