Business District/ Bay Corridor

The Business District/Bay Corridor is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the main financial district in Toronto, and is the financial heart of Canada. It is bounded roughly by Queen Street West to the north, Yonge Street to the east, Front Street to the south, and University Avenue to the west, though many office towers in the downtown core are being constructed outside this area, which will extend the general boundaries. Examples of this trend are the Telus Tower, and RBC Centre.

It is the most densely built-up area of Toronto, home to numerous banking companies, corporate headquarters, high-powered legal firms, insurance companies and stockbrokers. In turn, the presence of so many decision-makers has brought in advertising agencies and marketing companies. The banks have built large office towers, much of whose space is leased to these companies. The bank towers, and much else in Toronto's core, are connected by a system of underground walkways, known as PATH, which is lined with retail establishments making the area one of the most important shopping districts in Toronto. The vast majority of these stores are only open during weekdays when the financial district is populated. During the weekend, the walkways remain open but the area is deserted and the stores are closed.

It is estimated that 100,000 commuters enter and leave the financial district each working day. Transport links are centred on Union Station at the south end of the financial district, which is the hub of the GO Transit system that provides commuter rail and bus links to Toronto's suburbs.

Major skyscrapers and complexes in the financial district include:

• First Canadian Place
• Scotia Plaza
• Brookfield Place
• Toronto-Dominion Centre
• Royal Bank Plaza
• One King West
• Exchange Tower
• Commerce Court
• Trump International Hotel and Tower (under construction)
• Bay Adelaide Centre (under construction)
• Ritz-Carlton Toronto (under construction)

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Entertainment District

The Entertainment District is an area in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada with about 300 night clubs. Located immediately west of University Street, the majority of the night clubs can be found on Richmond Street West. The historic CHUM-City Building on Queen Street West is located in the area as well.

Area Highlights

Bloor West Village is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that is bounded by Bloor Street West to the South, Ellis Park Road to the East, Jane Street to the West, and Annette Street to the North. The centrepiece of the community is the shopping district on Bloor Street that runs the length of the neighbourhood.

 It is located directly North of the Swansea Village neighbourhood. It is home to excellent shopping, with retailers such as Trixie's, Max's Market, Signature Shoes 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.

High Park is the largest park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It spans 161 hectares (398 acres, 1.61 km²) in the city's west end. It stretches south from Bloor Street West, west of Parkside Drive and east of Ellis Park Road and Grenadier Pond. At its southern end, the park is separated from Lake Ontario by Lake Shore Boulevard West, the Gardiner Expressway, the Canadian National railway line, and The Queensway. It is also the name of the neighbourhood north of the park itself.

Area Highlights

• Swansea Village
• Famous Resturants
• Coffee Shops

King West to Liberty Village 

Liberty Village is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded at the north by King Street, the west by Dufferin Street, the south by the Gardiner Expressway, the east by Strachan Ave, and the northeast by the CP railway tracks. The Liberty Village name was recently introduced as a positive 'brand' by the property owners and developers in the area. The neighbourhood aims to distinguish itself from Parkdale, which now begins west of Dufferin Street.

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Mississauga 

Mississauga incorporated in 1974, is a city with a population of 668,549 as of the 2006 census. Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, Ontario, and part of the Greater Toronto Area. Mississauga has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades.

Mississauga has been trying to create a distinctive image for itself over the past few years. An international architectural design competition was held in 2006 for a 50-story condominium tower that is intended to be a landmark for the city named Absolute World. The city is debt-free and has not borrowed money since 1978. With seven major highways passing through the city, Mississauga offers access to major destinations in Canada and the United States.

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North York 

North York forms the central part of the northern half of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As of the 2006 Census, it has a population of 624,610. The official 2001 census count was 608,288. Until 1998, it was the second-largest of six municipalities that comprised another larger municipal structure called Metropolitan Toronto.

While much of the area still retains a suburban nature, efforts led by former Mayor of North York and Toronto Mel Lastman were made to intensify development in the North York Centre area along Yonge Street between Finch and Sheppard Avenues, coinciding with the path of the Toronto Transit Commission's Yonge-University Spadina subway line.

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Queen West Fashion to West Queen West

Queen Street West describes both the western branch of Queen Street, a major east-west thoroughfare, and a series of neighbourhoods or commercial districts, situated west of Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Queen Street begins in the west at the intersection of King Street, The Queensway, and Roncesvalles Avenue. It extends eastward in a straight line to Yonge Street where it becomes Queen Street East; eastbound Queen TTC streetcars loop at Neville Park Boulevard near Queen Street East and Victoria Park Avenue in the The Beaches neighbourhood.

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St. Lawrence/ Distillery/ Corktown Triangle

The St. Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada although still part of downtown Toronto, was the actual downtown centre and city hall location during the late 18th and entire 19th century.

The area is bounded by Yonge, Front, and Parliament Streets, and the Canadian National railway embankment. The Esplanade off Yonge St., lined with restaurants, cafés and hotels runs through the middle of the area. In previous times, the area was sometimes referred to as 'St. Lawrence Ward' or more often today as 'St. Lawrence Market', synonymous with the large retail vendor market which is the neighbourhood's focal point. Saint Lawrence (shortened to St. Lawrence) was so named after the patron saint of Canada

The Distillery District is an historic district to the east of downtown Toronto, Canada, spanning 13 acres (52,000 square metres) and comprised of more than 40 heritage buildings and 10 streets. Most of the buildings seem to reflect an industrial Gothic design. It is the largest collection of Victoria-era industrial architecture in North America.

