South Core, Toronto

South Core Soco
Neighbourhood
Maple Leaf Square is a building in the South Core
South Core Location in Toronto
Coordinates: 43°38′38″N 79°22′46″W / 43.64389°N 79.37944°W / 43.64389; -79.37944Coordinates: 43°38′38″N 79°22′46″W / 43.64389°N 79.37944°W / 43.64389; -79.37944
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
City	Toronto

South Core is a neighbourhood located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The remodeling and restoration of Union Station and the construction of a new wave of business and condominium towers is central to this area's forecast growth.

"Forecasters expect the downtown population to grow 80 per cent to 130,000 by 2031. With the financial district just to the north and the new high-rise South Core on the other side, Union is right at the centre."

The area has grown rapidly in the last several years. Toronto's Gardiner Expressway is currently being rebuilt to provide a new one-acre park in the area. Two ramps to the expressway at York and Bay streets are being removed to make room for the park.

The South Core was once part Toronto Harbour and now lies on land fill done from the 1850s to 1920s to accommodate railway lines. In the 1950s, the Gardiner Expressway emerged to cut off much of the city from the lakefront as rings of highways were built around many North American cities as was the trend at the time.

In previous decades, much of the land was unusable due to its designation as rail lands. Today, that stigma is gone as multiple business and condominium towers have risen and more continue to be built. The name South Core derives from south of the downtown (or financial) core of the city. The name of the area mimics the district names Soho in New York City and Soho in West End of London.

The district is bounded on its western side by Lower Simcoe Street, its eastern side by Lower Jarvis Street, its northern side by the railway tracks and southern side by Lake Ontario. Union Station lies within the district as well.

The area is a re-imagining of portions of the Railway Lands and is connected to the city through the extensive PATH network of underground walkways connecting Union Station, Air Canada Centre and other notable landmarks.