Little Portugal is in the Old Downtown Toronto West. It is also known as Portugal Village. The Portuguese people created it. It is a residential area. A significant number of Brazilians also live here. The neighbourhood was built around the 1950s to 1970s when thousands of Portuguese people migrated to Canada and started living here.
Little Portugal is an eclectic and multicultural neighbourhood. They are rich in their cultural heritage, and if you visit, you will experience the essence of Portugal. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared surprisedly at the sister location of Caldense Bakery (Portuguese café) in Bradford, Ontario.
Portuguese
people migrated to Canada because of political conflicts in Portugal. With
time, Little Portugal faces changes, so the residents are making the ongoing
push to protect the area's heritage.
We want to bring the essence of Little Portugal to show how these
immigrant Portuguese people created another piece of Portugal in Canada.
A profile of the neighbourhood/community, including diversity
levels and demographics.
The
basic demographics of Little Portugal are listed above, which are
differentiated based on some of the major distribution areas.
It is bound on the west by Lansdowne Avenue, north by College Street, east by Ossington Avenue, and south by the Go Transit and Union Pearson Express railway tracks. The area is mainly residential, with Portuguese businesses along Dundas Street West and College Street.
·
The total
population of the community is almost 15,559. From 2011-2016, the population
change is recorded as an increase of 29.1%, and the population density is
12,856. 500 people immigrated to the community from 2011 to 2016. Most of the
population is from Europe, and the least is from Africa. Most people in the
community make between $20,000 to $49,999.
·
Little Portugal
is becoming more diverse even though the Portuguese community is still evident.
It is becoming more diverse even though the Portuguese community is still evident.
Other ethnic groups have moved there recently, enhancing the region's
heterogeneous makeup.
·
Little Portugal’s
10.39% population is Chinese, 3.88% is Black, and 2.62% is the southeast Asian.
The highest population is of working age that is 25-54 year old and consists of almost 62% of population, followed by youth population aged between 15-24 years consists of 11% of population, at third position there are seniors aged above 65 years with 10% of population, the children are at last second position with almost 9% of total population and the last position is of pre-retirement population aged between 55-64 years with 8% of total population.
Due
to the large Portuguese population of Little Portugal, Portuguese is frequently
spoken there. Although several languages are spoken in the area, English is
also extensively used.
In
recent years, development has taken place in several areas of the community,
changing the neighbourhood’s population and housing stock. Young professionals
have moved in, and property prices have increased. The restaurants, boutiques,
and cultural activities in Little Portugal are well-known. Portuguese food,
festivals, and other cultural events are popular in the area. Community groups
and cultural institutions promote and preserve the Portuguese language,
culture, and traditions. The neighbourhood is home to a developing creative and
creative community, including artists, musicians, and designers. These organizations
act as a hub for the Portuguese population and promote cultural interchange.
Little Portugal is well connected to public transport, making it accessible to
residents from many backgrounds and parts of the city. This innovative
atmosphere contributes to the neighbourhood’s unique identity.
How the Little Portugal’s name has been created:
While
the community is still made up of primarily Portuguese residents, many have
moved in recent years from Toronto’s downtown to the suburbs. Urban
professionals have slowly started moving in, trying to buy older houses close
to the downtown core.
So, the
region developed as the Portuguese immigrants showed up and formed their
families and foundations. This region is the center of Portuguese settlement in
Toronto and is currently home to the biggest Portuguese population in the
country. Therefore, Little Portugal gets its name from the fact that around 19%
of the population is Portuguese, which is the largest ethnic group in the
neighbourhood. Several Portuguese storefronts located along College and Dundas
Street are effective in giving the area its name.
But it
is essential to know that, Unlike Little Italy and Koreatown, Little Portugal
didn't get its name for having a ton of Portuguese businesses in the area.
Instead, it's a neighbourhood of many Portuguese people, plus a recent influx
of Brazilians.
The name Portugal originates from the
Latin Portus Cale, which was the original name of the city of Porto.
Little
Portugal is also known as Portugal Village and Beaconsfield.
How do the characteristics of the neighbourhood/community make it unique?
