Living in Clairlea
Clairlea is a quiet, middle-income neighbourhood that features well treed streets and affordable homes. There is plenty of shopping on Warden, Victoria Park and Eglinton Avenues. This is an ideal neighbourhood for commuters as it is well served by public transit and is also within close proximity to the Don Valley Parkway. Clairlea’s major landmark is Warden Woods, a deep ravine valley that spans the south-east perimeter of this neighbourhood. The Warden Woods Ravine parkland has a paved trail which offers Clairlea residents a bit of nature close to home.
History of Clairlea
Clairlea was formerly part of a pioneer crossroads village known as Moffat’s Corners. Moffat’s Corners is best remembered for the Strangford Post Office which opened in 1863. This post office was situated at the present day intersection of St. Clair and Victoria Park Avenues. The Strangford name given to the post office was probably taken from a small town in Northern Ireland, as most of this area’s first settlers were of Irish descent. When the Strangford Post Office closed in 1873, Moffat’s Corners became part of the greater Scarborough Junction community. In the early 1900’s, the children in this area attended the Scarborough Junction school which was located at Kennedy and Danforth Roads. The present day neighbourhood began to take shape in the 1950’s when furrowed farm fields were replaced by rows of houses. This neighbourhood takes its name from the Clairlea Public School which opened in 1951.
Homes in Clairlea
Clairlea’s original housing stock dates from the 1940’s and 50’s. The style of houses found here includes small bungalows, modest storey-and-a-half houses, and two-storey, detached houses. The streets north of St. Clair have a curvilinear street pattern and the houses are fairly uniform in style. The residential pocket south of St. Clair features a steep hill topography and smaller, older houses. The new Warden Woods Ravine subdivision situated south off St. Clair Avenue, offers a collection of new townhouses, semi-detached and detached, family-style houses.
Lifestyle in Clairlea
The Warden Power Centre located at the north-east corner of St.Clair and Warden Avenues is a modern day shopping centre that contains “Big Box” retail chain stores including Winners, Future Shop, and Hy & Zels. Victoria Park contains a limited amount of shops, and a good variety of restaurants including Chinese, Mediterranean, Caribbean and East and West Indian foods.
Recreation in Clairlea
Warden Woods Park is a heavily wooded ravine valley containing a paved trail frequented by nature enthusiasts, joggers and cyclists. Access points to this park are located off St. Clair and Pharmacy Avenues. To the south of Warden Woods Park is Byng Park and the West Scarborough N.C.C., which features a bocce club and horseshoe pits. The Detonia Park Golf Course, located on the east side of Victoria Park Avenue, just north of Danforth Avenue, is a challenging scenic course that is ideal for beginners and advanced players looking to practice their short game. The Warden Woods Power Centre situated off Warden Avenue, has a Cineplex movie theatre with eight screens that feature all the latest movie releases. The new Warden Hilltop Community Centre is the first public building in Toronto to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certified featuring a geothermal heating and cooling system, green roof and solar power. The centre includes a double gym, weight room, teaching kitchen and preschool area.
Transportation in Clairlea
Bus routes along Warden, Pharmacy, Victoria Park and St. Clair Avenues connect passengers to stations on the Bloor-Danforth subway line. Motorists are just a few minutes from the Don Valley Parkway on-ramp, situated off Eglinton Avenue, west of Victoria Park.