Scarborough

Scarborough, Ont, urban community. Scarborough is located on Lake ONTARIO and makes up the eastern part of the city of TORONTO. In 1793, Elizabeth SIMCOE, wife of Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe, named Scarborough after the town of the same name in England. The area attracted its first agricultural settlers soon after. Scottish settlers, David and Mary Thomson, were the first to arrive in about 1799, settling along HIGHLAND CREEK. The area remained primarily a farming community until well into the 20th century.

The Guild Inn, Scarborough,Ont. From You Tube.

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In 1900 only 3711 people lived in Scarborough Township. After the Second World War, Scarborough began to grow rapidly as did all municipalities adjoining Toronto. In 1953 Metro Toronto was created to deal more effectively with the problems of physical infrastructure that this expansion caused. Incorporated as a city in 1983, Scarborough lost this status in 1998 when it was absorbed into Toronto.

Significant features of Scarborough include the scenic Rouge River and the spectacular geology of the SCARBOROUGH BLUFFS, which rise 100 metres above Lake Ontario and stretch 15 kilometres along the lakeshore. Scarborough is also home to the Toronto Zoo. Taber Hill Ossuaries, an Iroquoian burial site, was discovered in 1956 during excavations for a housing subdivision. The SCARBOROUGH MUSEUM, sitting on land once owned by the Thomson family, interprets Scarborough's rural and immigrant experiences.

Scarborough has had a campus of the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO since 1964. Ontario's first COMMUNITY COLLEGE (Centennial College) opened its doors here in 1966.

Author DEBORAH WELCH and MICHAEL PAYNE

Links to Other Sites
Toronto in Time
Peer into Toronto's past through a fascinating collection of "then and now" photographs and stories featured in the "Toronto in Time" app (available on iOS and Android devices). From The Canadian Encyclopedia and the Historica-Dominion Institute.

Toronto
The official website for the City of Toronto, Ontario.

Rouge River Watershed
Explore the many natural and man-made attractions of the Rouge River Watershed region.

The Guild
A brief history of The Guild and Guildwood Park, located in the Scarborough region of Toronto. A City of Toronto website.

Scarborough Historical Society
Click on the links at the top of the page for stories and photos of important people and places in the history of Scarborough. From the website for the Scarborough Historical Society.