H I S T O R Y
Parkview Hills was once part of the vast Taylor family estate. The Taylors moved to the Don Valley in the 1820's and built up a business empire that included a complex of mills and the Don Valley Brick Works. 
The Taylors never settled on this part of their estate however they were involved in the subdivision of land in Parkview Hills. The Taylor family are said to have named Hackberry, White Pine, Alder and Aspen streets after trees that once grew in this area. Presteign Avenue, Presteign United Church, and Presteign School are all named after the Welsh hometown of William Pugh who, along with the Taylor family, subdivided the present day neighbourhood.
When Parkview Hills first opened in 1947, three bedroom bungalows were sold for around $9,950. The foundations of these houses were dug using teams of horses and there were no paved roads until 1950. Local residents recall swimming and fishing in nearby Taylor Creek up until 1955 when it was deemed to be to polluted for recreational use.
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O V E R V I E W
Parkview Hills is a quiet, secluded neighbourhood consisting of a few hundred homes surrounded by lush ravine and park land. The entrance to this neighbourhood would be easy to miss if not for the Parkview Hills stone gates, set-in from St. Clair Avenue. The gold letter inscription on these gates reads 'Parkview Gardens', which is the name of the pretty little park at this entranceway.
Parkview Hills has an excellent mix of professionals, young families, and retired couples. In particular, there is a large Greek community in this neighbourhood.
H O M E S
Parkview Hills houses range in style from bungalows, to modest two-storey homes, English cottage style houses, and newer custom designed houses.
The original Parkview Hills housing stock was built in the late 1940's and early 1950's. All the houses in Parkview Hills are detached with private drives. The lot sizes on average are among the most generous in the city and there are many spectacular ravine properties in this neighbourhood.
S H O P P I N G
The O'Connor and St. Clair Avenue retail district is home to a variety of businesses including restaurants, banks, beauty salons, hardware stores, a pharmacy, a travel agency, variety stores and professional and medical offices.
R E C R E A T I O N
The Presteign Heights school located in the centre of this neighbourhood off Parkview Hills Crescent features a sports field, a baseball diamond and a children's playground. There is also an outdoor natural ice rink on the school grounds that is maintained by community volunteers from late December until the end of February. The Presteign Heights school gymnasium is the venue for a myriad of programs offered by the Toronto parks and recreation department.
Taylor Creek Park, accessed of Alder Road is part of a nine kilometre paved trail that winds its way through the scenic wilderness of the Don River Valley. This nature trail is ideal for walking, jogging and cycling and includes many nice picnic spots.
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S C H O O L S
(P) Presteign Heights, 2570 St. Clair Ave. E., (416) 396-2430
(P) Gordon A. Brown Middle School, 2800 St. Clair Ave. E., (416) 396-2440
(PH) East York Collegiate, 650 Cosburn Ave., (416) 396-2355
(PH) Leaside High School, 200 Hanna Rd., (416) 396-2380
Legend:
(P) Public School
(PH) Public High School
(CA) Catholic School
(PR) Private School
(PC) Private Catholic School
(PJ) Private Jewish School
(C) College
(U) University
T R A N S P O R T A T I O N
Parkview Hills residents enjoy exclusive bus service along Parkview Hills Crescent that connects passengers to the Woodbine station on the Bloor-Danforth subway line.
Motorists can access the Don Valley Parkway in five to ten minutes. The Don Valley Parkway provides quick and easy access to the downtown core and the commuter highways north of the city.
The Toronto neighbourhood text profiles, sketches and maps displayed on this
website were published in "Your Guide to Toronto Neighbourhoods", are
copyright Maple Tree Publishing and have been reproduced by the Toronto Real
Estate Board under license.
