The Victorian dwelling (believed to exist today but significantly altered) was built on Springbank Avenue for John Stark, who named it after the birch trees along the edge of the nearby Scarborough Bluffs.

As the most populated part of the borough, Scarborough's municipal council met in a building on Kingston Road beginning in 1922.

The area by the lake and the ravines remained a wealthy residential district, while further north is a more middle class portion of Scarborough.

It covers a large area south of the railroad tracks, north of Gerrard, and east of Victoria Park.

At the time the Scarborough Expressway was planned to parallel the rail line, and the site would have thus been next to a major interchange.

The expense of cleaning up the former landfill delayed the project, and in any case, civic activism stopped the Scarborough Expressway.

As of November 6, 2012, the Ontario Municipal Board has approved the "tower in the park" style development, to the remorse of many living in the community.

In addition to municipal parks, the city also owns Birchmount Stadium, a multi-purpose outdoor sports facility on Birchmount Road and Roy Halladay Field, a full sized baseball diamond located in Highview Park named after the former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay.