Yonge Street

Yonge Street (pronounced "young") is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at 1,896 km (1,178 mi). The construction of Yonge Street is designated an Event of National Historic Significance in Canada. Yonge Street was fundamental in the original planning and settlement of western Upper Canada in the 1790s, informing the basis of the concession roads in Ontario today. Long the southernmost leg of Highway 11, linking the capital with northern Ontario, Yonge Street has been referred to as "Main Street Ontario". A large part of the route follows an ancient well-established Aboriginal trail that linked the Lake Ontario waterfront to northern parts of the region. It was also the site of Canada's first subway line.

The street was named by Ontario's first colonial administrator for his friend Sir George Yonge, an expert on ancient Roman roads. Yonge Street is the location of or close to many attractions in Toronto, since, in addition to serving as the city's "main street", it runs near Bay Street (the centre of the business district) and University Avenue, the site of the Ontario Legislature. Yonge Street is therefore a popular and commercial main thoroughfare rather than a ceremonial one, hosting live street and theatre performances, the Eaton Centre, Yonge-Dundas Square and the Hockey Hall of Fame. In Toronto and York Region, Yonge Street is the north-south baseline from which street numbering is reckoned east and west. The Yonge subway line serves nearly the entire length of Toronto and acts as the spine of Toronto's transit system, linking to suburban commuter systems such as the Viva Blue BRT.