Local Communities
The Bloor St. Culture Corridor, Toronto’s most diverse arts and culture district, highlights the extraordinary range of arts, entertainment, and cultural experiences along Bloor St. West.
Located within an easily-walkable stretch between Bathurst and Yonge streets, the Bloor St. Culture Corridor encompasses three major neighbourhoods of Toronto: the Annex, University of Toronto, and Yorkville.
The Annex
Bohemia and academe meet head on in this lively downtown community surrounding the University of Toronto. The Annex offers visitors a blend of beautiful old homes, coffee shops, and stores of all kinds. When evening falls, people flock from all over the city to the many restaurants, bars and patios offering food and drink from around the world. Its vital nightlife welcomes people from all over the city ‐‐ a great example of Toronto at its very best.
DYK: The name “the Annex” can be traced back to the early 1880s when merchant and land speculator Simeon Janes used “Toronto Annexed” for his elite residential developments. The lands had been annexed by the City in order to provide necessary services, such as water, sewers and paved roads. The City of Toronto continued to annex additional properties west to Bathurst Street and the Bloor Annex was formed.
Bloor‐Yorkville
Bloor‐Yorkville is home to the award winning Village of Yorkville Park, iconic fashion retailers, unique designer boutiques, cafes, restaurants, galleries and over 150 spas & salons. In the 1960s, Yorkville flourished as Toronto's bohemian cultural centre. It was the breeding ground for some of Canada's most noted musical talents, including Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Gordon Lightfoot, as well as then‐underground literary figures such as Margaret Atwood, Gwendolyn MacEwen and Dennis Lee. Yorkville was known as the Canadian capital of the hippie movement. During the 1970s and 1980s, many high end Bloor Street businesses such as Harry Rosen, Holt Renfrew and international designer brands began to attract chic boutiques, cafes, first class art galleries and salons to the area, and the famous coffee houses faded into the past. Now Bloor‐Yorkville is Toronto's most celebrated neighbourhood of style.
University of Toronto
The Downtown Toronto St. George campus of the University of Toronto blends historical architecture and inviting green spaces as a backdrop to a truly remarkable community. U of T facilities on Bloor Street include the Varsity Stadium, the Munk School of Global Affairs in the historic “Observatory” building, and more. Not far south, along Philosopher’s Walk, a lovely park path between the ROM and The Royal Conservatory, is the Faculty of Music’s MacMillan Theatre.
