If you grew up in North America during the last 50 years, you are almost certain to have been exposed to the exploits of red headed Archie and his gang of friends in their ubiquitous comic books. The city that the gang calls home is known as Riverdale, and is pretty much a representation of any mid sized city in the United States or Canada.

When it comes to Canada, though, Riverdale may refer to neighbourhoods in either Edmonton or Toronto. In this article, we are going to look at some of the features of the Toronto neighbourhood of Riverdale.

Population

Riverdale is quite an eclectic neighbourhood. In fact most refer to it as a thriving community, and that means you can expect a healthy population mix of old and young, all races and backgrounds. The area includes several diverse neighbourhoods within the Riverdale umbrella, including Little India and East Chinatown.

The arts

Riverdale also enjoys a reputation as being an appealing place for local artists to set up shop. In fact a large part of Riverdale seems to be an attractive residential area for artists, earning it the nickname the Studio District. People work in old warehouses along the waterfront, and make their homes in the Victorian style houses just down the road.

Physical characteristics

That waterfront, of course, is probably one of the most defining characteristics of the Riverdale neighbourhood. The Don River makes up the western border of the neighbourhood and is the reason for both the current name and the historical name of Riverside, which the area was known by before being annexed into Toronto in 1884.

Other notable physical characteristics in Riverdale include its two sprawling parks. Riverdale Park is located on the banks of the Don, while Withrow Park is in the north east of the neighbourhood.

Real estate

The typical housing in Riverdale is single-family stand-alone structures built on land owned by the property owners. There is a difference in median sale prices of homes as determined by the houses’ location in upper or lower Riverdale, with those houses in upper Riverdale likely to fetch higher prices (they being a bit closer to major transportation routes).

So if you are a Canadian, next time you see an Archie comic at your local convenience store, don’t just automatically think of the United States. At least one of Canada’s Riverdale communities is a great representation of what Canada is all about!