Skip to product information
1 of 6

Local Landmarks & Heritage

  • McCormick Park (1911)
  • McCormick Arena (1972)
  • Rua Açores (Dundas Street West)

Neighborhood History

Little Portugal is a west-side Toronto neighbourhood bounded by Lansdowne Avenue, College Street, Ossington Avenue and the rail corridor to the south. It is also known as Portugal Village, a name taken from the Portuguese shops along College and Dundas streets. The area joined the City of Toronto in 1884, and the land west of Dufferin Street was once the Town of Brockton. Large-scale Portuguese immigration to Canada began after the two countries signed a labour agreement in 1953, and many newcomers of the 1950s came from the Azores and Madeira. Their first bakeries, grocers and bookstores opened in nearby Kensington Market, where the First Portuguese Canadian Club was founded in 1956.

The stretch of Dundas Street West through Brockton Village carries the name Rua Açores. McCormick Park on Sheridan Avenue has served the neighbourhood since it opened as a playground on July 1, 1911. The Little Portugal Toronto business improvement area was formed along Dundas Street West in 2019.

The Little Portugal tee is for the families and neighbours who carry a little of the Azores and Madeira along Dundas and College.

MY-NHD

Little Portugal - Central Toronto - Unisex Cotton Tee

Little Portugal - Central Toronto - Unisex Cotton Tee

Regular price $29.95 CAD
Regular price Sale price $29.95 CAD
Sale Sold out

Little Portugal lies in Toronto's west end between Ossington and Lansdowne avenues, north of the rail corridor. Its Portuguese shops, which gave it the name Portugal Village, reflect the immigration that began after a 1953 labour agreement between Canada and Portugal.

View full details