Islington Avenue is a north–south route travelling through the City of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and York Region. It runs from Lake Shore Boulevard West at 7th Street in the former Town of

New Toronto New Toronto is a neighbourhood and former municipality in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the south-west area of Toronto, along Lake Ontario. The Town of New Toronto was established in 1890, and was designed and planned as an industr ...

to Highway 27 at the former town of Kleinburg, in the City of Vaughan north of Toronto. Islington Avenue is approximately 30.2 kilometres (18.7 mi) long. It runs through the former city of

Etobicoke Etobicoke (, ) 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 ...

, serving as one of its main north–south arterials.

History

The street was first surveyed in 1799 (at the time, it was known as the Middle Road). The originating section of Islington Avenue between Lake Shore Blvd. West and Birmingham Street in New Toronto, was originally Seventh Street until 1980, when Islington Avenue was extended south of Horner Avenue. This connection required a new alignment north of Birmingham Street, which crossed over to the top of Sixth Street before continuing north over the CNR Railway yards. The stretch beyond Albion Road into York Region was originally part of a road connecting the former villages of Woodbridge and Weston. Beyond Woodbridge, the road continued north through Kleinburg as Islington Avenue does today. At the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the street was widened, causing the loss of almost all historic buildings. In York Region, Islington Avenue was originally designated as York Regional Road 7, But In 1997, Islington Avenue was changed to York Regional Road 17 when Highway 7 was downloaded to the Region but keep its former highway number .

Route

Islington Avenue today begins at Lake Shore Boulevard West at 7th Street in the former Town of

on the shores of

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

, in the southwest area of the City of Toronto. It and proceeds north through the former village of

Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

, from which it gets its name. At

Dundas Street Dundas Street () is a major historic arterial road in Ontario, Canada. The road connects the city of Toronto with its western Greater Toronto Area, suburbs and several cities in southwestern Ontario. Three provincial highways—Ontario Highway 2 ...

, is historic Montgomery's Inn, built in 1832, and now operated as a museum by the City of Toronto. It continues north through a series of neighbourhoods of suburban Etobicoke including Richview, Kingsview Village, and Rexdale. At

Finch Avenue Finch Avenue is an arterial road, arterial thoroughfare that travels east–west in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The road continues west into the Regional Municipality of Peel as List of numbered roads in Peel Region, Regional Road 2 and east in ...

it crosses the Humber River and enters the former city of

North York North York is a former township and city and is now one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the northern area of Toronto, centred around Yonge Street, north of Ontario Highway 401. It is bounded by ...

, passing through the neighbourhood of Humber Summit. North of

Steeles Avenue Steeles Avenue is an east–west street that stretches across the western and central Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Running from Appleby Line in Milton in the west to the Scarborough-Pickering Townline in the east, where it continue ...

it enters the city of

Vaughan Vaughan ( ) (2022 population 344,412) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increa ...

, and passes through the communities of Woodbridge and Pine Grove before terminating at Highway 27 at the former town of Kleinburg.

Transit

Islington subway station opened on Bloor St in 1968. Today the 110 Islington South serves the street south of the station, while the 37 Islington runs along the street from the station to Steeles. "37 Islington Route History." ''Transfer Points'', Vol XV, No. 6, July-August 1989

Landmarks

Landmarks and notable sites along Steeles from west to east

References

Sources

External links

Google Maps of Islington Avenue
{{Streets in Toronto Roads in Toronto Roads in the Regional Municipality of York