Don Mills

[kettal]

But what are the uses of the "inner" versus "outer" dichotomy beyond the history lesson? If much of the inner and outer suburbs are planned similarly, why make any distinction? After all, no one calls Yonge and Bloor "outer downtown".

This is one interesting stat I have found, where the 416-905 border is more than imaginary.

 

[nfitz]

Ah, from the colouring, I guess we need to run the next subway line down the Leslie Street spit!

Good find!

 

[that_girl_there]

That map is awesome! Shows how the Sheppard line really hasn't helped increase transit ridership in that area. Maybe it should have been an Eglinton line instead!

With regards to suburb/not suburb I guess there are different definitions here. I would say technically anything outside of the downtown core is a suburb. But there are different levels of suburbia. Rosedale, East York, and other areas directly next to downtown are the older, streetcar suburbs which are a reasonable distance from downtown, built in an era before the car was so widely available. Today these are some of the most desirable neighbourhoods because they are close to downtown while having a more suburban feel.

Don Mills is not one of these suburbs. It was built with the car in mind and as such is much closer to a modern suburb. The only reason one feels different in Don Mills is because it is a more mature area - trees are taller and more lush, houses aren't as cookie cutter and have had time to be remodelled and redesigned by a set of subsequent owners, and homes have a different design to them than what is in style now. But some of the most notable characteristics of modern suburbs - winding cul-de-sacs, large lots and an absence of mixed-use - are definitely part of Don Mills. The fact that it is now considered close to downtown is merely perspective - compared to living in Richmond Hill, Don Mills is close. When Don Mills was built, Richmond Hill was not the commuter town that it is now. So things looked different.

 

[T-Bor]

Though it's a very blanket definition, I consider the suburbs to be anywhere where you need a car to conveniently get around. As someone who grew up a 10 minute walk from fairview mall, anything besides shopping absolutely requires a car. Certain areas are MORE suburban than Don Mills (don mills/lawrence or don mills/sheppard, either way), but it is definitely still suburban.

 

[donoreo]

I just drove past the Don Mills postal station last night. It is being demolished.

 

[adma]

Oh dear, the last extant bit of Parkin *within* the Donway...

 

[donoreo]

Don Mills Centre development will be taking it over. It was always planned, the short road to nowhere by the parking garage and the Murale store show it.

 

[DonValleyRainbow]

Don Mills Centre development will be taking it over. It was always planned, the short road to nowhere by the parking garage and the Murale store show it.

I lived in Don Mills until the mid 90s, I was young still and only have faint memories. The Shops at Don Mills really struck me when I saw it last year, looks quite pretentious next to some of the nearby apartment complexes.

 

[donoreo]

I lived in Don Mills until the mid 90s, I was young still and only have faint memories. The Shops at Don Mills really struck me when I saw it last year, looks quite pretentious next to some of the nearby apartment complexes.

Their target customers are to the west. However the restaurants in there are doing well. Not sure about the retail.

 

[ehlow]

I lived in Don Mills until the mid 90s, I was young still and only have faint memories. The Shops at Don Mills really struck me when I saw it last year, looks quite pretentious next to some of the nearby apartment complexes.

I prefer Shops at Don Mills to a mall like Fairview Mall. However, I also prefer Yonge street at Lawrence to Eglinton to Shops at Don Mills.

I also find the strip malls that are ubiquitous around the inner suburbs preferable to malls as well (stores with a few rows of parking in front). They often have amazing food

 

[Armour]

I recently got a hold of these drawings/documents from 101 and 103 year old sisters -- and still original residents -- of Parkway South that my mother looks after on occasion. These took forever to scan, so I hope you enjoy them, or else there will be severe ramifications:

 

[Armour]

More:

 

[Armour]

More still:

 

[Armour]

Finally:

 

[Armour]

Though not in Don Mills, here are some bonus prints of Don Valley West: