Welcome to the oldest street in Toronto!

Did you know that Yonge Street is considered the oldest street in the city of Toronto? There were other numerous native trails in the area when York was settled but Yonge street is considered the oldest street running at 53 miles long. It still serves as the dividing line between east and west of the city to this day.

The Beginning

Yonge Street was made a street in 1794 during the War of the First Coalition. The street was named after Sir George Yonge, an expert on ancient roman roads. He was the dear friend of Ontario’s first colonial administrator, John Graves Simcoe. Yonge Street runs east to west and connects the shores of Lake Ontario to Lake Simcoe and is sometimes referred to the “Main Street” of Toronto. The Street was built to provide communication between York and the upper lakes in the event that the colony was cut off from Michilimackinac. It was originally a native route that avoided the marshes of Holland River.