Area Description

Humewood-Cedarvale is an area of the York district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was part of the former City of York before the amalgamation of Toronto in 1998. The area is bordered by Bathurst Street (Tichester and Forest-Hill), Eglinton Avenue to the north (Forest-Hill North), Winnett Avenue to the west (Oakwood Village) and St. Clair Avenue to the south (Bracondale Hill/Hillcrest). It comprises two neighbourhoods, the wealthy Cedarvale in the north and the upper middle class Humewood in the south. The latter is sometimes nicknamed as "The Woods" because of its many streets that have names ending with "-wood".

Humewood is an upper-middle class, family-oriented neighbourhood. Humewood Park was once part of the estate of William Hume Blake, after whom the neighbourhood is named, and is now used as social housing. Cedarvale is a wealthy community, and includes multi-million-dollar homes facing the Cedarvale Ravine that is within the namesake park.

Cedarvale and Humewood are separated by Vaughan Road, however just slightly further east is the huge Cedarvale Ravine, which was once proposed for the route of an expressway, which would have been the extension to Allen Road. At the intersection of Claxton Boulevard and Bathurst St., there is an imposing gate, built in the 1910s, which symbolized its wealth; it was originally intended to be a gated community. However, due to decreased demand for real estate during World War I, and the decreasing fortune of Sir Henry Pellatt, in charge of the community's construction, who could not pay the bills for the nearby Casa Loma, the gates were never completed, causing this to be an open community, but the columns are still there. Additionally, Claxton Boulevard was to be named Connaught Ave., but only a small street connecting Vaughan Road is so named (Connaught Circle).

There are two elementary schools in this area: Humewood and Cedarvale Community Schools, which represent the namesake portions of this neighbourhood. The Leo Baeck Day School, a private, Reform Jewish day school is also located in this community. However, there are no publicly funded secondary schools in this neighbourhood, but one can attend the nearby Vaughan Road Academy, Oakwood Collegiate Institute, or Forest Hill Collegiate Institute. In 2011, Arlington Middle School closed and Humewood Community School began offering grade 7 and 8. Also in 2011, Humewood began offering French Immersion starting in SK. Children who complete grade 8 French Immersion, and intent to continue on in French immersion, will feed into Harbord Collegiate Institute. These schools are all run by the Toronto District School Board. Near St. Michael's College School, there is an apartment building that Ernest Hemingway lived in during his stay in Canada, which is now called "The Hemingway." Additionally, there are no public libraries in this neighbourhood, but one may use the Oakwood Village, the Maria Shchuka, the Wychwood, the St. Clair-Dufferin, or the Forest Hill public libraries.

There is a large Jewish community in Humewood-Cedarvale (although more so in Cedarvale) at over 23% of residents with several key religious sites within walking distance (Holy Blossom Temple, Beth Tzedec Synagogue, The Village Shul, Beth Sholom Congregation and The Leo Baeck Day School). In Cedarvale itself, Jews make up about two-thirds of the population, the highest proportion in Toronto, according to the 2001 Census, hence the lack of any Catholic schools in the area except for the nearby St. Alphonsus Catholic elementary school in Oakwood Village.

Where Eglinton Avenue and St. Clair Avenue enter this neighbourhood, there are many trendy restaurants, caf+¬s, and bars along these thoroughfares.

The community has some access to public transportation since it touches two subway stations: Eglinton West and St. Clair West, and the 90 Vaughan bus route passes through this neighbourhood.