Scarborough's "Golden Mile" (2) Commemorative Plaque, 2009

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Low resolution print	2000 × 1545 pixels (3.09 MP) 16.9 cm × 13.1 cm @ 300 PPI	703 KB	Restricted
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Resource details

Resource ID

4941

Access

Open

Credit Line

Heritage Toronto

Date of Creation

2009

Description

The Golden Mile promised inexpensive land and low property taxes to industries growing with Canada's post-World War II economic boom. By 1955 corporations such as Frigidaire the John Inglis Company Thermos and Warner Lambert had major manufacturing facilities here. Automobile makers and dealers joined them including Volkswagen Rootes Motors and as late as 1974 a General Motors van plant.

Their move to this area provided much needed industrial property taxes and served as a catalyst for further development. Residential subdivisions sprang up to house the Golden Mile's workforce followed by strip plazas which were then celebrated as modern conveniences.

By the 1980s larger industries were moving to less expensive properties and the Golden Mile of Industry gradually became the Golden Mile of Commerce - known for its large retail stores and car dealerships. However some industrial buildings do survive - along with street names such as Thermos Road - to remind us of an earlier Golden Mile.