Centered
in the area around Dundas Street West
and Spadina Avenue, the Chinatown area
extends outward from this point along
both streets. Growing at a rapid pace,
it has come to represent a large number
of Asian cultures through its shops and
restaurants, including Chinese, Vietnamese,
and Thai.
When the City of Toronto began construction
of the current city hall (known to residents
of the city as “new city hall”)
the entire neighbourhood had to be relocated
from its old location, centered at the
corners of Queen Street West and Bay Street.
Even though Chinese-oriented stores and
homes formerly were required to close
down there is still a strong Asian presence
in the area.
Today
the population of Toronto’s Chinatown
is changing. The people encountered in
this richly multicultural area are polarized
into the very young and those classified
as seniors. Many middle age citizens of
Chinese ancestry relocated to areas outside
of the city centre, in turn creating new
ethnic centres of their own. Those left
in the district are typically from older
generations who depend on downtown's dense
concentration of services and accessibility
to public transportation, or young up
and coming students attending The University
of Toronto, (Canada’s largest university),
Ryerson Polytechnic University, and the
Ontario College of Art And Design. As
Chinatown grows more and more of Toronto’s
infamous multiculturalism comes into effect
to create an area that is wholly unique
to the city.
|
|
