With the rapid growth that followed the opening of the Bloor-Danforth (Prince Edward) Viaduct in 1918, the residents of the eastern half of York Township (as an exclave of the western half) felt they had been neglected by the township when it came to roads, sewers and other municipal services.

East York was originally populated by working-class English people who valued the opportunity to own small homes of their own, with front lawns and back gardens.

In the late 1940s, after World War II, East York became home to many returning veterans and their families.

The local government was both socially conscious and frugal, fitting the residents' self-image of East York as filled with supportive neighbours and non-government organizations.

[citation needed] For many years, East York did not allow the serving of alcoholic beverages in any restaurants, etc.

The result was a heavy concentration of alcohol-serving restaurants and bars on Danforth Avenue, the main street in the city of Toronto running east–west just south of East York.

East York has over the years been a residential enclave for senior citizens, as the original owners from the 1940s age and as younger families move out to suburbs to live in larger houses.

Canada's only borough, East York was semi-autonomous within the greater municipality of Metropolitan Toronto.

Between 2002 and 2005, the East York Civic Centre's "True Davidson Council Chamber" was used to hold the Toronto Computer Leasing Inquiry/Toronto External Contracts Inquiry.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many residents of East York stood up against illegal rent increases.

[nb 1] Since the 1970s, the population composition has changed from predominantly British, as East York has become a major arrival point for immigrants, many of whom have established their first Canadian residence in the apartments that became plentiful in Thorncliffe Park, Crescent Town and elsewhere on or near main streets.

[2] Archived January 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine These groups include Bengalis, Indians, Pakistanis, Jamaicans, Filipinos and Sri Lankans.

Four public school boards provide primary and secondary education for residents of East York, Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (CSCM), Conseil scolaire Viamonde (CSV), the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), and the Toronto District School Board (TDSB).

In addition to primary and secondary education institutions, East York is also home to a campus operated by Centennial College.