Koreatown, Toronto

Koreatown is an ethnic enclave in Toronto, Canada known for its Korean businesses. It is located along Bloor Street between Christie and Bathurst Streets in Seaton Village.[1] The area developed during the 1970s due to an influx of Korean immigrants.

Toronto street signage in Koreatown.

In addition to the Koreatown in Seaton Village, the city is also home to another cluster of Korean businesses and restaurants, centred along Yonge Street between Finch and Sheppard Avenue in Willowdale. Toronto has the largest single concentration of Koreans in Canada with 53,940 living in the city, according to the Canada 2016 Census.[2]

History
Korean businesses and restaurants along Bloor Street.

Prior to the influx of Korean immigrants in the 1970s, the section of Bloor West of Bathurst was heavily populated by people from Central and South America. In 1966, the Korean population in Toronto was 100. However, by the 1970s, the Korean population in the city grew to roughly 10,000, with most settling Bloor Street.[3]

The adoption of a more liberal immigration policy by the Canadian government in 1967 led to an influx of Korean immigrants, many of whom settled in the Toronto area. Many of them settled in the Bloor and Bathurst area, with a small Korean business neighbourhood developed along Bloor Street, centred on the intersection of Bloor and Manning Avenue. Restaurants, bakeries, gift shops, grocery stores, and travel agencies began to open up, most of which catered to the Korean-Canadian community.[4] Today, although many Koreans work in the region, very few Koreans in fact live in Koreatown.

Other Korean communities in Toronto

Willowdale
Korean businesses and restaurants along Yonge Street in Willowdale.

A Korean community in the neighbourhood of Willowdale has also developed in recent decades, and has also been referred to as "Koreantown North",[5] "new Koreatown",[6] or "uptown Koreatown".[7] Of the 118,000 residents of Willowdale, more than 10,000 identified Korean as their first language in the Canada 2016 Census.[6] Korean businesses and restaurants are centred around Yonge Street, stretching from Finch Avenue to Sheppard Avenue to the south. Koreans account for more than 13 per cent of the population in the strip of Yonge Street from Finch to Sheppard Avenue.[8]

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See also

References
  1. "BIA List: F-P". City of Toronto. 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  2. "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Toronto [Population centre], Ontario and Ontario [Province]". Statistics Canada. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  3. Daubs, Katie (12 August 2017). "A walking tour of Toronto's Koreatown reveals family history". Toronto Star. Torstar Corporation. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  4. Mathieu, Emily (28 November 2008). "Singing praises of Koreatown". Toronto Star. Torstar Corporation. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  5. Bhandari, Aparita (27 March 2017). "Learning how to eat banchan". Toronto Star. Torstar Corporation. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  6. Paperny, Anna Mehler (25 April 2018). "A 'new Koreatown' silenced by Canada van attack". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  7. Doss, Suresh (6 June 2019). "Tiny downtown Korean spot serves up big flavours". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  8. Kerr, Jaren (26 April 2018). "Korean community stays united in the aftermath of Yonge St. van rampage". The Toronto Star. Torstar Corporation. Retrieved 24 August 2019.


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