Neighbourhood
Located directly north of Mt. Pleasant cemetery, Davisville Village is an energetic and densely populated neighbourhood offering a mix of residential and commercial. It is centrally located along Yonge St. and Mount Pleasant with all the amenities nearby including quality public schools, shopping, restaurants, services, parks and subway access. The area is a mixture of families, singles, professionals and business owners.
Davisville is bounded by Eglinton Ave to the North, Merton to the South and Bayview to the East, Yonge St to the West.
History
Davisville Village is named after John Davis, who immigrated to Canada from Staffordshire, England in 1840. John Davis served as Davisville’s first postmaster and helped found the Davisville Public School. He also operated the Davis Pottery, which became the Village’s largest employer.
The southern part of Davisville was subdivided in the 1860’s on land owned mostly by the Davis family. The north part of the Village belonged to the Church. This latter tract of land, known as the Davisville Glebe, remained undeveloped until 1911 when it was sold to the Dovercourt Land and Building Company, the same company that oversaw the development of the Lawrence Park neighbourhood.
Real Estate
Davisville Village is known for a mix of residential detached and semi-detached homes built mostly in the solid brick construction style of the 1920’s and 1930’s. A second wave of mixed residential and commercial/office construction since the 1970’s has introduced a wide array of upscale condominium complexes, high-rise apartment buildings, office buildings. Due to the wide selection of housing types in the area, real estate covers quite a wide range of pricing. Davisville Village is consistently publicized as the last remaining pocket of affordable housing along the Yonge Street strip and is often featured as the ‘where to buy’ location. Davisville’s dense and varied demographic makes it a relatively safe and sustainable real estate investment.
Living in Davisville Village
Davisville Village is a popular neighbourhood with a mixture of the uptown and midtown vibe of the city. Populated with singles, professionals, families, and business owners, it is never a dull place. Cheers and laughter can be heard from the tennis courts and baseball diamond at Sharon, Lois and Bram Park (at the corner of Davisville Avenue and Mount Pleasant Road) by day, while the robust offering of independent restaurants and pubs offer up a bit of nightlife.
The main shopping district runs along Mount Pleasant Road, offering cafes, services, and several home decor and antique shops. At the northwest end of Davisville Village, the Yonge Eglinton Centre is a newly revamped retail and entertainment space for the North Toronto community. The Hodgson public rink offers pleasure skating in the winter months, while June Rolands park serves up farm fresh produce at the summer farmer’s market.
Neighbourhood institutions include; two historic independent movie theatres, The Mount Pleasant Theatre and The Regent Theatre; children’s book store, Mabel’s Fables; popular consignment shops, Second Nature Boutique, and the original post-office-turned-Starbucks on the northeast corner of Yonge Street and Davisville Avenue, dating back to 1840.
Davisville Village Schools
Family-friendly Davisville offers an excellent selection of public school education, especially at the Junior/Elementary level.
- Davisville Junior Public School
Grades JK – 5 (English)
Grades SK – 6 (French) - Maurice Cody Junior Public School
Grades JK – 5 - Eglinton Junior Public School
Grades JK – 5 - Hodgson Senior Public School
Grades 6 – 8 - Northern Secondary School
Grades 9 – 12 - North Toronto Collegiate Institute
Grades 9 – 12 - Greenwood College School
Grades 7 – 12 (Private) - Sunnybrook School
Grades JK – 6 (Private)
Transportation
Regular TTC bus service along Mount Pleasant Boulevard, Yonge Street, Davisville Avenue, and Eglinton Avenue connect to Davisville and Eglinton subway stations. Only a 20 minute drive to major highways and expressways.
