North York is a vibrant, urban area of Toronto, which also has a strong central business district. Located north of Toronto, it has a population over 600,000 and is considered one of the most diverse areas of Toronto. North York has plenty to offer its residents including convenient living outside the downtown core of Toronto.

The Township of North York was formed on June 13th, 1922 out of the rural part of the Township of York. The rapidly urbanizing part of the township remained there, and as North York became more urbanized, it became the Borough of North York in 1967. Twelve years later it was announced as the City of North York. North York’s central business district is known as North York Centre, and serves as one Toronto’s major corporate areas. The section of Highway 401 which traverses North York is the busiest section of the highway and exceeds 400,000 vehicles per day! It is a very urbanized area of Toronto, and is supported by public transit. The Finch station is on the Yonge-University line and offers commuters an easy way to commute to downtown Toronto.

North York is a corporate hub with companies like Fosters Insurance, Bell and The Concorde Corporate Centre, which is home to many tenants such as Home Depot Canada, Sport Alliance of Ontario, TD Bank and more. This corporate hub makes North York an ideal place to live offering residents a much shorter commute to work if they are employed by one of these large corporations.

Close by is the well-noted Granite Club, located at Bayview and Lawrence. This is a private athletic and social club. In 2012, the club made a major expansion in North York. Two of Toronto’s five major shopping malls are in North York: Yorkdale Shopping Centre and Fairview Mall. Both malls are quite large and offer excellent shopping that drives shoppers in from all over the GTA. Other neighborhood malls include Centerpoint Mall, Bayview Village, Yorkgate Mall, Shops at Don Mills, Steeles West Market Mal, Jane Finch Mall and Sheppard Centre. There is no shortage of convenient shopping in the area. North York is also home to campuses of York University, Seneca College, Osgoode Hall Law School and Tyndale University College and Seminary. The district also has major hospitals such as North York General Hospital, Humber River Regional Hospital and the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

In addition to the convenience of shopping, employment and efficient access to the city’s core there are also excellent amenities and services to entertain the family. Black Creek Pioneer Village, the Ontario Science Centre and the Aga Khan Museum are close by and are great ways to enjoy education activities with the family.