A
few things made the little Portugal a special and distinct community among
others. While these unique characteristics can vary on the location and time, the
following are some specialties of this neighbourhood: -
1.
Architectural
and aesthetic features: - The
architectural elements are the main vibe of this community, as the street walls
have different kinds of art, including statues, murals, etc. and reflect the
culture and Portuguese styles and it is like an open-air museum. These art
ideas highlight the history and oral traditions of the Portuguese community.
2. Food and Culinary arts: -Portuguese cuisine is a significant part of this community. A few restaurants and bakeries serve authentic and delicious food, mainly seafood and baked cookies.
3.
Cultural identity: -The Little Portugal neighbourhood is an ideal place
to introduce the culture of Portuguese people. It is well known for preserving
the food, markets, bakeries, clothing stores and other cultural centres of
Portugal where visitors and other people can experience the cultural food,
music, art, and other specialties.
4.
Festivals and events: -Some several events and festivals are held every
year to make life more enjoyable. This community has various events like the
Fado music performances and Dia de Portugal that are famous among other
neighbourhoods too and bring them to celebrate together.
What are the main settlement and integration issues faced by refugee and immigrant members of that neighbourhood/community?
The Portuguese Canadians faced challenges, like many new
immigrant/refugee communities. When they came, they needed to be fluent in
English, which was not a dominant language in Portugal. Most were also not
highly educated and did not even have a high school education. And in Canada, they
were expected to adapt to a strange new culture. Therefore, professional, higher-paying
jobs needed to be in reach for the first generation of Portuguese immigrants. So,
making a living in Canada was a challenge. That’s why many new immigrants took low-paying,
manual labour jobs where education and English skills were not necessary to
establish themselves economically and feed their families. Those who did
acquire high school education gradually went into white-collar jobs like
realtors, travel agents or driving school instructors. And over time, their
kids and grandkids, the next generations, became even better integrated and
established as high school teachers, lawyers, social workers, etc.
Nevertheless, many immigrants and their kids, especially males, stayed in the
trades. It was also challenging to preserve their language and cultural
traditions in a society like Canada, where English and French are dominant
languages. So, the Portuguese community also found ways to keep close and
preserve their language and culture, i.e., through Portuguese social events
such as soccer clubs (a popular sport in Portugal), festivals, restaurants, and
heritage language classes for their kids, etc.
Many of the first generation preferred to attend
social activities in Portuguese, but this was only sometimes true for their
Canadian-educated children. Economic advances followed urbanization. Most
labourers first worked in Canada as farmhands or railway labourers. When they
moved to the cities, they sought janitorial, construction and factory work.
Women were employed as cleaners or as textile or food-processing workers.
During the 1960s, increasing numbers of families opened clothing stores, fish
shops, bakeries, and restaurants. The minority with secondary education often
became realtors, travel agents, or driving-school instructors or provided other
services for the community members. By the 1970s, a second Canadian-trained
generation included high school teachers, lawyers, social workers, engineers,
and civil servants. Many more entered semiskilled and skilled trades.
Conclusion
The
Little Portugal changed a lot over the years. Mainly, people who live here get
changed. Nowadays, primarily elderly people live. This is a historical core of
immigrant Portuguese settlement. Nowadays, a significant number of non-European
people have started living in the area. It is a fantastic place for a Portuguese
child to grow up and live in a place representing their ethnicity. They can
stay close to their traditional beliefs and practices, making the Canadian multi-cultural
environment.
References:
Higgs,
David & Anderson, Grace, M. (2019, September 18). Portuguese Canadians. The
Canadian Encyclopedia. Accessed October 10, 2023, at: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/portuguese
Little Portugal.
Helping people find apartment rentals in Toronto since 1995. (n.d.). https://www.torontorentals.com/neighbourhood-guide/toronto/little-portugal
City of Toronto.
(2023, October 12). City of Toronto. https://www.toronto.ca/
Google. (n.d.). Adobe
Acrobat: PDF Edit, convert, sign tools. Google. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/adobe-acrobat-pdf-edit-co/efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj?hl=en-GB
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