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42-471: Downtown Toronto is the main city centre of Toronto , Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto , it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Street to the northwest, Lake Ontario to the south, the Don Valley to the east, and Bathurst Street to the west. It is also the home of the municipal government of Toronto and

84-406: A 50,000 square foot Harry Rosen flagship. Holt Renfrew also has its flagship department store on 50 Bloor Street and a Men's store at 100 Bloor Street. There are also other midrange and upscale stores, such as Max Mara , Moncler , Brooks Brothers , Roots Canada , Sephora , H&M , and Aritzia . Eataly, a large format Italian marketplace, also operates a substantial flagship store on

126-620: A public space for holding performances and art displays. The area includes several live theatres, a movie complex at Dundas Square and the historic Massey Hall . Historical sites and landmarks include the Arts & Letter Club, the Church of the Holy Trinity, Mackenzie House, Maple Leaf Gardens, Old City Hall, and the Toronto Police Museum and Discovery Centre. The Financial District , centred on

168-405: A result has been undergoing Manhattanization with the construction of new office towers, hotels and condos. As of 2016, the population of downtown Toronto was 237,698 people with 503,575 jobs located within the area. The population density was 143 people per hectare, and the job density was 303 jobs per hectare. The Royal Conservatory of Music is a non-profit music education institution that

210-606: Is a large cluster of retail centres and shops in the area, including the Toronto Eaton Centre indoor mall. There are an estimated 600 retail stores, 150 bars and restaurants, and 7 hotels. In recent years the area has been experiencing a renaissance as the Business Improvement Area (BIA) has brought in new retail and improved the cleanliness. The area has also seen the opening of the Dundas Square public square,

252-426: Is adjacent to the downtown area, and the much larger Toronto Pearson International Airport located 27 km to the northwest. 43°39′9.01″N 79°23′0.81″W  /  43.6525028°N 79.3835583°W  / 43.6525028; -79.3835583 City centre The city centre is the (often historical) area of a city where commerce, entertainment, shopping, and political power are concentrated. The term

294-704: Is an arts school whose main building is located in Grange Park. The Université de l'Ontario français is a French-language postsecondary institution situated in East Bayfront. Toronto Metropolitan University and the University of Toronto are research universities , with the former located in the Garden District and the latter's St. George campus situated in the Discovery District. Apart from its St. George campus,

336-604: Is commonly used in many English-speaking countries and has direct equivalents in many other languages. However, noticeably, in the United States , the term " downtown " is commonly used to denote a city centre, and in Canada the terms "city centre" and "downtown" are used interchangeably, most notable in the modern, purpose-built cores of former boroughs or newer suburban cities that had no traditional urban core (i.e. North York City Centre and Mississauga City Centre ). In Australia ,

378-504: Is headquartered in downtown Toronto. Four different public school boards provide primary and secondary education for the City of Toronto, as well as the downtown area. Two Toronto-based school boards provide instruction in the English language , the secular Toronto District School Board , and the separate Toronto Catholic District School Board . The other two Toronto-based school boards,

420-489: Is home to many furniture stores, interior design studios and contemporary casual dining options . The CF Toronto Eaton Centre , a large, multilevel enclosed shopping mall and office complex that spans several blocks and houses 330 stores, is the city's top tourist attraction with over one million visitors weekly. Other indoor shopping malls include College Park , the Tenor , Aura , Yorkville Village , Atrium on Bay , Village by

462-527: Is one of the oldest areas of Toronto. It features heritage buildings, theatres, music, dining and many pubs. It is a community of distinct downtown neighbourhoods including the site of the original Town of York, which was Toronto's first neighbourhood, dating back to 1793. The area boasts one of the largest concentrations of 19th-century buildings in Ontario. Of particular note is St. Lawrence Hall, St. James' Cathedral , St. Michael's Cathedral , St. Paul's Basilica ,

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504-519: Is the city's major intermodal transportation hub, providing access not only to local and regional public transit , but also to inter-city rail services like Via Rail . In addition to surface-level pedestrian sidewalks, much of downtown Toronto is also connected through the PATH Underground , an extensive network of underground pedestrian tunnels , skyways , and at-grade walkways. Nearby airports include Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport , which

546-450: Is the historical city centre and the cultural and commercial centre. Historically, the CBD often occupied one portion of the city centre. In recent years, larger cities have often developed CBDs or financial districts that occupy a part of the city centre or are outside the historical city centre completely. For example, Beijing's historical city centre is defined by the former city walls and remains

588-495: The Central Business District (CBD) is within the city centre, but the concept "city centre" differs from the CBD. The concept of the "CBD" revolves solely around economic and financial power, but the "city centre" also includes historical, political, and cultural factors. A clear example is Paris : La Défense is the central business district of Paris , but it is not the city centre. In most larger and/or older cities,

630-532: The Government of Ontario . The area is made up of Canada's largest concentration of skyscrapers and businesses that form Toronto's skyline. Since 2022, downtown Toronto has the second most skyscrapers in North America exceeding 200 metres (656 ft) in height, behind only Midtown Manhattan, New York City . The retail core of the downtown is located along Yonge Street from Queen Street to College Street. There

