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 ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada. It is located west of downtown in the "Old" City of Toronto. It is bound on the west by
Lansdowne Avenue, 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
Go Transit and
Union Pearson Express railway tracks. The area is mainly residential, with Portuguese businesses along
Dundas Street West
Dundas Street is a major historic arterial road in Ontario, Canada. The road connects the city of Toronto with its western suburbs and several cities in southwestern Ontario. Three provincial highways— 2, 5, and 99—followed long sections ...
and
College Street. The area west of Dufferin Street was a part of the former
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
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 ...
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
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 ...
and more recently
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
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 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
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, map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union
, map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
.'' 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.
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
See also
*
Portuguese Canadians
Portuguese Canadians ( pt, luso-canadianos, italic=no) are Canadian citizens of full or partial Portuguese heritage or people who migrated from Portugal and reside in Canada. According to the 2016 Census, there were 482,610 or 1.4% of Canadians ...
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