Bathurst Street (Toronto)
Bathurst Street is a main north–south thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It begins at an intersection of the Queens Quay roadway, just north of the Lake Ontario shoreline. It continues north through Toronto to the Toronto boundary at Steeles Avenue. It is a four-lane thoroughfare throughout Toronto. The roadway continues north into York Region where it is known as York Regional Road 38.
Bathurst Street
Bathurst Street
Queens Quay (Continues as Eireann Quay, which leads to the ferry dock for Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport)
Jewish community[edit]
Bathurst Street has been the heart of the Jewish community of Toronto for decades.[7] From the early part of the twentieth century, many Jews lived around Bathurst Street south of Bloor Street east to Spadina Avenue (and particularly Kensington Market) and west to past Christie Pits. After World War II, as the community became more middle class, it moved north along Bathurst Street, with wealthier members of the community moving to Forest Hill. Some other members moved to the area around Bathurst and St. Clair Avenue or Bathurst and Eglinton Avenue.[8]
The community continued to move north along Bathurst and today, much of the Jewish community resides along the street from north of St. Clair Avenue and, in higher concentrations just south of Lawrence Avenue to beyond the city limits at Steeles Avenue, and extending further until about Elgin Mills Road in Richmond Hill.[9] Many synagogues and other Jewish community institutions are on Bathurst.
The northern stretch of Bathurst, north of Sheppard Avenue West, has become one of the centres of Toronto's Russian community. Many Russian Jewish immigrants began to settle in the area's apartment buildings (many are around the Bathurst/Sheppard intersection, and along Bathurst between Finch Avenue West and Steeles Avenue West),[10] starting from early 1970s to get easier access to services provided by the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, many Russian immigrants to Canada settled there. Many are affiliated with the Jewish Russian Community Centre.[11] The electoral district of York Centre, which includes Bathurst from Wilson Ave. to Steeles Ave. West, has the largest number of Russian Canadian voters in Canada. Numerous Russian delicatessens, restaurants, and book and clothing stores have earned the neighborhood the unofficial moniker "Little Moscow".[12]
Public transit[edit]
Bathurst Station is a Toronto Transit Commission subway station at Bathurst Street and Bloor Street along Line 2 Bloor–Danforth. The 511 Bathurst streetcar route runs from Bloor to Fleet Street, where it turns to connect to Exhibition Place.[13]
North of Bathurst Station, public transit is provided by two bus routes: route 7 Bathurst from Bathurst Station up to Steeles Avenue West, and 160 Bathurst North from Wilson Avenue up to New Westminster Drive and Atkinson Avenue in Vaughan. During overnight hours when the subway is closed, the bus route 307 Bathurst Blue Night covers the entire length of Bathurst within the city of Toronto.
Within Vaughan, York Region Transit runs several routes along Bathurst Street, including the 88 Bathurst from Finch Bus Terminal to Seneca College King Campus,[14] part of Viva Orange, and other connections at the Promenade Terminal.