672-607: The Harbourfront Centre waterfront revitalization. The area to the east of Yonge Street is still in transition, with the conversion of industrial lands to mixed residential and commercial uses planned. Among the important government headquarters in downtown Toronto include the Ontario Legislature , and the Toronto City Hall . In the 1970s, Toronto experienced major economic growth and surpassed Montreal to become

714-544: The Seneca Polytechnic . Downtown Toronto is home to the flagship department stores of The Bay , Saks Fifth Avenue and Holt Renfrew . The traditional shopping districts concentrated on Queen Street West and King Street East have seen recent growth to encompass the area surrounding Yonge–Dundas Square . The Old Town portion of the downtown, stretching from St. Lawrence Market to the Distillery District

756-831: The 1989 local government reform which changed the population threshold for city status to 50,000. Mink Mile Mink Mile is an upscale shopping district in the neighbourhood of Yorkville in Toronto , Ontario , Canada, along Bloor Street between Yonge Street and Avenue Road . In the 21st century, mid-market retailers have begun to locate along the Mink Mile. In 2005, Winners and La Senza opened stores, later followed by Club Monaco , J. Crew , Banana Republic , French Connection , Puma , Aldo , Aritzia , American Apparel , Roots Canada Ltd , Guess , Nike , Zara , Roots , Lululemon , Sephora , Gap , and H&M . Discount retailer, Labels 4 Less, opened their own store in 2008, to

798-444: The CBD and the city centre will only partially overlap, if at all. A city centre is often the first settled part of a city, which can make it the most historical part of a city. In most Australian cities, the city centre to some extent coincides with the central business district , with the result that "the City", "city centre", and "central business district" or "CBD" are regarded as near-synonyms. However, in some Australian cities,

840-735: The Enoch Turner School House, the Bank of Upper Canada, Le Royal Meridien King Edward Hotel, and the Gooderham Building . On Saturday there is a farmers' market. Other historical districts in downtown Toronto include Cabbagetown , Corktown , the Distillery District , and Old Town . To the west of the financial district is the Entertainment District . It is home to hundreds of restaurants, nightclubs, sporting facilities, boutiques, hotels, attractions, and live theatre. The district

882-606: The Grange, Manulife Centre and the PATH underground city network , the largest underground shopping complex in the world. Emerging retail destinations include Mirvish Village , the Well and the renovated St. Lawrence Market North . Yonge Street , a major arterial route in the city, begins at the northern shore of the Toronto Harbour and runs through downtown, continuing north all the way to

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924-472: The Q407 Toronto Retail Report in 2010 mentions deals reaching $ 300 per square foot, making the Mink Mile the third most expensive retail street in North America. This has led to higher rents on nearby Cumberland St. and Yorkville Ave., with several new developments asking $ 125 per square foot. Expensive Indian fashion boutique INDIVA, which moved to a smaller boutique on Yorkville Ave., claims that

966-645: The University of Toronto also operates two satellite campuses outside the downtown core in Mississauga and Scarborough . Colleges based in downtown Toronto include George Brown College , Toronto Film School , Trebas Institute , and the Randolph College for the Performing Arts . Four other colleges that are based outside of downtown Toronto, but operate satellite branches in the downtown core include Collège Boréal , Georgian College , Humber College and

1008-417: The city centre and the CBD are geographically separately identified. The term "CBD" is not often used in the capital Canberra , where the primary activity is government; its "city centre" is usually identified as the district called " City " or "Civic". In Chinese , the urban centre of a city is called the "city centre" or "urban core" ( Chinese : 市中心 ; pinyin : shì zhōngxīn ). In many cities, it

1050-426: The city centre. Amsterdam is a clear example of the city centre and the central business district not being the same area. The city centre of Amsterdam is Centrum , the historical heart of the city, but the CBD areas of Amsterdam are Omval in the southeast and Zuidas , in the south. Additionally, Westpoort serves as the city's industrial park . Because of the bombardment of Rotterdam during World War II, with

1092-479: The city of Barrie, Ontario . Other notable streets include Dundas , Bloor , Queen , King , and University . The Toronto Transit Commission administers the Toronto area's public transportation system, including buses , streetcar , and subways . The regional public transportation service, GO Transit , also provides bus and commuter train service to downtown Toronto from its hub, Union Station . Union Station

1134-531: The city. At the intersection of Avenue Road and Bloor Street is the Royal Ontario Museum , the largest museum in the city, with a diverse anthropological and natural history collection. The Harbourfront area to the south was formerly an industrial and railway lands area. Since the 1970s, it has seen extensive redevelopment, including the building of the Rogers Centre stadium, numerous condominiums and

1176-524: The disappointment of many of its neighbours but was replaced shortly by Hugo Boss . Begun in 2008, the Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area and the City of Toronto updated the streetscape from Church Street to Avenue Road, creating an enhanced pedestrian experience with widened sidewalks, mature trees, flower gardens, modern lighting, and public art. The project was completed in 2013. Mink Mile has been recognized as one of

