North York is the north-central district of the City of Toronto. It was created as a township from the northern part of York Township in 1922, became a borough on January 1, 1967, and a city on February 14, 1979. It ceased to exist as a separate municipality in the amalgamation of January 1, 1998. It is therefore part of Toronto, not a different city, a point set out in the article on where Toronto is.
North York at a glance
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| Before 1922 | Northern part of York Township, York County |
| June 13, 1922 | Township incorporated (City of Toronto exhibit); the Archives gives July 18, 1922 as the date it was created |
| January 1, 1967 | Renamed a borough, with Jim Service as first mayor |
| February 14, 1979 | Incorporated as a city |
| January 1, 1998 | Becomes part of the amalgamated City of Toronto |
Why a separate township was created
The area was part of York Township, formed in 1849 under the Baldwin Act, according to the City exhibit. It was bounded by Lake Ontario, the Humber River, Steeles Avenue, and Victoria Park Avenue. In the early 20th century about 6,000 people lived on farms north of the city. Rural residents paid nearly 23 percent of the township’s taxes but had no representation on council. A committee was formed in 1921 to separate the rural and urban parts of York Township, and the Township of North York was incorporated in 1922. The Canadian Encyclopedia adds that its population was still under 6,000 at that point. The City of Toronto exhibit gives June 13, 1922; the City Archives lists July 18, 1922. The sources do not explain the difference.
The exhibit says a five-man council made up entirely of farmers was elected on August 12, 1922, with R. F. Hicks as the first reeve. It met first at the Brown School and then at the Golden Lion Hotel. On September 15, 1922, an office opened in a store at Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue. The first municipal office, designed by Murray Brown, opened on December 19, 1923, and served until 1956. Brown also designed the township seal with a beaver, a wheat sheaf, and scales, and the motto “Progress with Economy.”
Villages along Yonge Street
The Toronto and York Radial Railway served north Yonge Street and the villages along it until 1921, when it was absorbed by the Toronto Transportation Commission, according to the exhibit. Its photographs show places such as Newtonbrook and Downsview. The history of the road itself is told in the article on Yonge Street. Early services were built from scratch: a Board of Health, police and fire departments, and a pumping station and filtration plant on the east branch of the Don River. The North York Hydro Commission was set up on December 7, 1923. Earl Haig High School, the first secondary school, was built in 1929.
Depression, war, and postwar growth
The Depression hit hard. At its height 30 to 40 percent of residents were unemployed. The township defaulted on its bonds in October 1933, and the province placed it under supervision in February 1935. Supervision lasted until 1941.
After the war, growth was fast. The City exhibit gives population counts of 20,382 in 1940 and 62,646 in 1950. A planning board was formed on September 25, 1946, the first Official Plan appeared in 1948, and in June 1952 council passed a zoning bylaw, which the exhibit links to the township’s emphasis on protecting Wilket Creek and the Don and Humber river valley lands. Highway 401 was completed from Weston Road to Bayview Avenue in stages between 1952 and 1956. Companies built low suburban campuses, among them IBM Canada, whose first building opened in 1951 at 844 Don Mills Road. For the creeks and ravines themselves, see the article on Toronto’s lost rivers and ravines.
Borough, city, and a new downtown
The second municipal building, at 5000 Yonge Street, opened its first section on March 10, 1956. On January 1, 1967, when Metro’s 13 municipalities became six, the township became a borough. A 50th anniversary insignia with 14 golden spheres was introduced on June 13, 1972. Mel Lastman was elected mayor on December 4, 1972, and held the office until 1997.
North York became a city on February 14, 1979, and adopted the motto “The City with Heart.” The exhibit shows a welcome sign from this period listing a population of 563,000. The North York Civic Centre stood on the west side of Yonge Street at Park Home Avenue, and North York Centre subway station opened in 1987. The subway had reached the district earlier: the Yonge line was extended from Eglinton to York Mills in March 1973, Sheppard and Finch stations opened in March 1974, the Spadina line opened to Wilson in January 1978, and the Sheppard line was completed in 2002. For the system as a whole, see the article on the history of Toronto transit.
Amalgamation and what remains
On January 1, 1998, the City of North York ceased to exist. The exhibit says Mel Lastman, who had been mayor of North York since December 4, 1972, became the first mayor of the amalgamated Toronto, serving from 1998 to 2003. The district’s old municipal records are held by the City of Toronto Archives; the “Images of North York” photograph series is described on its page about resources on former municipalities. The City’s centenary exhibit, Progress, Economy and Heart, covers industry, shopping, and higher education in more detail.
Frequently asked questions
Is North York a city?
Not now. It was a city from February 14, 1979, to the end of 1997. Since the amalgamation it has been a district of the City of Toronto.
Is North York in Toronto?
Yes. North York is one of the six former municipalities merged into the City of Toronto on January 1, 1998. Searches that compare North York and Toronto usually mean old downtown Toronto.
Is North York the same as York?
No. North York separated from York Township in 1922. The former City of York, which includes Weston, was a different municipality; its story is in the article on York.
What was the motto of North York?
The township seal designed in 1923 carries the motto “Progress with Economy.” The city adopted “The City with Heart” as its motto on becoming a city on February 14, 1979.
Sources
- City of Toronto, online exhibit Progress, Economy & Heart: From Farmland to Township
- City of Toronto, online exhibit Progress, Economy & Heart: North York Grows Up
- City of Toronto, online exhibit Progress, Economy & Heart: Getting Around in North York
- City of Toronto, online exhibit Progress, Economy & Heart: Industrial Development in North York
- City of Toronto, online exhibit Progress, Economy & Heart: Mel Lastman
- City of Toronto Archives, Resources on former municipalities (North York milestones; Series 249, Images of North York)
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, North York
Related reading
- How Toronto’s neighbourhoods and districts developed
- Yonge Street, the spine of North York
- East York, the smaller neighbour
- Etobicoke across the Humber
- How the subway reached the suburbs
Last verified: October 2026
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). North York: History of the Former Municipality. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/north-york-history
MLA: “North York: History of the Former Municipality.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/north-york-history. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “North York: History of the Former Municipality.” Last modified October 23, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/north-york-history.
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