Worst Neighborhoods in Toronto

Toronto is, with no doubt, one of the most developed cities in Canada. This is the largest and the capital of the province of Ontario. Considering it’s a metropolitan city, there are possibilities that some of the areas in Toronto or the neighborhoods experience some sort of crime and violence making them the worst neighborhoods.

This article is a comprehensive list of the worst neighborhoods in Toronto.

It’s important to mention, overall, Toronto is a very safe city.

The list of the Neighborhoods described below is just an example of neighborhoods that has a high number of incidents based on Toronto standards.

If you compare the numbers with other cities like New York, you will notice that all these neighbors are safe.

If you live in any of these Neighborhoods, you probably won’t have any problems, but it’s important to be aware of the numbers and “bad” areas.

Talking of the worst, most of the discussion will dwell on the rate of crime and violence as the definitions of these worst neighborhoods. Let’s get into it.

Regent Park

Regent Park is Toronto’s neighborhood located in downtown of the city. Among all Toronto’s projects, Regent Park is one of the most notorious.

During its development, Regent Park was being set up to cover citizens who were poor and not for permanence.

In the long run, everything changed, Regent Park no longer acted as a transitional’ area but it became one of the permanent and poor areas – it’s still the case up-to-date.

Regent Park is faced with a sea of challenges ranging from improper housing to poor education. However, there are currently plans to make it a better place.

Due to the state of the impoverishment of the Regent Park, high crime rates have been reported making it a very worst neighborhood.

The crimes experienced in Regent Park include crimes against people and against the property.

From a factual point of view, you can easily tell that the crime against property is triggered by the meagerness of properties required by people to survive.

It turns out that poverty and scantiness are very dangerous and they are the main causes of violence in Regent Park.

Statistics speak for themselves, right? Here are the crime statistics in Regent Park; In the area around Gerrard Street to Dundas Street, there is an average crime rate of 11.97 per 1000 people.

The crime against property stands at 18.53. On the South of Dundas Street to Queen Street, the area around the parliament, the average crime rate stands at 12.99 against people and the crime against property stands at 22.39.

If at all you want to remain safe in this area then, you need to carefully study the surrounding since most of the streets in these areas have a high rate of crime. This is most important when you are new in Regent Park.

St. James Town

This is one of the densely populated areas in Canada. It is also the largest high-rise community in the entire country. Its location is between Parliament Street and Sherbourne Street.

The crime rate in this area is also high but not like Regent Park. Once, St. James Town was one of the voguish cities in Toronto but things changed making it one of the poorest Towns in Toronto.

The dense population in this community might have been one of the causative agents leading to exiguity. Currently, it is the most densely populated community in Canada and perhaps fits in the record in the whole of North America.

The average crime rate is 10.44 per 1000 people and 24.97 per 1000 properties. The crime-related activities in St. James Town are theft, robbery, and sometimes murder not to mention assault.

Flemingdon Park

This is another Toronto neighborhood situated in the former city of North York. To the north, it is bordered by Eglinton Avenue and to the East, West, and South, it is bordered by the Don River. The area has a good number of commercial offices, apartments, and single-family homes.

So, are there any crime rates in Flemingdon Park? Flemingdon Park has made it to the list of the worst neighborhoods in Canada and that translates to a bad picture.

Regardless of the good stuff and amenities in this area, crime and violence aren’t an exception.

It is possibly one of the notorious Toronto neighborhoods and some of the high schools in Flemingdon have a high rate of crime and violence.

It has been aforementioned that there are apartments in this area.

This is one of the biggest causes leading to the crime rate since the apartments leave a little space for houses that people would live in. besides, there are no businesses nearby for people to engage in which has seen it achieve a good number of crimes rates.

The average rate of crime is 4.19 per 1000 people and 6 crimes against 1000 properties.

The crime rates are also a result of poor security. To be safe, you have to ensure that you focus on security services whether at home, on the street, or at school.

Moss Park

It is located in the South of Dundas Street, and in the area around Parliament Street and Jarvis Street. Talking of property crime, this area holds some high records. Moss Park is ranked first in terms of violent crime.

According to the records, there is an average crime rate of 20.81 per 1000 people and 45.94 per 1000 properties.

Weston

Weston is also located in the former city of North York. Recently, Weston was an independent town named Town of Weston.

Weston is one of the towns with many streets such as King Street, John Street, and Church Street.

Weston also has apartments and towers and a few single-family homes.