Corktown is an historic Old Town neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is just south of Regent Park and north of the Gardiner Expressway, between Berkeley Street to the west and the Don River to the east. The southern part of this area borders, but is not part of, the Distillery District and contains many vacated industrial buildings, some in use by production and movie studios. The West Don Lands, slated to be redeveloped over the next few years, will encompass the south-east corner of this area.

The neighbourhood's name derives from its origins in the early 1800s as an Irish ethnic enclave, particularly for Irish emigrants from County Cork, though some say the presence of a distilleries, breweries and cork-stopper manufacturers in the vicinity may have secured the nickname.

Area Highlights

Toronto Waterfront 

The Toronto waterfront is the lakeshore of Lake Ontario in the City of Toronto, Ontario. It spans 46 kilometres between the mouth of Etobicoke Creek in the west, and the Rouge River in the East. The entire lakeshore has been significantly altered from its natural glaciated state prior to European settlement.

To the east of Exhibition Place begins a long stretch of former commercial and industrial areas that are rapidly being converted into some of Toronto's most expensive residences and condominiums. Historic commercial structures such as the Tip Top Tailor Building and the Queen's Quay Terminal have been turned into luxury condominiums with waterfront views. Associated with this Queen's Quay has become home to a number of high end shops and restaurants. This area is also home to the Harbourfront Centre, a large cultural centre occupying ten acres of former industrial land including an old power plant that is now a gallery. Some large industrial structures remain though most are shut down, most prominently the imposing Canada Malting Silos. Just to the north of the Gardiner is the former railway lands that have also seen rapid development in the years since deindustrialization. This area is home to the Rogers Centre (SkyDome) and CN Tower, both of which are prominently visible from the waterfront.

Between York and Yonge Streets is a cluster of large skyscrapers, many built in the 1970s in one of the earliest attempts to revitalize the waterfront. This includes the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel and One Yonge Street. Also in this area is Captain John's Harbour Boat Restaurant, a permanently docked cruise ship that serves as a restaurant popular with tourists and the Redpath Sugar Building which remains an industrial site.

East of Yonge Street running to Cherry Street is a stretch of area known as the East Bayfront, centred around the Parliament Street slip. Currently a mix of warehouses and brownlands it is slated for development in the near future. In the next few years thousands of new residences and millions of feet of commercial space will be built there. South of this, on two large projections separated by a ship canal, is the still-operating portion of Toronto Harbour which includes docking facilities for both freight and cruise ships.

The Toronto Islands, a chain of small natural islands, form the southern border of the Inner Harbour. Most of the islands are today parkland, with a handful of permanent inhabitants. The westernmost portion of the islands are dominated by the Toronto City Centre Airport, a small regional airport. The airport is linked to the mainland by a ferry at Bathurst Street. Controversy arose in 2003 when the port authority proposed replacing the ferry with a bridge, due to concerns about increased vehicle and air traffic along the waterfront. Mayor David Miller canceled the plans for the bridge soon after winning office.

Area Highlights

West Toronto/ Etobicoke

Etobicoke has the lowest population density out of the former cities and boroughs that currently make up the city of Toronto. This is mainly due to its vast expanses of industrial lands. Several major freeways are routed through the area, making the area ideal for automobile-based transportation. Public transit does not serve the area well, with few rapid transit connections.

Many exceptions to Toronto's gridded street matrix are found in Etobicoke. A number of overpasses and awkward intersections, such as Bloor/Kipling/Dundas West, have been created in an effort to reconcile the grid with these planning anomalies.

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Yonge & Eglinton/ Midtown 

Yonge and Eglinton is a neighbourhood in Midtown-Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which was once a part of the old Town of North Toronto. In recent years, its centralized location has spawned development, including a number of big-box retailers and tall, high density residential towers. Development has concentrated around the Eglinton subway station, and has resulted in a mixed-use neighbourhood with a mix of detached houses, townhouses, and high rises.

Area Highlights

Yonge/ Central Downtown 

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Yorkville/ Annex

Yorkville is an affluent neighbourhood of Toronto. It is roughly bounded by Bloor Street to the south, Davenport Road to the north, Church Street to the east and Avenue Road to the west 

In the 1980s and the '90s, steady gentrification of Yorkville resulted in its current distinctive mix of high-end retail, including many art galleries, fashion boutiques and antique stores, and popular bars, cafes and eateries along Cumberland Street and Yorkville Avenue.

The Annex is a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto. It is generally considered to be bounded by Bathurst Street to the West, Avenue Road to the east, Dupont St. to the North, and Bloor Street to the South. It is an affluent neighbourhood with well-educated residents and it borders the University of Toronto. It has traditionally been home to many of the university's faculty, as well as housing the university's student body.

Area Highlights

• Sassafrass (restaurant)
• Cafe Nervosa (restaurant)
• Hermes (shopping)
• Hugo Boss (shopping)
• Studio 54 (Gallery)
• Loch (Gallery)
• The Brunswick House (Pub)
• Lee's Palace (Lounge)