midtown toronto

10 signs you grew up in Midtown Toronto

For those who grew up in Midtown Toronto, the intersection of Yonge and Eglinton was the heart of the city. Not only were both North Toronto and Northern Secondary high schools located a short walk away, your social world revolved in some way around this hub. You rarely went south of St. Clair and north of Lawrence. This was your bubble.

Here are 10 signs you grew up in Midtown Toronto.

1. You (mistakenly) thought that everything south of Yonge and St. Clair was "downtown."

2. You went to high school at North Toronto or Northern Secondary, but despite their close proximity, hardly knew anybody at the school you didn't attend.

3. You bought cigarettes underage at the aptly named Midtown Coffee Shop.

4. You remember waking up at 6 a.m. to play hockey at North Toronto Memorial Arena or Leaside Gardens.

5. Before Cinnabon opened, the most exciting thing at Eglinton Station was Treats Coffee Shop.

6. You marvelled at the miniature worlds in George's Trains on Mt. Pleasant, and dreamed of building a railway model as intricate as the one in Beetlejuice.

7. You spent hours hanging out at the Second Cup near Yonge and Roehampton underneath Vortex Records, but you rarely bought anything to eat or drink.

8. You actually watched movies at the Eglinton, the York, and the Capitol theatres.

9. You remember the PJs Pets in the Yonge-Eglinton Centre, a place you treated as a makeshift zoo, which likely traumatized the animals.

10. One of your first drinking experiences happened in Eglinton, Davisville or Oriole Park. This may or may not have involved the consumption of Labatt Maximum Ice.

What did I miss? Add your suggestions in the comments.

Photo via the Toronto Archives.


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Rates to use the 407 toll highway in Ontario are about to increase

5 places in Toronto that changed beyond recognition in 2024

Here's all the progress made on new Toronto transit lines this year

Huge number of Ontario residents ditched the province to move to Alberta in 2024

What's open and closed on Boxing Day 2024 in Toronto

New parks coming to Toronto in 2025

5 Ontario megaprojects scheduled for completion in 2025

How Ben Mulroney spends his perfect Sunday in Toronto