koreatown, toronto

Toronto, Ontario, Canada's Korean Business Area, known more generally as Koreatown (or Korea Town), is centred along Bloor Street between Christie and Bathurst Streets. Also known as "Little Korea", Koreatown came into prominence during the summer of 2002 as the Korean team surprised everyone by playing into the semi-final round in the 2002 World Cup tournament. Traffic came to a halt on Bloor Street West as exuberant crowds celebrated the accomplishments of their favourite team. The adoption of a more liberal immigration policy by the Canadian government in 1967 led to an influx of Korean immigrants, many of whom settled in the Toronto area. Indeed, Toronto has the largest single concentration of Koreans in Canada, with over 15,000 living in the Greater Toronto Area, according to the 1996 Census. Many of them settled in the Bloor and Bathurst area, and before long, a small Korean business neighbourhood emerged along Bloor Street, centred around the intersection of Bloor and Manning Avenue. Restaurants, bakeries, gift shops, grocery stores, and travel agencies began to open up, most of which catered to the Korean-Canadian community.

Koreatown, Toronto

See also