The demographic composition changed considerably, including a higher proportion of lower income and newcomer families.

Queen Street West has a large proportion of restaurants and bars, as well as local shops and art galleries.

To the south of Parkdale, the area is bordered by transportation uses, including the railway, Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard.

Parkdale's status as an independent village was controversial at the time and was opposed by the City of Toronto and the York County councils.

It was purely a residential suburb, home to large Victorian mansions and views of Lake Ontario.

The first house of worship in Parkdale, the Anglican Church of St. Mark, was completed on January 20, 1881, on Cowan Ave just south of Queen Street.

Throughout the first half of the 20th century, Parkdale's desirability stemmed from its proximity to the lake, the Canadian National Exhibition to the south-east and the popular Sunnyside Beach at the foot of Roncesvalles to the west.

From 1911 to 1922, the Toronto Harbour Commission improved the lakefront extending the shoreline from the rail line 100 metres (330 ft) south, with a breakwater and boardwalk.

The Palais Royale at the eastern edge of Sunnyside Beach opened in 1922 as a canoe factory and dance hall.

In 1955, the city began work on the Gardiner Expressway, a limited access highway alongside the railway cut.

Parkdale was now separated from Lake Ontario and Sunnyside Beach and the expressway effectively halved the amount of usable lakeside parkland.

Jameson Avenue, which became the conduit to the highway changed from single family homes to a street of apartment buildings, many cheaply built.

One former industrial site on West Lodge Avenue became a two-tower apartment complex that has repeatedly been cited by the city for various by-law infractions.

In the mid-1970s, the Government of Ontario decided to release many long-term care mental illness patients from its Queen Street and Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital facilities to integrate them into the community.

[12] Many of the remaining mansions of South Parkdale had already been converted to boarding houses, and were only a short distance away from the Queen Street hospital.

Many illegal 'bachelorette' units were also being created and the inexpensive rental stock of South Parkdale soon became home to many of the released patients.

The area developed a reputation as a neighbourhood rife with poverty, crime, drugs, homelessness, and large numbers of people living with mental illness.

In 1980 PARC found funding, staff and a venue and opened its doors to provide support, meals, employment opportunities and various programs to people with serious mental health and addiction issues.

The BIA has highlighted the uniqueness of this commercial district, including its restaurants, antique stores, cafés and shops.

[14] Owing to the many affordable rental apartments and its proximity to the downtown core, Parkdale has evolved into a transient neighbourhood for many newcomers to Canada.

Waves of Caribbean, Indian, Vietnamese, Filipino, Tamil, Chinese, Tibetan, Hungarian and Roma immigrants have marked Parkdale in different times between 1980 till present.

The volunteers of the two gardens also host festivals, workshops, field trips along with other activities and projects in the area.

[12] The opening of the Parkdale Arts and Cultural Centre, along with efforts to promote businesses in the area, such as the Parkdale-Liberty Economic Development Centre, has spurred the growth of a vibrant creative area along Queen Street, which puts on a large display during Toronto's annual 'Nuit Blanche.'

An initiative, known as the "Parkdale Pilot Project" was formed to address the illegal conversions, seeking to bring the buildings into line.

[17] After being vacant for over ten years (most of which it was owned by the Government of Ontario), the building eventually re-opened as apartments, after its redevelopment was approved by the Pilot Project's housing committee.. An apartment building on the corner of Queen Street and Dowling Avenue also lay vacant for some time before being expropriated by the city for an affordable housing re-development.

In 2013, a sudden proliferation of restaurants and bars in one area led to a bylaw limiting the number to 25% of establishments.

The company attempted to market the area as "Vegandale", dropping the idea after community protest against gentrification and a conflict with the Parkdale Village BIA.

There are four Toronto-based school boards that provides public education for the city, including the neighbourhood of Parkdale.

Along Lansdowne Avenue and Dufferin Street, bus service is provided, connecting to the Bloor-Danforth subway to the north.

It is also a busy thoroughfare on the west side of Toronto, connecting to the Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard.