Koreatown () is an

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 ...

within Seaton Village, a neighbourhood 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 ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. Located along

Bloor Street Bloor Street is an east–west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River (Ontario), Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkway. East ...

between Christie and Bathurst Streets, the area is known for its Korean business and restaurants. The ethnic enclave developed during the 1970s, as the city experienced an influx of Korean immigrants settling in Toronto. Toronto has the largest single concentration of Koreans in Canada with 53,940 living in the city, according to the

Canada 2016 Census The 2016 Canadian census was an enumeration of Canadian residents, which counted a population of 35,151,728, a change from its 2011 population of 33,476,688. The census, conducted by Statistics Canada, was Canada's seventh quinquennial censu ...

. In addition to the

Koreatown A Koreatown (), also known as a Little Korea or Little Seoul, is a Korean-dominated ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area outside the Korean Peninsula. History Koreatowns as an East Asian ethnic enclave have only been in existence s ...

in Seaton Village, the city also holds another cluster of Korean businesses and restaurants in the neighbourhood of Willowdale, informally referred to as Koreantown North, new Koreatown, and uptown Koreatown. The cluster of Korean businesses in Willowdale is centred along

Yonge Street Yonge Street ( ') is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Great Lakes#Geography, Upper Great Lakes. Ontario's first colonial administrator, ...

, between

Finch The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches generally have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where the ...

and

Sheppard Avenue Sheppard Avenue is an east–west principal arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The street has two distinct branches near its eastern end, with the original route being a collector road leading to Pickering, Ontario, Pickering via a turno ...

History

The section of

west of Bathurst Street was heavily populated by people from Central and South America prior to the influx of Korean immigrants in the late-1960s and 1970s. Prior to this influx, the Korean population in Toronto was approximately 100 in 1966. However, by the 1970s, the Korean population in the city grew to roughly 10,000, with most settling near Bloor Street. The adoption of a more liberal immigration policy by the Canadian government in 1967 led to an influx of Korean immigrants, many of whom settled in the Toronto area. Many of them settled in the Bloor and Bathurst area, with a small Korean business neighbourhood developed along Bloor Street, centred on the intersection of Bloor and Manning Avenue. Restaurants, bakeries, gift shops, grocery stores, and travel agencies began to open up, most of which catered to the Korean-Canadian community. Today, although many Koreans work in the region, very few Koreans in fact live in Koreatown.

Other Korean communities in Toronto

A Korean community in the neighbourhood of Willowdale has also developed in recent decades, and has also been referred to as ''Koreantown North'', ''new Koreatown'', and ''uptown Koreatown''. Of the 118,000 residents of Willowdale, more than 10,000 identified Korean as their first language in the

. Korean businesses and restaurants are centred around

, stretching from

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 ...

to the south. Koreans account for more than 13 per cent of the population in the strip of Yonge Street from Finch to Sheppard Avenue.

References

{{authority control Asian-Canadian culture in Toronto Ethnic enclaves in Ontario Korean-Canadian culture

Neighbourhoods in Toronto

History

Other Korean communities in Toronto

See also

References