Living in Humberlea
Humberlea is a quiet, family oriented community. Weston Road runs through the centre of this neighbourhood which is sheltered by the Humber River Valley to the west, Highway 401 to the south and the Canadian Pacific railway and industry to the east. Humberlea’s original population was of British background. These residents have been joined in recent years by a large Italian community that now calls this neighbourhood home.
History of Humberlea
From the 1800’s until the mid 1900’s Humberlea was a thriving farming community. The north half of this neighbourhood above Wallasey Avenue and Flindon Road was owned by the Griffith brothers, who operated farms on both sides of Weston Road. In the 1940’s, the Griffith farms were sold to the federal government for the development of the Humberlea War Veterans subdivision. World War II Veterans were given a quarter acre property on which they erected simple frame dwellings. These properties have since been subdivided however many of the original houses still remain.
The streets around the present day Acacia Park are part of a small residential enclave built up in the early 1900’s. This community was formerly known as Albion Park and is now considered part of the Humberlea neighbourhood. At the south end of Humberlea was the Caulfield dairy farm. The cattle grazed on fields west of Weston Road while the Caulfield barn stood on the east side of Weston Road. This farm operated up until the 1950’s when it was sold to developers. The subdivision of the old Caulfield farm led to the completion of the present day neighbourhood.
Homes in Humberlea
Humberlea’s oldest houses are situated around Acacia Park. These cottage style houses were built in the early 1900’s. Humberlea has a large number of war veterans houses from the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. These simple frame houses are situated on very large lots. However the growing trend has been to replace these small houses with large, custom built homes. There are also a fair number of brick ranch-style bungalows to be found in this neighbourhood. These houses are situated on generous size lots with private drives.
Lifestyle in Humberlea
Humberlea residents do most of their shopping on Weston Road, just south of Highway 401. The Crossroads Centre is a regional shopping centre that contains one of Toronto’s largest selections of big box national chain stores. Included in this mix are a home improvement store, furniture, appliance and computer stores, and fashion stores.
Recreation in Humberlea
Strathburn Park, located in the centre of this neighbourhood, is a large open greenspace with tennis courts, a basketball court, a baseball diamond and a children’s playground. Acacia Park is situated on flat table land just above the Humber escarpment. This quaint neighbourhood park has a small baseball diamond and a children’s playground. The Humber Valley Golf Course at the western edge of this neighbourhood is a par 70 course known for its challenging links and valleyland holes.
Transportation in Humberlea
Bus service on Weston Road connects passengers to the Weston Go Train station as well as providing links to the Royal York and the Keele stations on the Bloor-Danforth subway line. The Sheppard and Wilson Avenue buses connect passengers to their respective stations on the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line. Weston Road is the main arterial roadway serving the Humberlea neighbourhood. This city street will take motorists as far south as St. Clair Avenue. For commuters, Highways 400 and 401 are located just a few minutes from this neighbourhood.