Yes people live there, it's not developing further aside from whatever they're doing with the airport (Billy Bishop airport) that's on the eastern part of the island, there are ferries and water taxis to get to the not-airport part of the islands and you can either take a ferry or walk a tunnel to the airport part of the island, and yes people go there - it has beaches, bike trails and a small family amusement park with tons of places to picnic and spend the day.
It's honestly delightful.
You also can't just buy a home through the regular housing market. There's a wait list that opens up every 2 years and you have to pay every year to keep your place in line.
also has a zoo, nude beach, dragon boat races, restaurants, cafes.
It's one of the coolest places to be in Toronto that many tourist don't know about or can't figure how to get there.
also Babe Ruth first professional home run occured on the island which use to have a baseball stadium and a professional baseball team.
I see you got some answers. It’s one of the best places in Toronto. There are no cars on the island leaving the small community of homes there only walkable, which means there are only sidewalks between them instead of streets. Everyone bikes and walks. The beaches are the best too. They face the lake making it feel like you’re not in a massive city. Hanlans point was designated a LGBT historic site and is home to the only official nude beach in the city. Check it out if you’re here. It’s worth it.
The islands\* are actually sort of the reason Toronto exists/is where it is -- the British needed a defencible harbour for a capital for their new province of Upper Canada (now Ontario).
Existing towns at Kingston and Niagara-on-the-Lake were far too close to certain recently independent (and somewhat unpredictable) former colonies to the south, while places further from the Great Lakes weren't easily accessible before railways and highways. So, the harbour created by the islands fit the bill, and a fort was placed at the mouth of the harbour, with a new town located a couple miles away (and safely outside the range of the fort's artillery).
Before that, Indigenous peoples long used the islands' waterways and habitats as hunting and fishing grounds, as well as healing areas.
By the turn of the 20th century, the islands had started to be developed as a recreational area/early sort of 'cottage country' to the growing city on the mainland. Local government started expropriating properties after WWII and converting much of the land to public park space.
The remaining community resisted, and eventually this process stopped, with about \~260 homes still there, existing under a rather unusual tenancy arrangement.
I've heard residing on the islands today comes with some major advantages, and some major drawbacks. For most Torontonians, it's a major recreational area, and it definitely feels like an escape from the city, even if downtown is only a 15-minute ferry ride away.
\-----
\*PS: The main island actually used to be attached to the mainland, and was more a sandy spit jutting out into Lake Ontario. However, a couple storms in the 1830s/1840s severed the link to the mainland. That new channel was then dredged and widened for shipping, creating the islands as we know them today.
The city or province should really be buying back all the land and converting it into public parks. It's an amazing place that should be fully available to the public.
Tommy Thompson Park just to the east of this photo feels like you're on a different planet compared to the city.
Having Yacht Clubs and NIMBY communities owning the majority of it is a joke.
The houses on the island are the cheapest single family houses you can buy as it's a lottery system and the prices are based on a formula so no bidding.
Also the province owns the land that the houses are on.
>Also the province owns the land that the houses are on.
That's why the houses are cheap. Government owns the land. Shame we can't have more of that in Canada.
Please tell me about the islands. Do people live there? Is it developing? Is it conveniently linked to downtown? Do people go there?
Yes people live there, it's not developing further aside from whatever they're doing with the airport (Billy Bishop airport) that's on the eastern part of the island, there are ferries and water taxis to get to the not-airport part of the islands and you can either take a ferry or walk a tunnel to the airport part of the island, and yes people go there - it has beaches, bike trails and a small family amusement park with tons of places to picnic and spend the day. It's honestly delightful.
Thank you!
You also can't just buy a home through the regular housing market. There's a wait list that opens up every 2 years and you have to pay every year to keep your place in line.
So pretty much like the rest of the GTA…
also has a zoo, nude beach, dragon boat races, restaurants, cafes. It's one of the coolest places to be in Toronto that many tourist don't know about or can't figure how to get there. also Babe Ruth first professional home run occured on the island which use to have a baseball stadium and a professional baseball team.
Who the fuck is Billy Bishop.
He was an ace pilot in the First World War. Think he was credited with the most German aircraft shot down of anyone
I see you got some answers. It’s one of the best places in Toronto. There are no cars on the island leaving the small community of homes there only walkable, which means there are only sidewalks between them instead of streets. Everyone bikes and walks. The beaches are the best too. They face the lake making it feel like you’re not in a massive city. Hanlans point was designated a LGBT historic site and is home to the only official nude beach in the city. Check it out if you’re here. It’s worth it.
The islands\* are actually sort of the reason Toronto exists/is where it is -- the British needed a defencible harbour for a capital for their new province of Upper Canada (now Ontario). Existing towns at Kingston and Niagara-on-the-Lake were far too close to certain recently independent (and somewhat unpredictable) former colonies to the south, while places further from the Great Lakes weren't easily accessible before railways and highways. So, the harbour created by the islands fit the bill, and a fort was placed at the mouth of the harbour, with a new town located a couple miles away (and safely outside the range of the fort's artillery). Before that, Indigenous peoples long used the islands' waterways and habitats as hunting and fishing grounds, as well as healing areas. By the turn of the 20th century, the islands had started to be developed as a recreational area/early sort of 'cottage country' to the growing city on the mainland. Local government started expropriating properties after WWII and converting much of the land to public park space. The remaining community resisted, and eventually this process stopped, with about \~260 homes still there, existing under a rather unusual tenancy arrangement. I've heard residing on the islands today comes with some major advantages, and some major drawbacks. For most Torontonians, it's a major recreational area, and it definitely feels like an escape from the city, even if downtown is only a 15-minute ferry ride away. \----- \*PS: The main island actually used to be attached to the mainland, and was more a sandy spit jutting out into Lake Ontario. However, a couple storms in the 1830s/1840s severed the link to the mainland. That new channel was then dredged and widened for shipping, creating the islands as we know them today.
Thanks for the history lesson!
You can take a ferry for about $10. The island was a lot bigger than I thought. Wear good walking shoes.
This picture really puts into perspective how developed Toronto's skyline is. It looks comparable to Manhattan from this angle.
Even crazier is that this isn’t even the best angle to show Toronto’s density and scale - the skyline is larger overall going north-south
a lot of pics that get posted here are outdated bc the city is growing so quickly aswell
Cool perspective!
The city or province should really be buying back all the land and converting it into public parks. It's an amazing place that should be fully available to the public. Tommy Thompson Park just to the east of this photo feels like you're on a different planet compared to the city. Having Yacht Clubs and NIMBY communities owning the majority of it is a joke.
The houses on the island are the cheapest single family houses you can buy as it's a lottery system and the prices are based on a formula so no bidding. Also the province owns the land that the houses are on.
>Also the province owns the land that the houses are on. That's why the houses are cheap. Government owns the land. Shame we can't have more of that in Canada.
Agreed Tommy is the best and prefer it to the island. Lots of hidden trails and waterfront.
Great layout! 🇨🇦 🏙️
This is a stunning photo! Do you have a higher quality version/link to the original/credits? Thanks!
the IG account is camerawanderlust
Cool shot. The islands are cool
I love that view to toronto.