Just like other neighborhoods, there are crime rates in Weston. Due to the big number of streets, the crime rates are categorized according to the street or region, this will also make you understand better. Check out below.

  • The region around Lawrence Avenue has an average crime rate of 7.49 against 1000 people. The average crime rate for properties stands at 33.72 per 1000.
  •  The area around Humber River has an average crime rate of 9.35 per 1000 people and an average crime rate of 11.19 per 1000 properties.
  •  The region around Roman Way Crescent has an average crime rate of 10.45 per 1000 people and 14.92 per 1000 properties.
  • The region around Clouston Avenue has an average crime rate of 16.08 per 1000 people and 29.14 per 1000 properties.

Bay Street Corridor

Bay Street Corridor is also called Bay Cloverhill. It is one of the downtown Toronto neighborhoods situated along Bay Street.

Bay Street has a good number of high-rise condominiums, office towers, and apartments. Bay Street is also located in the center of downtown making it rich in restaurants, stores, and bars.

However, Bay Street Corridor has a pronounced crime rate making it a worse Toronto neighborhood. The different places in Bay Street Corridor make it have different rates of crime.

The information below summarizes the main areas where crime is dominant.

  •  The region bordered by Bloor Street, Queen’s Park Avenue, College Street, and Yonge Street has an average crime rate of 4 per 1000 people and an average crime rate of 12.51 against 1000 properties.
  • The region bordered by Yonge Street, University Avenue, College Street, and Queen Street has an average crime rate of 4.35 crimes per 1000 people and an average crime rate of 26.08 per 1000 properties.
  • The region bordered by Front Street, Yonge Street, University Avenue, and Queen Street has an average crime rate of 1.07 per 1000 people and an average crime rate of 6.81 against 1000 properties.

Statistics show that the Bay Street Corridor is one of the worst Toronto neighborhoods with the highest rate of burglary.

The Beaches

The Beaches is also called The Beach and it’s one of the Toronto neighborhoods. It is situated in the East of Queen Street. This area is commonly known for the beach, the single-family homes, and the commercial district.

Most of the neighborhoods that we’ve seen before experience a very big difference in the crime rate of people and that of properties.

However, The Beaches show a different trend since both of these rates is almost equal – they both stand at around 7.8 per 1000.

Little Portugal

It is located in the West of Toronto. Sometimes it’s referred to as the Old Toronto. For convenience purposes, look at the list of different regions with their crime rates below;

  • The region bordered by College, Brock, Lansdowne, and Dundas has an average crime rate of 8.69 per 1000 people and an average crime rate of 23.22 against 1000 properties.
  • The region bordered by Railway Tracks, Lansdowne, Dufferin, and Dundas has an average crime rate of 11.22 per 1000 people and an average crime rate of 27.25 against 1000 properties.
  • The region bordered by Dovercourt Road, Queen, Ossington, and Dundas has an average crime rate of 6.02 per 1000 people and an average crime rate of 24.09 against 1000 properties.
  • The region bordered by Dundas, Dufferin, Queen, and Dovercourt has an average crime rate of 8.48 per 1000 people and an average crime rate of 22.48 against 1000 properties.

Forest Hill South

Rich in single-family homes and affluent families, The Forest Hill South is a Toronto neighborhood with some rates of crimes though not as high as others. Forest Hill South also comprises several regions that experience different rates of crime as shown below;

  • The Western region experiences an average crime rate of 4.04 per 1000 people and an average of 12.49 against 1000 properties.
  • The Easter region has an average crime rate of 2.32 per 1000 people and an average of 16.29 against 1000 properties.

These rates are comparatively low but due to the increment of large homes in the area, the chances of crime rate getting higher are increasing since robbers will be attracted by the fact that they can get a big heist when they rob large homes.

It turns out that security needs to be prioritized and ameliorated if all these are to be avoided.

Casa Loma

From its name, you can tell its location. It’s located near Casa Loma in Toronto. It borders Bathurst Street in the West, Spadina road in the East, St. Claire Avenue in the North, and Railway Tracks in the South.

On average, the area experiences a crime rate of 5.93 per 1000 people and 29.23 against 1000 properties.

For safety purposes, you need to be conversant with how the people in the area operate and if you feel it’s not safe for you after, maybe, experiencing episodes of crime and violence-related activities, you can easily leave for a better place.

Annex

Just like Regent Park, the annex is also situated in downtown Toronto. It’s found between Bloor Street and Dupont Street.

