Roncesvalles, Toronto

Roncesvalles Roncesvalles Village
Neighbourhood
Roncesvalles Avenue, looking south from Marmaduke Street
Location within Toronto
Coordinates: 43°38′46″N 79°26′57″W / 43.646231°N 79.449048°W / 43.646231; -79.449048Coordinates: 43°38′46″N 79°26′57″W / 43.646231°N 79.449048°W / 43.646231; -79.449048
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
City	Toronto
Established	1890 Subdivided
Government
• City Councillor	Gord Perks
• Federal M.P.	Arif Virani
• Provincial M.P.P.	Cheri DiNovo
Population (2006)
• Total	15,996
	Source:Statistics Canada

Roncesvalles /ˈrɒnsəsveɪlz/ (or Roncesvalles Village) is a neighbourhood in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada centred on Roncesvalles Avenue, a north-south street leading from the intersection of King and Queen Streets to the south, north to Dundas Street West, a distance of roughly 1.5 kilometres. It is located east of High Park, north of Lake Ontario, in the Parkdale-High Park provincial and federal ridings and the municipal Ward 14. Its informal boundaries are High Park to the west, Bloor Street West to the north, Lake Ontario/Queen Street West to the south and Lansdowne Avenue/rail corridor to the east. Originally known as 'Howard Park', most of this area was formerly within the boundaries of Parkdale and Brockton villages and was annexed into Toronto in the 1880s.

Culturally, the area is known as the centre of the Polish community in Toronto with prominent Polish institutions, businesses and St Casimir's Catholic Church located on Roncesvalles Avenue. The businesses along Roncesvalles have formed the Roncesvalles Village Business Improvement Area and hold an annual Polish Festival.

The neighborhood is predominantly residential, with a commercial strip the full length of Roncesvalles, composed predominantly of small businesses, churches and institutions. To the west of Roncesvalles, the area is nearly completely residential except for St. Joseph's Health Centre and a Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) streetcar barn. East of Roncesvalles along the CN and CP rail lines is an older industrial area that is in transition. Several of the buildings along Sorauren Avenue have been converted into loft-style condominiums. At one time a large TTC bus garage was located along Sorauren Avenue; this property has been converted into Sorauren Park. Two other old industrial buildings along Wabash are owned by the City of Toronto, and are slated for a future community centre project. One of the buildings currently serves as a clubhouse for the Park.