Chinatown

The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has at least six Chinatowns – three are located within the city’s boundaries, while the other three are located in adjacent suburbs. When all six Chinatowns are grouped as one it becomes the largest Chinatown in North America.

Toronto’s oldest (surviving) Chinatown is situated in downtown on Spadina and Dundas streets. Younger, higher-income immigrants from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have moved out, so those left in the district are typically from older generations who depend on downtown's dense concentration of services and accessibility to public transportation. Ethnic Chinese from Vietnam are now the faces of old Chinatown Toronto and turning some parts into “Little Saigon”. With the aging population shrinks however, so too do the revenues of businesses in the district.

As property values increased in downtown Chinatown, many Chinese Canadians migrated to Toronto’s east end in Riverdale. This somewhat smaller center is situated on Gerrard Street between Broadview Avenue and Carlaw Avenue. Another big Chinese center is in Agincourt, Scarborough. Since the development of Agincourt’s Dragon Centre Mall it has become a booming Chinatown. Yet another Chinese community is situated on Dundas Street in Mississauga. While the growth of that Chinatown is limited, the community remains active.

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