Scarborough, Ontario

Scarborough is the Toronto 'East District' since amalgamation in 1998, though it retains its original name for most local residents. Its borders are Victoria Park Ave. to the west, the Rouge River to the east, Steeles Ave. to the north, and Lake Ontario to the south.

Demographics

In 2001, Census information revealed that Scarborough's population was 588,730. This represented a 6.2% increase in population from 1996, while the entire city increased by 4% during that same time period. A significant portion of Scaroborough's population are immigrants arriving in the last two decades. Chinese and South Asian residents make up about 40% of the visible minority population. African-Canadian residents make up 10% of the visible minority population, while Filipino residents account for 5%. The remaining visible minority groups are all below 2%.

The large immigrant population has created multiculural havens in various areas of Scarborough. Most notable among these is the heavy concentration of Chinese and South Asian stores, shops, and restaurants in the Agincourt neighbourhood (often referred in derogatory terms as "Asian-court"). Along certain strips like Kingston Rd., Eglington Ave., and Lawrence. Ave, all running through south-central Scarborough are a high concentration of Jerk Chicken, Roti, and Halaal restaurants and shops reflecting their respective cultures.

Recent Developments

A significant amount of building activity has spurred growth along the 401 corridor at the end of the terminus of the Rapid Transit line: McCowan Station & Scarborough Town Centre. Several key condominium projects have increased the residential density in the Town Centre region. This has caused the twofold effect of increasing the apparent affluence of the once neglected neighborhood and increasing the traffic congestion in the region.

Scarborough Town Centre, the suburb's biggest commercial and entertainment hub, has recently undergone massive renovations to transform it into a modern and competitive mall. Recent additions include satellite restaurants like Jack Astor's, Milestones, and Krispy Kreme.

History

It was incorporated as a township in 1850 and included as part of Metropolitan Toronto when it was formed in 1953. It was incorporated as a borough within Metropolitan Toronto in 1963. It was then incorporated as a city within Metropolitan Toronto in 1983. It was amalgamated into the "megacity" in 1998 losing its separate legal identity.

It was named after Scarborough, England by Elizabeth Simcoe, the wife of John Graves Simcoe, the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada. The bluffs along Scarborough's Lake Ontario shores reminded her of the bluffs in Scarborough, England. In her diary, she wrote, "The [eastern] shore is extremely bold, and has the appearance of chalk cliffs, but I believe they are only white sand. They appeared so well that we talked of building a summer residence there and calling it Scarborough."

Much of the area of Scarborough was settled by suburban housing developments in the last third of the 20th century; Often considered a poor cousin to the more urbane Toronto, Scarborough residents have developed their own unique culture and sense of humour as evidenced by such native "Scarberians" as Mike Myers (Wayne's World, Austin Powers), Jim Carrey (Ace Ventura, The Mask), Eric McCormack (Will and Grace), John Candy (Second City, SCTV) and the musical group Barenaked Ladies and pop teen princess Fefe Dobson.

Scarborough is the home of Ontario's only elevated rapid transit line, the Scarborough RT. It is also home to the University of Toronto at Scarborough (UTSC) and Centennial College.