Teesdale

From Rap Dictionary

noun

Teesdale

Teesdale Place is located in the former city of Scarborough, Ontario on the west side of Pharmacy Avenue east of Victoria Park Avenue, just north of Danforth Avenue. Teesdale consist of four 24-storey apartment buildings, two of them subsidized housing (30 Teesdale Place, 40 Teesdale Place) and two market-rent buildings (Dentonia Court at 20 Teesdale Place and Dentonia Place at 10 Teesdale Place). The two subsidized apartment buildings were built in the late 1960s or early ’70s when a wave of public housing units were constructed to accommodate people in need across Toronto. There was a high rate of poverty in the wider Oakridge neighbourhood (which includes Teesdale) as early as 1981. The community now has a very high poverty rate with as many as 57% of families experiencing poverty.

The population density is an incredible 12,518 people per km 2 as compared with 866/km2 in the rest of Toronto and 13.4/ km 2 in the rest of Ontario. 58% of individuals over age 15 have a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree; 70% got their degrees outside of Canada (this is in keeping with a trend of more highly educated immigrants who still find themselves shut out from the prosperity of other Canadians). 84% of residents were considered visible minorities; the two largest groups were identified as South Asian and black. Like many Toronto neighbourhoods, Teesdale is a mixture of different cultures and families from all walks of life, but the decaying conditions of its buildings along with the rampant drug activity within the surrounding area has long been an issue for this community. The 2006 unemployment rate was a staggering 18.5% as compared with 6.7% average in Toronto; almost three times higher. During the early 90's and through the year 2000, Teesdale area youths had a series of violent encounters with Tamil youths from the Crescent Town area.

Teesdale is 1 of the 9 hoods featured on The Real Toronto DVD.