1218-514: The intersection of Bay Street and King Street is the centre of Canada's financial industry . It contains the Toronto Stock Exchange , which is the largest in Canada and tenth in the world by market capitalization as of 2021. The construction of skyscrapers in downtown Toronto had started to rapidly increase since the 1960s. The area of St. Lawrence to the east of the financial district

1260-445: The largest city in Canada. Many international and domestic businesses relocated to Toronto and created massive new skyscrapers downtown. All of Canada's Big Five banks constructed skyscrapers beginning in the late 1960s up until the early 1990s. Today downtown Toronto contains dozens of notable skyscrapers. The area's First Canadian Place is the tallest building in Canada at a height of 298 metres (978 feet). The CN Tower , once

1302-514: The loss of its historical core, the city centre and the CBD are the same area in Rotterdam . City centre and central business district are used interchangeably in New Zealand for any urban area that had city status prior to the 1989 local government reorganisation which saw many city councils amalgamate with surrounding boroughs, counties and towns to form larger districts. Prior to 1989, city status

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1344-551: The monthly rent at their previous location was $ 85,000. Many independent retailers struggle to meet these demands, and many in past years have closed or relocated to other streets. However, it is estimated that some retailers pull in more than $ 2000 per square foot in sales. In 2008, the stretch of Bloor was named the seventh most expensive shopping street in the world by Fortune Magazine, claiming tenants can make $ 1,500 to $ 4,500 per square foot in sales. In 2012, Mink Mile commands an average rent of $ 310 per square foot, making it

1386-425: The most expensive place in Canada to lease retail space and the third most expensive retail space in North America. Several international luxury retailers have shops in the area including Hermès , Louis Vuitton , Dior , Gucci , Prada , Chanel , Cartier , Burberry , Dolce & Gabbana , Escada , MCM , Versace , Brunello Cucinelli , Christian Louboutin , Tiffany & Co. , Coach , Saint Laurent , and

1428-399: The most luxurious shopping streets in North America, being compared to New York 's Fifth Avenue , Chicago 's Magnificent Mile , and Los Angeles ' Rodeo Drive . Demand remained high on the Mink Mile, according to real estate firm, Cushman and Wakefield. In 2005, retail space rents were $ 110 per square foot. The 2010 Cushman and Wakefield report indicate rents of $ 198 per square foot, while

1470-462: The north, north of Bloor Street and the Mink Mile , has more than 700 designer boutiques, spas, restaurants, hotels, and world-class galleries. It is a former village in its own right (prior to 1883) and since the early 1970s has developed into an up-scale shopping district. The intersection of Bloor and Yonge Streets is the intersection of the city's subway lines and is one of the busiest intersections in

1512-699: The political and cultural centre of the city, but Beijing's CBD sits in Chaoyang District , to the east of the historical city; Shanghai 's city centre was defined by the Old Chinese City , the International Settlement and the French Concession and sat on the west bank of the Huangpu River , whereas the modern financial district is concentrated on Lujiazui , a newly developed area across

1554-456: The river from the traditional city centre (although parts of the traditional city centre remain key financial and business centres). The Hebrew term for "city centre" is a direct translation: "מרכז העיר" (merkaz ha'ir); however it is used inconsistently in different cities throughout Israel due to their extremely varied topographies and urban designs. In Dutch, the terms binnenstad , centrum , stadscentrum , or stadskern are used to describe

1596-510: The secular Conseil scolaire Viamonde , and the separate Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir provide instruction in the French language . Several independent schools also operate within downtown Toronto. Downtown Toronto is home to four public universities , the University of Toronto , OCAD University , Université de l'Ontario français and Toronto Metropolitan University . OCAD University

1638-585: The tallest free-standing structure in the world, remains the tallest such structure in the Americas, standing at 553.33 metres (1,815 ft., 5 inches). Other notable buildings include Scotia Plaza , TD Centre , Commerce Court , the Royal Bank Plaza , The Bay 's flagship store, and the Fairmont Royal York Hotel . Since 2007, urban consolidation has been centred in downtown Toronto and as

1680-487: The term " Central Business District " is widely used to refer to the city centre, but usage of the term "City Centre" is increasing, especially in Melbourne . In South Africa , "CBD" is used in formal contexts, but in informal contexts, the city centre is referred to as "town", and despite the growth of decentralised CBDs such as Sandton and uMhlanga "town" continues to refer to the original CBDs of cities. In many cities,

1722-643: Was formerly an industrial area and was redeveloped for entertainment purposes in the early 1980s, becoming a major centre for entertainment. The redevelopment started with the Mirvish family refurbishing the Royal Alexandra Theatre and their construction of the Princess of Wales Theatre . The area is now the site of Roy Thomson Hall and the Canadian Broadcasting Centre . The Yorkville area, to

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1764-620: Was granted to a town or borough with a population greater than 20,000. In everyday language, New Zealanders often refer to city centres as going to "town". Wellington metropolitan area has 4 respective city centres in Wellington , Lower Hutt , Porirua and Upper Hutt whereas Auckland metropolitan area has 2 city centres in Auckland and Manukau . Timaru has a "city centre" whereas towns larger than it such as Blenheim or Pukekohe have "town centres" as they did not achieve city status prior to

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