North York Centre

Photograph of Downtown North York taken in September 2005 from the west side of Yonge Street, facing north, outside the Toronto Centre for the Arts.North York Centre is the name of the district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, surrounding the Toronto Transit Commission subway station of the same name.

The subway station is the second last stop on the TTC's Yonge subway line, just before Finch Station. Although the subway to Finch had been opened in 1974, North York Centre station opened in 1987 to serve the growing downtown core of the former City of North York. North York was merged with five other municipalities and a regional government to form the new "City of Toronto" in 1998.

The Yonge corridor between Finch and Sheppard Avenues grew extensively after the opening of the subway station. To relieve pressure on downtown Toronto, the Official Plan for Metropolitan Toronto encouraged densification at North York Centre (and other suburban centres) permitting high rise condominium towers and office buildings.

North York Centre at night. Satellite viewThe North York Centre subway station is accessed through the basement levels of the two shopping malls at the intersection of Yonge Street and Empress Avenue; Empress Walk and North York Centre.

The North York Civic Centre (formerly North York City Hall) contains City of Toronto offices, and faces onto Mel Lastman Square on the west side of Yonge Street.

The station serves EarlHaigSecondary School (two blocks east), the adjacent North York Central Library, as well as the Empress Walk shopping centre with a movie theatre (above) and a stage theatre (the Toronto Centre for the Arts, three blocks south).

A 2001 Census showed that the average household income is approximately $78 000, with a disposable income of $48 000. It is projected that by the year 2011, the average household income will reach $97 000, with a disposable income of $62 000.