Little Portugal (also known as Portugal Village;
Portuguese: ''Pequeno Portugal'' or, ''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 ( , 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. 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 and on the south by the
GO Transit
GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven mil ...
and
Union Pearson Express
The Union Pearson Express (UP Express or UPX) is an airport rail link connecting Union Station (Toronto), Union Station in Downtown Toronto to Toronto Pearson International Airport. The UP Express began operation on 6 June 2015, in time for the ...
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
Town of Brockton. The sub area bounded by Dufferin Street on the west, Dundas Street on the north, Ossington Avenue on the east and
Queen Street on the south is also known as ''"Beaconsfield Village"'' dating back to the days of the sub-division of lots in the area around Beaconsfield Avenue, named after British Prime Minister
Benjamin Disraeli
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...
who given the title Lord Beaconsfield by
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
.
Character

Little Portugal is predominantly a residential area. The largest ethnic group are
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.
The area once was home to
Ideal Bread Company, which operated a bakery at 183 Dovercourt Road from 1919 to 1957 and marketed
Wonder Bread in Canada from 1934 to 1940. Since 2007 the former bread factory is now a residential complex known as Argyle Lofts.
Today, Little Portugal is home to Do West Fest, one of Toronto's many summertime street festivals. Do West Fest is an "annual celebration of music, arts, food, fun, and community takes place along Dundas Street West, from Ossington Avenue to Lansdowne Avenue, covering 16 blocks of downtown Toronto".
In 2024, the festival drew an attendance of 750,000 people over its 3-day schedule.
Demographics
The area has many residents of
Portuguese 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.
As of 2016 the neighbourhood houses a population of 15,559.
Little Portugal is a fast growing neighbourhood in Toronto, in the years 2011-2016 the areas population grew by 29.1%, a significantly higher growth rate than the 4.5% population growth seen throughout the entire city over the same period of time.
Little Portugal has a population density of 12,859 people per km
2.
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 (47, 47a, 47b), Dufferin (29, 929), and Ossington (63).
Main streets
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 ...
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.

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
* City View - Alternative Senior School
* Alexander Muir/Gladstone Avenue Public - Junior and Senior Elementary
* The Grove Community School - Alternative Elementary School
* 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