Upper Beaches

The southern border is Kingston Road, while the northern boundary is generally considered to be the Canadian National Railway tracks between Gerrard Street and Danforth Avenue.

The name "Upper Beaches" was first used by developers and real estate agents around the period of 2001 to 2003 for the selling of houses on redeveloped land in the area, and was used as a marketing tag to attract buyers.

Rather, the name likely comes from the Norway Pines that dominated and native tree in the region, and whose harvesting was one of the main industries for the community.

The most prominent landowner in the area was Charles Coxwell Small, who tried strenuously to have the town renamed to Berkeley, after his hometown in Britain.

Another was James Shaw's Hotel and Tavern, described as a long low building painted dazzling white with green shutters.

In 1893 the brick structure that resides in place today was constructed and the church was renamed St. John's Cemetery Norway.

In year 1876, the Toronto Golf Club had taken up residence in some of this open space between Woodbine and Coxwell, known then as the Fernhill property sitting just to the northwest of The Village of Norway.

Initially, the club did not have an official clubhouse and members would typically pack a lunch that they would usually eat while sitting beneath one of the property's trees.

Feeling boxed in by an encroaching population, the Toronto Golf Club sought a new residence and sold their land on advantageous terms.

They renamed the developing area Kelvin Park, posting regular ads in The Globe and Mail selling parcels of land perfect for the construction of new homes.

In their ads, they offer plots of land for sale touting the recent installation of the Toronto Civic Railways line along with the scenic view of the lake, picturesque glens and winding stream fringed with beautiful trees.

The area was also home to a number of industrial sites alongside the rail line, which runs just north of Gerrard.

The theatre program headed by Eric Lehrer has garnered an incredible reputation for its annual Docudrama festival and year-end productions.

Typical houses in the Upper Beaches
St. John's Norway Cemetery was established in the area in 1853.
Crowds in the Upper Beaches wait to board the first Toronto Civic Railways streetcar on Gerrard Street in 1912.
Malvern Collegiate Institute is a public secondary school located in the neighbourhood.
Main Street station is a stop for the Line 2 Bloor-Danforth subway line, as well as the eastern terminus for the 506 Carlton streetcar line.