Runnymede-Bloor West Village is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada located north of Bloor Street West between Jane Street and Runnymede Road north to Dundas Street West. It is located directly north of the Swansea and west of the High Park North neighbourhoods. Located along Bloor Street is a shopping area known as Bloor West Village, and the part of the neighbourhood north of Annette St is sometimes referred to as the Runnymede neighbourhood.
Bloor West Village Real Estate for sale
Main streets
The major streets are Bloor Street, Jane Street and Annette Street. Bloor Street, the main thoroughfare, is a four-lane arterial road, lined with mainly commercial and retail, predominately two-storey buildings with a retail first floor and residential on the upper floors. Most businesses are local stores and restaurants and there are some chains of fast-food restaurants. The businesses are organized into the Bloor-West Village Business Improvement Association. The Runnymede Library is also located on Bloor. Jane Street, which is a four-lane arterial road running north from Bloor, changes along its length within the neighbourhood, being predominantly commercial and retail around Bloor Street and Annette. Annette, in the northern part of the neighbourhood, is a four-lane arterial road, which runs east-west and is predominantly residential with some schools and the Annette Library located along the street.
Bloor West Village Real Estate for sale - north of Bloor
Bloor West Village Real Estate for sale - south of Bloor
Character
Homes in this neighbourhood are generally (often American craftsman style) two story brick houses, however renovations are becoming popular and many of the traditional homes are being torn down to create larger, more modern homes. The tree-lined streets in this area, which was annexed by the city of Toronto in 1909 make this a popular residential neighbourhood. Much of its development was originally due to the creation of a streetcar line along Bloor Street, which the TTC later replaced by the Bloor-Danforth subway line, built in the 1960s.
The neighourhood's first residents were largely Irish and Anglo-Saxon, followed eventually by immigrants of Eastern European origin. The ethnicity of the area, as recorded in the 2001 Census of Canada is still largely English, Irish and Scottish. The largest Eastern European groups are Ukrainian and Polish; the Ukrainian language was the most commonly spoken non-English language by residents of this community. The 2006 Census of Canada estimated the number of residents within the neighbourhood as 9,565.
Bloor West Village Real Estate for sale - north of Bloor
Bloor West Village Real Estate for sale - south of Bloor
Bloor shopping district
Bloor West Village is a shopping district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located along Bloor Street, it encompasses all businesses along Bloor Street between Jane Street and Ellis Park Road, consisting of more than 400 shops, restaurants and services.
The BIA has promoted a healthy shopping district on Bloor Street. One will find retailers such as Arka Shoes, a high-quality fashion shoe store specializing in comfort and wider widths while maintaining a fashion focus. Trixie's, Max's Market, and New Balance, as well as world-class restaurants such as Villa, Bloom and Yumi Sushi. Additionally, the area is known for its coffee shops, as it is home to two Starbucks, two Timothy's, a Second Cup and a local coffee enterprise called the Coffee Tree.
North of Bloor are two residential neighbourhoods: High Park North and Bloor West Village. To the south is the former village of Swansea. To the east is the large park of High Park. The area is served by Toronto's Bloor-Danforth subway line, with stops at Runnymede and Jane, which runs underneath Bloor Street.
Bloor West Village Business Improvement Association (BIA) is the world's first business improvement area (BIA), established in 1970, aided my Mr. Alex Ling. Ling founded the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) in 1980, an organization that now represents 66 BIAs across Toronto. He was also an important player in the forming of the Bloor West Village BIA in 1970, which he chaired for 24 years. . The organization promotes business activity in the area by holding several annual events and festivals. It also puts efforts into the beautification of the area. The Bloor West Village BIA hosts a Ukrainian Festival; celebrated in 2007 at Toronto's downtown Harbourfront Centre, it returned to Bloor West Village the following year.
Bloor West Village Real Estate for sale - north of Bloor
Bloor West Village Real Estate for sale - south of Bloor
Schools
The village has a handful of public, semi-public, and catholic elementary and high-schools. The largest public elementary school is Runnymede Public School on Runnymede Road. It has grades JK-8 and has around 1100 students enrolled. King George Junior Public School is in the neighbourhood and nearby elementary schools include Humbercrest Public School, Swansea and Warren Park Junior Public School. The largest Catholic school in the area is St Pius X, which is on the corner of Bloor St West and Jane. James Cuhan Catholic school is also in the neighbourhood and nearby Catholic schools include St. Cecilia and St. James. Elementary students from this area attend Runnymede Collegiate Institute on Jane Street or Bishop Marroco/Merton, Western Technical Commercial School or Humberside Collegiate Institute high schools located to the east.
Transportation
The area is served by the Bloor-Danforth subway line, with stations at Jane Street and Runnymede Road. Buses runs north from Jane Station and Runnymede Stations. Annette Street is served by a bus line from Jane Station. A night bus replaces the subway line during the early morning hours along Bloor Street.
Culture
The neighbourhood has two Toronto Public Library locations, Runnymede and Annette, and there is a nearby location in Swansea. The neighbourhood hosts:
Annual Ukrainian Festival in September (music, foods and crafts).
July Festival, which is a local fair of amusements and entertainment.
Halloween Festival on Armadale Avenue, Beresford Avenue and Glendonwynne Road (family-friendly activities). Participates in the Toronto city-wide Cavalcade of Lights (December)
Bloor West Village Real Estate for sale - north of Bloor
Bloor West Village Real Estate for sale - south of Bloor
Neighbourhood issues
Runnymede Theatre
A great furor accompanied the arrival of a Chapters bookstore in the late 1990s. Aside from discontent about the effect of a large bookstore undermining older local businesses, many residents were upset that the local historic movie theatre was going to be gutted to make room for the new store. However, the arrival of Chapters allowed restoration of the historical Runnymede Theatre. At the time Chapters was the only company willing to make the $5 million investment necessary to restore the building.
