Bloor Street

Bloor Street
Bloor St. within Toronto
The Royal Ontario Museum on Bloor
Major junctions
East end	Don River (Toronto)
West end	Central Parkway East
Location
Major cities	Toronto
Nearby arterial roads ← College Street Bloor Street St. Clair Avenue →

The intersection of Yonge Street and Bloor Street, two of Toronto's most prominent thoroughfares

Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the viaduct, Danforth Avenue continues along the same right-of-way. The street, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) long, contains a significant cross-sample of Toronto's ethnic communities. It is also home to Toronto's famous shopping district commonly referred to as "Mink Mile".

The street is named after Joseph Bloor (or Bloore), a brewer and land speculator of this area in the 19th century who founded the Village of Yorkville in 1830. He is buried at Necropolis Cemetery on Bayview Avenue and Rosedale Valley Road.

The Bloor-Danforth subway line runs along the Toronto portion of the roadway east of Kipling Avenue and continues east along Danforth Avenue.

Route description

The preserved façade of the former University Theatre.

The Brunswick House

Bloor street begins at the eastern edge of the Prince Edward Viaduct, which passes over the ravine holding the Don River. The street continues through to the Rosedale Ravine, marking the southern border of the affluent community of Rosedale. West of Parliament Street, the street passes just to the north of the large St. James Town housing project, which stretches west to Sherbourne Street. On the northern side of this section of Bloor are the forested slopes of the Rosedale Ravine. Between Sherbourne and Church Streets the street is lined by large office towers, mostly home to insurance companies. This area has long been the centre of the insurance industry in Canada.

West of Church the street becomes more commercial and is an important shopping district. In downtown, especially around the intersection with Bay Street, Bloor is one of the most exclusive stretches of real estate in Canada. Rents on the upscale Bloor Street have doubled in 4 years, ranking as the 22nd most expensive retail location in the world in 2006, up two spots from 2005. Nationally, Vancouver's upscale Robson Street tied with Bloor Street West as the most expensive street in Canada, with an annual average rental price of $208 per square foot.

Under the intersection of Yonge and Bloor Streets is the Bloor-Yonge subway station, which is the busiest in the city, serving approximately 368,800 people a day. Above ground, the intersection encompasses commercial stores and condominiums.

In the downtown, Bloor Street serves as the northern edge of the University of Toronto campus, and is host to several historic sites, including the Bata Shoe Museum, the Royal Conservatory of Music, and the southern edge of Yorkville.

West of the university, which ends at Spadina Avenue, Bloor Street runs through a diverse series of neighbourhoods such as The Annex, Koreatown, Dufferin Grove, Brockton, Roncesvalles, High Park and Runnymede. It generally retains its commercial character, and serves as the main shopping area for most of these communities. Numerous sections of the street have named 'business improvement areas' such as Bloorcourt Village, Bloordale Village and Bloor West Village.

In Toronto's west end, Bloor Street crisscrosses Dundas Street (Toronto) twice, between Lansdowne Avenue and Parkside Drive and again in the Six Points area (Kipling Avenue) as these streets follow the old trails. Markland Wood is the westernmost residential community in the city of Toronto. Through Mississauga, Bloor Street links the residential communities of Applewood Hills and Applewood Heights, terminating at Central Parkway, about one kilometre east of Hurontario Street.

Until 1998, Bloor Street was designated as Ontario Highway 5 from Kipling Avenue east to the Don River. Like many urban stretches of provincial roadway, it was formally decommissioned as a provincial route on January 1.

Shopping

Holt Renfrew's flagship store on Bloor Street

Yorkville

• Cumberland Terrace
• Manulife Centre
• Hudson's Bay Centre
• Holt Renfrew Centre

The stretch of Bloor between Yonge Street and Avenue Road (often nicknamed "Mink Mile" or "Fashion Mile") and its neighbouring side streets are one of the most popular and trendy shopping areas in Toronto, housing several large, well-known fashion and jewelry companies. Several international luxury retailers have shops in the area including Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Hugo Boss, Diesel, Cartier, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Escada, Cole Haan, Porsche Design, Tiffany & Co., Coach, Victorinox Swiss Army, Michael Kors and a 50,000 square foot Harry Rosen flagship. Holt Renfrew also has its flagship department store on Bloor Street (with a rumored upcoming expansion in the near future). Shoppers can also find many more ubiquitous stores here such as Banana Republic, The Gap, American Apparel, Le Chateau, BCBG Max Azria, Guess?, Roots Canada, Sephora, Pottery Barn, H&M, The Body Shop, Aritzia, Club Monaco, and Williams-Sonoma.

Bloor Street commands an average rent of $300 per square foot, making it the third most expensive retail space in North America. Bloor was named in 2008 the seventh most expensive shopping street in the world by Fortune Magazine, claiming tenants can make $1,500 to $4,500 per square foot in sales.

A more residential section by High Park

Koreatown on Bloor Street

Major intersections

• Parliament Street
• Sherbourne Street
• Church Street
• Yonge Street
• Bay Street
• Avenue Road/Queen's Park
• Spadina Avenue
• Bathurst Street
• Dufferin Street
• Lansdowne Avenue
• Dundas Street West
• Keele Street
• Runnymede Road
• Jane Street
• Islington Avenue
• Kipling Avenue/Dundas Street West
• The East Mall
• The West Mall
• Markland Drive

Major streets in Mississauga which intersect with Bloor (east to west):

• Dixie Road
• Cawthra Road
• Central Parkway
• Tomken Road

References

• Bloor Street
• Discover Toronto at ROMWalks
• Bloor-Yorkville BIA
• National Post
• Markland Wood