Neighbourhood Profiles

Davisville Village

This centrally located neighbourhood has always been popular with singles, young couples and families. The Davisville neighbourhood is known for its excellent recreational facilities, outstanding shopping districts, and active nightlife, which includes bars, restaurants and movie theatres.

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 south 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.

Ed Note. The former Davisville Post Office was run by John Davis’ grandson Jack. This two-storey building is still standing on the north-east corner of Yonge Street and Davisville Avenue.

**The Toronto neighbourhood text profiles, sketches and maps displayed on this web site were originally published in “Your Guide to Toronto Neighbourhoods”, are © Maple Tree Publishing Inc. and have been reproduced by Toronto Real Estate Board under license.