Well known as student-central from September to April, the Annex is a vibrant community in the heart of Toronto, enveloping the University of Toronto campus. While cheap-eats and student-friendly pubs abound, fine dining options bring people of all ages into the neighbourhood throughout the year, making this area a bustling locale of urban life and liveliness.
The Annex has a long history as a part of the York Township, as European settlement began in the area in the 1790s. Developer Simeon Janes created the subdivision “the Toronto Annex” in 1886, and the first residents were some of Toronto’s wealthiest citizens. While the upper class population shifted away from the area in the 1920s, the residents who stayed in the neighbourhood helped to form the Annex Residents Association. This powerful group included well-known urban theorist Jane Jacobs. Jacobs and her fellow lobbyists were instrumental in protesting the 1960s proposal of a “Spadina Expressway,” the City’s plan to make Spadina into a highway, dividing the Annex.
Later, the Annex’s Brunswick Avenue would be immortalized in the 1985 publication, “Fables of Brunswick Avenue” by Katherine Govier, a collection of short stories, opening with, “Everyone lives on Brunswick Avenue sooner of later.” Indeed, several well-known Canadian thinkers, musicians, politicians, and actors have called this Toronto neighbourhood “home” throughout the years.
Surrounding the University of Toronto, today’s Annex is student-friendly and welcoming. The history of the area is preserved in the stately Victorian homes, and the vibrancy of the community is propelled by its proximity to the subway and downtown. Newly opened fine-dining establishments are appearing amidst pizzerias and sushi establishments, drawing a more mature crowd to what is often considered one of Toronto’s more youthful neighbourhoods.
According to the City of Toronto Social Profile of 2006, the majority of couples in the Annex do not have children, and most of this community’s residents are renters. It is not surprising, therefore, that this area of Toronto has a lower number of children as compared to the rest of Toronto. Nevertheless, several schools call this neighbourhood “home,” including Palmerston Public School, Huron Street Junior Public School, Jesse Ketchum Junior and Senior Public School, and Jarvis Collegiate Institute. The University of Toronto is a focal point of this neighbourhood, largely inhabited by students, professors, and those employed or involved in Canada’s largest university.