Toronto Cabbagetown

The Origins and Development of Cabbagetown

The Cabbagetown neighbourhood begins way back in the 1840’s, when the Irish first settled here. The neighbourhood received it’s name as Cabbagetown, because the first residence of the area were poor, and they were well known for growing cabbage on their front lawns.

Bird's eye view of Cabbagetown

Cabbagetown has it’s own neighbourhood flag to represent its deep history. The flag consists of a green cabbage on a white background, and can usually be seen on homes and shops in the neighbourhood.

In the 1970’s, the first wave of new home buyers filled Cabbagetown. The Victorian style houses were restored by all the new residence.

Today, Cabbagetown is now known as one of Toronto’s most renovated, and popular neighbourhoods. Residents of this neighbourhood come from all across the globe, but they all share a strong sense of pride for their neighbourhood.

An annual event that takes place in neighbourhood, is the Cabbagetown Fall Festival. This festival goes on for seven days in September, and features:

• parades

• concerts

• film festivals

• dog shows

• community-wide yard sales

• tours of the area, and houses

Everyone is invited to take place in the Cabbagetown Fall Festival, and it’s a great community experience for the whole family to enjoy.

Local Park

As mentioned earlier, Cabbagetown is filled with Victorian style houses. In fact, New York Times described the neighbourhood as one of “the largest collection of Victorian homes in North America”. The houses in this neighbourhood were mainly built between 1860 and 1895, however in the 1970’s most of them were restored by their new residence. These Victorian homes feature: delicate iron fencing, well manicured lawns, fragrant gardens, and architectural detailing.

The shopping district for Cabbagetown residence is close by on Parliament Street. The shopping district features: unique shops, many restaurants to choose from, local bars and pubs, and a few retail stores as well.

Cabbagetown Art Piece

The Cabbagetown neighbourhood provides its residence and visitors with lots of things to keep busy. Check out the the local recreational centre, the Community Arts Centre, take a hike through the park, check out the local library, and don’t forget about education. Read below for more information:

• Recreational centre – this is Toronto’s first zoo, and is now an actual farm in the heart of Toronto! It’s easy to spend a full day at the recreational centre. You can view lots of spectacular sights, farm animals, as well as demonstrations. There’s also annual events held here, as well as programs for children.

• Community Arts Centre – offers concerts, plays, as well as training in music, drama, and dance! There’s also children programs available.

• Parks & green space – there’s three parks in the area for you to visit. There’s beautiful outdoor gardens, greenhouses and a glassed-in botanical garden providing a tranquil setting year round. At the botanical garden, there’s an annual holiday flower show!

• Library services – visit the library for adult and children services, as well as programs including: consulting, training, and development services. The library is a great place to help with your studies.

• Education opportunities – Cabbagetown is close to plenty of schools, so you can choose what works best for you. There’s five elementary schools, two secondary schools, and two colleges for residence to choose from.

No matter what you’re interested in, you can find something to keep you busy in Cabbagetown.

Other Central Toronto Neighbourhoods: The Annex –  Queen West Village – Rosedale – Moore Park – North Toronto – Lawrence Park – Hoggs Hollow – Leaside – Summerhill – Regal Heights – Forest Hill – Chaplin Estates – Davisville Village – King West Village – Dovercourt Village