Little Portugal (also known as Portugal Village;

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

: ''Pequeno Portugal''/''aldeia Portugal'') is a neighbourhood and

ethnic enclave In sociology, an ethnic enclave is a geographic area with high ethnic concentration, characteristic cultural identity, and economic activity. The term is usually used to refer to either a residential area or a workspace with a high concentration ...

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, Canada. It is located west of downtown in the "Old" City of Toronto. It is bound on the west by

Lansdowne Avenue Lansdowne Avenue is an arterial road in Toronto, Ontario. It runs north–south and starts at Queen Street West and proceeds north to St. Clair Avenue West. Lansdowne Avenue is primarily a four-lane arterial road, with two lanes regularly used fo ...

, on the north by College Street, on the east by

Ossington Avenue Ossington Avenue is a main or arterial street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, west of downtown. Its southern terminus, popularly known as the Ossington Strip, a segment constructed in 1816 to link two longer segments of a military road, was absorb ...

and on the south by the

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and

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railway tracks. The area is mainly residential, with Portuguese businesses along Dundas Street West and College Street. The area west of Dufferin Street was a part of the former Brockton Village, Town of Brockton. The area to the east of Dufferin and south of Dundas Street is also known as "Beaconsfield Village" dating back to the days of the sub-division of lots in the area around Beaconsfield Avenue.

Character

Little Portugal is predominantly a residential area. The largest ethnic group are Portuguese People, Portuguese and numbers of Portuguese storefronts are located along College and Dundas Streets, giving the area its name. There is a fine stock of mid-century homes. A major hub of activity in the area today is McCormick Park, home to McCormick Recreation Centre and Arena on Brock Avenue. This area has long been a focal point for youth living in the area.

Demographics

The area has many residents of Portuguese Canadians, Portuguese and more recently Brazilian Canadian, Brazilian backgrounds. The second largest language group used after Portuguese are Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Above 50% of the population in Little Portugal identify as Portuguese.

Transportation

The area is well-served by the Toronto Transit Commission, TTC. There are the 505 and 506 streetcar lines along Dundas and College. There are north-south bus lines on Lansdowne, Dufferin, and Ossington.

Main streets

Dundas Street (Toronto), Dundas Street West is a four-lane east-west arterial road running through the centre of the neighbourhood. From Ossington Avenue west the street is known as ''Rua Açores.'' There are storefronts along most of the street and are primarily local businesses. College Street West is a four-lane arterial road approximately a quarter-mile north of Dundas meeting Dundas at its western end just west of Lansdowne Avenue. It has storefronts along most of its length. College Street has several areas of Portuguese restaurants and bars east and west of Dufferin Avenue. Dundasstreetlittleportugaltoronto

In 2006, the businesses on Dundas Street from the CNR tracks on the west to Rusholme Road on the east organized the 'Dundas West Business Improvement Area.' In 2007, the 'Little Portugal Business Improvement Area' was formed for the stretch of businesses along Dundas Street from Rusholme Road (just east of Dufferin) to Roxton Road (one block east of Ossington) on the east.

Schools

* Shirley Street Public School - Junior Elementary * Alexander Muir/Gladstone Avenue Public - Junior and Senior Elementary * St. Helen's Catholic School- Catholic Elementary School * Ossington/Old Orchard Junior Public School

References

External links

Little Portugal neighbourhood profile
{{authority control Neighbourhoods in Toronto Portuguese neighborhoods Ethnic enclaves in Ontario European-Canadian culture in Toronto Portuguese-Canadian culture