What is it?
The City of Toronto divides the city into 158 neighbourhoods, called social planning neighbourhoods. City staff use them to collect data and to plan and forecast City services.
The borders are built by joining Statistics Canada census tracts (small statistical areas). So census numbers can be shown by neighbourhood, and because the borders rarely change, years can be compared.
From 140 to 158
- From the late 1990s to March 2022 there were 140 neighbourhoods.
- 16 fast-growing neighbourhoods were split into 34, making 158 (from April 12, 2022). The other 124 stayed the same.
- New neighbourhoods got new numbers starting at 141 and new names, so they are not confused with the old ones.
- We keep the old 140 names as search words, so searching an old name still finds today’s neighbourhood.
Good to know
- Neighbourhood names are for research and analysis. The City says they are not the final word on the cultural or historical names of Toronto’s neighbourhoods. Toronto has more than 400 historical neighbourhoods and communities.
- TRREB districts (codes like C14) and community names used in listings are a different map. Names can look alike but the borders can differ.
- The City also gives each neighbourhood a designation: 33 Neighbourhood Improvement Areas (NIA), 10 Emerging Neighbourhoods and 115 others.
- They were not drawn to match wards, school attendance areas or other service and political borders, so those borders can differ.
What the law and official sources say
Quotes are copied word for word. The "In plain words" lines are our explanation, not an official translation.
The primary purpose of the City-designated social planning neighbourhoods is to help City staff collect data, plan, analyze and forecast City services. While these neighbourhoods may not fully encompass every historical, cultural, ethnic or economic neighbourhood area, they do provide a way for planners and researchers to track information about them over time.In plain wordsIn plain words: the City made the 158 neighbourhoods to collect data and plan services. They do not cover every historical or cultural area, but they let people compare the same places over time.
Source: toronto.ca/city-government/data-research-maps/neighbourhoods-communities/neighbourhood-profiles/about-toronto-neighbourhoods/ · checked Nov 5, 2026
The names of neighbourhoods are established for research and analysis purposes and are not the final word on the cultural, historical or colloquial names of Toronto’s neighbourhoods. There are more than 400 historical neighbourhoods and communities in Toronto and most are not their own social planning neighbourhoods.In plain wordsIn plain words: the names are for research, not the official cultural or historical names. Most of Toronto’s more than 400 historical neighbourhoods are not one of the 158 on their own.
Source: toronto.ca/city-government/data-research-maps/neighbourhoods-communities/neighbourhood-profiles/about-toronto-neighbourhoods/ · checked Nov 5, 2026
Sixteen neighbourhoods were split into 34 new ones (with the old ones retired), for a grand total of 158 social planning neighbourhoods in Toronto, from 140 previously. 124 of the original social planning neighbourhoods will remain the same.In plain wordsIn plain words: 16 neighbourhoods were split into 34, so 140 became 158, and 124 original neighbourhoods stayed the same.
Source: toronto.ca/city-government/data-research-maps/neighbourhoods-communities/neighbourhood-profiles/about-toronto-neighbourhoods/ · checked Nov 5, 2026
Common questions
How do I find which neighbourhood my address is in?
Use the City of Toronto Find Your Neighbourhood page, by address or on the map. The City also gives a written description of each boundary there.
Where did old names like Willowdale East go?
Neighbourhoods split in 2022 got new names and new numbers (from 141). Old names stay in the old 140-neighbourhood data. On our site, searching an old name still finds today’s neighbourhood.
Guides that use this term
Sources checked
- City of Toronto, About Toronto Neighbourhoods · checked Nov 5, 2026
- City of Toronto Open Data, Neighbourhoods · checked Nov 5, 2026
- City of Toronto, Find Your Neighbourhood · checked Nov 5, 2026