Toronto Streets

Yonge Street

Yonge Street (pronounced Young) is the longest street in the world. It runs from Lake Ontario in Toronto all the way north a distance of 1178 miles (1,896 kilometres) to Rainey River on the U.S. border with Minnesota, near Manitoba.

Looking north from Adelaide Street. ca.1900

 

Looking north from Wellington Street in 1919.

Always a main street in Toronto it has long been a busy thoroughfare one that first used horse drawn streetcars and omnibuses to transport people; and later, electric streetcars and radial cars to reach outlying areas. Buses and highway coaches came along as well as private automobiles and taxis. Eventually, a subway was built under and beside it.

---

A busy Yonge Street looking north at Queen is deceptive since beneath this normal scene work goes on for
Canada's first subway. Among the many businesses here on the east side of Yonge Street are:
Bank of Montreal, Diana Sweets, Lowe's Theatre, Heintzman Piano and Adams Furniture. December 3, 1949

Much less traffic far north on Yonge Street in this scene at the city limits looking south just south of Yonge Boulevard well beyond where the subway would first end. Train has just left the Glen Echo loop terminal at the north end of the Yonge car line, where until a year ago (October 10, 1948) North Yonge Railways radial cars operated to Richmond Hill. Note the single track. Streetcar in the distance is just turning onto Glen Echo Road. Traffic includes a horse drawn bread wagon with the horse eating from its feed bag! Double parked panel delivery truck. December 2, 1949

---

Lots of cement! And, lots of Sidewalk Superintendents too! This work was done long after the subway opened in March.
The Commercial Travellers Building at 51 Yonge at Wellington Street was railway connected. October 13, 1954

---