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HISTORY
The Cliffcrest neighbourhood was named in the 1960's by city planners who were
making obvious reference to the Scarborough Bluffs land formation that skirts
the southern boundary of this neighbourhood. The Scarborough Bluffs are a natural
wonder that was formed following the last ice age, some twelve thousand years
ago. Archaeological evidence gathered in this area during the early 1900's shows
that the First Nations people established settlements along the Scarborough Bluffs
dating back 10,000 years, making this one of the oldest inhabited sites in Toronto.
The Toronto and
York Radial Railway established the sixty acre Scarborough Heights Park on the
crest of the Bluffs in 1912. This park was created for business purposes by the
railway in order to attract more passengers to their line. Scarborough Heights
Park closed in 1929 and the streetcar line was discontinued in 1936. Following
the dismantling of the streetcar Kingston Road was widened to cater to the automobile
age which ultimately led to the residential development of Cliffcrest in the 1940's
and 50's.
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