Spadina Heights is a derivative of the First Nations (namely Ojibwe) word ishapadenah, meaning a hill or sudden rise in land.

[4] When the Village was amalgamated into the City of Toronto, the agreement granted local residents the right to have their garbage picked up from their doorstep rather than from the curb.

This time, the public opinion of other Torontonians forced the city to discontinue this favour to Forest Hill residents.

More than any other district in the central city, Forest Hill has become the site of spectacular new 'neo-traditional' homes built on a grand scale, usually with lawns to match.

Forest Hill Village was completely developed by the 1930s[5] and is known for its upscale shopping and dining, although the actual mix of stores includes several modest enterprises.

In further depth, a node can be defined as strategic foci into which the observer can enter, typically either through junctions of paths, or concentrations of some characteristic.

In further analysis, the node of Lonsdale and Spadina Road is enhanced with the cluster of small independently owned stores and various services such as banking, fitness, etc.

Similarly, the intersection of Eglinton Ave West and Bathurst Street is strengthened with high end retail shops.

[citation needed] Subsequently, these nodes have led to the development of many well known districts within the area, such as Forest Hill Village, located in the intersection between Lonsdale and Spadina Road.

Lastly, the development of low-rise apartments district found along the corner of Bathurst Street and St Clair Ave West.

[citation needed] Characteristics of housing as well as streetscapes are dominant in providing the outsider a simple yet strong image of the Forest Hill neighbourhood.

[citation needed] Throughout Forest Hill, the conventional suburbs housing style (without the aspect of homogeneous households), makes up the majority of the area.

[12] Forest Hill also contains a fair number of luxury condominium buildings located west of Spadina on Lonsdale Road.

[5] In 2007, the average sale price for a Forest Hill South home was $4,320,000, although renting a place in the neighbourhood was still relatively affordable as of 2011.

[citation needed] Several elements that contribute to the unique character of the area are its sidewalks and local roads, as well as landscaping and natural environment.

More often than not, properties have unusual trees and plants as well as intricate designed pieces of foliage that run along the front, sides as well as back of the houses.

[11] St. Clair Avenue West is the major east-west road to the south of the village and it is lined with commercial and retail buildings.

Spadina Road is the only transit route running through the neighbourhood, while St. Clair Avenue has a streetcar line connecting to the Yonge-University_Spadina subway.

Holy Blossom Temple relocated to 1950 Bathurst Street in 1938, just outside the boundaries of Forest Hill, as a majority of its "uptown" membership had moved north of St. Clair Avenue.

The 2021 census figures show 8,925 people who gave their religion as Jewish, 38.5% of the total; in answer to the census question about cultural or ethnic origin, 5,125 said Jewish, which is 22.1% of the total (these figures are for Forest Hill North and Forest Hill South combined, as compiled and published by the City of Toronto).

Home to a large population of affluent Jews, it has gravitated to the Conservatives due to their support for Israel; both the Liberals' capital gains reform and response to the war in Gaza were considered contributing factors to their loss in the 2024 Toronto—St.