Leslieville

Leslieville

The green and white Leslieville street signs run along Queen Street East and are now synonymous with the neighbourhood. Leslieville’s oldest homes are South of Queen Street to Eastern Avenue and include Ontario Cottages, Second Empire row houses and quaint Victorians. The most desirable homes tend to be North of Queen Street and were built in the early 1900’s. These homes are generally detached or semi-detached and Victorian in style. There are also a small amount of bungalows but they tend to be on the smaller side.

There is no shortage of parks, ice rinks, baseball diamonds and playgrounds making this neighbourhood a place for all types of residents. Mostly everything is a short walk away including local favourites such as Black Bird Bread Co., Leslieville Cheese Market, Descendant Pizza, Pilot Coffee Roasters, Nodo and Ed’s Real Scoop.

With multiple TTC routes on Queen Street East, Carlaw, Coxwell and Greenwood, Leslieville is very easy to get around. Proximity to the Don Valley Parkway, Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard make driving a breeze with easy access in and out of the city.

History

Leslieville was once a separate, small village back in the 1850’s. The name Leslieville is derived from its namesake George Leslie who owned the Toronto Nurseries. Most of Leslieville’s original residents were market gardeners or employed by one of the many brick making companies in the area close to the docks. One of the first buildings in the village was the Leslieville Public School, which was built in 1863. At the corner of Laing Street and Memory Lane hosts a plaque dedicated to Alexander Muir, the first principle of Leslieville Public School who composed “The Maple Leaf Forever” poem which before confederation, served as the unofficial national anthem.