Riverdale is a large neighborhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly east of the Don River Valley, south of The Danforth (Greektown) and north of Lake Ontario. The neighborhood is characterized by two large recreational parks, Riverdale Park adjacent to the Don River and Withrow Park to the north east of Riverdale, as well as smaller parks. Riverdale is also home to Bridgepoint Health (formerly Riverdale Hospital), and the Don Jail, both at the corner of Broadview Avenue and Gerrard Street East.
Riverdale is known by many Torontonians as a thriving residential neighborhood represented by a strong arts community that cater to independent galleries on Queen St. to the large corporate film studios along the waterfront. There remains a strong working class element to the neighborhood as well. The tree-lined side-streets are complemented by the various styles of Victorian and Georgian residential architecture, primarily built between the 1880s and the Depression.
The Riverdale Zoo was Toronto's zoological park before the opening of the Toronto Zoo in the early 1970s. Now called Riverdale Farm, it continues as an educational farm for school children and the general public. Ironically Riverdale Farm is not actually in the Riverdale neighborhood but is located west of the Don River in the Cabbagetown neighborhood. The two neighborhoods are closely linked even though separated by the Don River.
Neighborhoods within Riverdale
While Riverdale itself is usually said to refer to the stretch of Toronto east of the Don Valley Parkway and west of Pape, between Danforth Avenue (North) and Queen (South), these boundaries are arbitrary and many people on either side of these peripheral areas could claim to live in Riverdale (or not, as the case may be). This larger area also includes smaller communities, usually centered around a 'high street' or commercial area. Well known areas within the Riverdale include Riverside, formerly Queen-Broadview Village, a funky patio-lined pocket around Queen Street and Broadview Avenue (Toronto). Just east of Riverside is Leslieville , which encompasses a few quaint blocks of late 19th century storefronts lined with antique shops, galleries and cafes. Toronto's second largest Chinatown, also known as Chinatown East rests in the Broadview & Gerrard area. Depending on where you draw Riverdale's eastern boundaries, the Gerrard Little India is another notable community that is a popular meeting place for the Toronto East-Indian communities.
Many locals debate where the true eastern and southern boundaries of Riverdale are located. Some theorize that Riverdale stops east of Greenwood Avenue, while others argue Coxwell Avenue. Accordingly, although seemingly arbitrary, the southern boundary limits of Riverdale are often debated as ending at Gerrard Street East but usually much further south to Lake Ontario, this section is sometimes referred to as South Riverdale which includes the Studio District. Furthermore, within "North Riverdale" (an area that resides north of Gerrard Street East, East of Broadview Ave. and west of Pape St.), residents differentiate between "upper" and "lower" Riverdale. "Upper Riverdale" is characterized is the part of the neighborhood north of Riverdale Ave., and "Lower Riverdale" is the area south of Riverdale Ave. Generally, real estate prices are reflected in this divide. The closer the house is to Danforth Ave. the higher the sale price. Also, in terms of the quality of the housing supply, homes built in "upper Riverdale" are more likely to have better architectural features, and are more likely to be renovated. Upper Riverdale residents are sometimes cynical of those living in lower and south Riverdale, because of the higher crime rates and generally poorer condition of the housing. This is not always the case, however, and many residents of 'Upper' Riverdale would still claim to have more in common with those who reside in 'Lower' Riverdale and nearby Cabbagetown than with those who live across the Bloor Street viaduct in Rosedale, a very upper class area and largely out of keeping with the traditional working-class ethos of Riverdale and Cabbagetown.
The popular teenage drama TV series Degrassi Junior High is named after the Riverdale street of the same name (although the only school on Degrassi street is Eastdale Collegiate Institute at Gerrard street east)
Riverdale Collegiate Institute is the neighborhood's local high-school.