There are many students who stay in Annex since it is located close to Toronto University campus. Besides, other professionals stay here apart from the students. Also, single-family homes are found in large numbers.

The annex is one of Toronto’s worst neighbors since it has some levels of crime and violence. It is also important to know that Annex is highly populated.

The average crime rate is 8.16 per 1000 people and 23.75 against 1000 properties.

Roncesvalles

Another Toronto neighborhood is situated on the East of High Park. It borders Bloor Street to the North, Queen Street to the south, Parkside Drive to the west, and Sorauren Avenue to the East. Roncesvalles was listed as the Toronto neighborhood with the highest rate of property crime.

Crime against people is comparatively low. Also, the crime rate is different among different regions in the area.

The North-Western region has an average crime rate of 4.4 per 1000 people and 19.15 crimes against property.

In the Southern region, the average crime rate is 5.85 per 1000 people and 14.69 against 1000 properties. The North-Eastern region has an average crime rate of 6.9 per 1000 people and 43.3 against 1000 properties.

Lastly, the Southern region experiences an average crime rate of 8.29 per 1000 people and 30.69 against 1000 properties. This area has camera equipment such as surveillance cameras but not every part of the area results in these statistics.

Humbermede

Near River Humber is located in this Toronto neighborhood city. It is also called Emery. It borders Highway 400 to the East, Sheppard Avenue to the South, Finch Avenue to the North, and Humber River to the West.

Humbermede consists of single-family homes and schools such as Gulfstream Public School. For a comprehensive list of the crime rate among different regions in Humbermede, check out the information below.

  •  The region bordered by Lanyard Road, Finch, and Rumike road has an average crime rate of 10.71 per 1000 people and 23.99 per 1000 properties.
  • The region bordered by St. Lucie Park, Rumike Road, Lanyard Road, and River Humber has an average crime rate of 7.18 per 1000 people and 8.67 per 1000 properties.
  • The region bordered by St. Lucie Park, Sheppard, Finch, and River Humber has an average crime rate of 6.53 per 1000 people and 12.88 per 1000 properties.

Riverdale

This is another Toronto neighborhood that is situated on the East of the Don River Valley. It borders Danforth Avenue to the North, Jones Avenue to the East, Don River Valley to the West, and Boulevard Lake Shore to the South.

Crime rates are different throughout Riverdale which is why the list below is necessary.

  • The region bordered by Bain Ave, Gerrard, Hampton Ave, Don River, and Danforth has an average crime rate of 16.87 per 1000 people and 32.34 crimes against properties.
  •  The region bordered by Jones, Hampton, Pape, Danforth, Bain, and Gerrard has an average crime rate of 12.27 per 1000 people and 41.48 per 1000 properties.
  • The region bordered by Jones, Tiverton, Queen, and Gerrard has an average crime rate of 8.81 per 1000 people and 38.36 against 1000 properties.
  • The region bordered by Carlaw, Leslie Street, Eastern, and Queen has an average crime rate of 11.85 per 1000 people and 28.52 against 1000 properties.
  • The region bordered by the Lake Shore, Leslie, Don Valley Parkway, and Eastern has an average crime rate of 8.14 crimes per 1000 people and 25.47 against 1000 properties.

Leslieville

The list would be incomplete without including this Toronto neighborhood situated on the East of the Don River.

It is also called South Riverdale and it borders Eastern Avenue to the South, Empire Avenue to the West, National Railway lines to the North, and Coxwell Avenue to the East.

Leslieville has a lot of stores and some green space that make it beautiful. Crime rates differ from one place to the other as shown below.

  • The region around Eastern Avenue and Leslie Street has an average crime rate of 13.55 per 1000 people and 22.22 against 1000 properties.
  • Around Coxwell and Greenwood have an average crime rate of 13.55 crimes per 1000 people and 22.22 crimes against 1000 properties.
  • The region between Leslie Street and Carlaw has an average crime rate of 11.85 per 1000 people and 28.52 against 1000 properties.

Conclusion

Given above are the 15 worst neighborhoods in Toronto though the list is long with other neighborhoods. As you have noticed, crime rates are the main factors that make these neighbors worse for Toronto.

For every neighborhood, some values have been given but as a reader, you should note these values keep on changing due to some factors such as improvement in security, changes in government laws, and more.

Therefore, these values may not be true always.

You can check more information about crimes in Toronto, by clicking on the official website from the police http://data.torontopolice.on.ca/pages/maps.

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