Cliffcrest is a family oriented community that looks and feels more like cottage country than a big city neighbourhood. The lushness and natural beauty of this area emanates from the spectacular Scarborough Bluffs, whose towering sandy cliffs peer out over the Lake Ontario shoreline.

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.

Cliffcrest's bungalows, storey-and-a-half houses, semi-detached homes and detached, two-storey houses were built in the late 1940's and the 1950's. There are also a number of newer, custom built houses found throughout this neighbourhood.

The residential pocket south of Kingston Road is filled with cosy frame cottages that provide the ambience of a cottage community. Some of these houses offer beautiful views of Lake Ontario.

Bluffers Park, located along the Lake Ontario shoreline, features a large, sandy beach and many fine picnic areas. This lakeside park also features a marina, yacht clubs, and a popular waterfront restaurant. Bluffers Park can be accessed by car off Brimley Road South.

Tots Park, located at the south end of this neighbourhood features a children's playground and a baseball diamond. Halbert Park, in the north end of Cliffcrest has a wading pool and an outdoor pool. The R.H. King Academy has an indoor pool that is open to the public at designated times for recreational and instructional swims.


The Toronto neighbourhood text profiles, sketches and maps displayed on this web site were originally published in "Your Guide to Toronto Neighbourhoods", are © Maple Tree Publishing Inc. and have been reproduced by Toronto Real Estate Board under license.