How distant from downtown/the old city of Toronto is it until the residents feel unconnected to it?

[wild goose chase]

I'm thinking about where residents of neighbourhoods farther away from either downtown or the boundaries of the old city, whether it's the rest of the 416 or even farther (the 905) are sufficiently far away that most places south of Bloor are unfamiliar or rarely visited among them.

Additionally, is there a big drop off with distance at say, boundaries of the former municipalities or the city itself? For example, is someone from East York much more familiar with downtown than someone from Scarborough, than in turn someone from Markham? For example, I'm wondering if given certain landmarks downtown, someone from East York or the old city of York will be much better at answering say a new tourist's question about Toronto, who stops him/her on the street, that someone from Markham or Brampton lacks familiarity with.

Or is there enough movement and travel between places in the city and the GTA that the drop-off is not sharp?

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

All I know is, when some Montrealers I meet back home tell me they hate Toronto, I always ask when and where they've been here. It's invariably to go to some wedding in an Italianate hall in Concord or to visit a cousin in western Mississauga. My reply is, yeah, that's like a Torontonian saying they hate Montreal after a visit to Dollard-des-Ormeaux or Laval.

Not to judge those from Markham or Brampton, I would guess that they are good downtown with finding the DVP or Union Station...and not much else.

As a mostly downtown/midtown/eastsider ex-Montrealer myself, don't ask me about anything west of Bathurst or north of the 401.

 

[blixtex]

Well, just look at the architecuture of the houses. Once you pass the older victorian houses or older semis, it loses that connection.

So going north, generally up until York Mills area (at least Lawrence and a few blocks north of it). In the East, definitely Victoria Park. Although in the east, it loses that connection to downtown on a angle from YorkMills and Bayview area going south to the Danforth/Dawes area. To the west, I would think around Jane St. There is a angle thing too, starting from let's say Avenue Road.

You go passed pass these areas, it feels completely different and disconnected.

 

[Transportfan]

Well, just look at the architecuture of the houses. Once you pass the older victorian houses or older semis, it loses that connection.

So basically once you leave Old Toronto.

 

[lrookies]

Political answer...Scarborough...who gets NOTHING from Toronto...Vaughn (who doesnt pay a dime of taxes to Toronto) has a subway in and out of the downtown core.

Scarborough still has an antiquated RT system built in the early 1980s that is now so old that TTC operators should be wearing hearing protection to drive, which takes us to Kennedy where we have to switch to a subway.

Vaughn has a gold plated TTC subway that Toronto built 7 stops to get to. Scarborough is getting ONE stop to be built (at this rate) in a million years from now. Vaughn residents can jump on 1 train and go directly downtown.

Malvern residents have to take a bus to the STC, then a rickety RT to Kennedy, then a subway from Kennedy to Yonge or St George, then switch trains to head downtown.

Scarborough got screwed by Toronto, and many Scarborough residents feel disconnected and forgotten by Toronto . Meanwhile Vaughn is being treated as part of Toronto.

 

[King of Kensington]

York, East York and North York don't feel disconnected from the core.

 

[King of Kensington]

And yeah, I know North York has its own downtown. But it's well connected to the real downtown, and I don't think the "North York" identity is as strong as in the local identity in Scaroborough or Etobicoke. These latter two have firmer boundaries and weaker transit links. North York's boundaries are more fuzzy, and shares wards and ridings with old Toronto.