Toronto used to be called a different name and here’s the history on it

We know this great city as Toronto, but that wasn’t its original name. The City of Toronto had a different name when it was first founded and had some very interesting nicknames as well. And no, I am not referring to it being called “The Six.” Let’s leave that one in 2015.

Okay, let’s dive in!

From York to Toronto

We have to go back to 1793 for this piece of history, when the province’s first governor, John Graves Simcoe, laid out a town by the harbour, which he named York, in honour of the Duke of York, son of King George III.

Soon, he was using York as the capital of Upper Canada, “erecting parliament buildings and cutting roads inland,” and in 1796, Yonge Street was opened.

So, when did York become Toronto? Not until 1834. The fast-growing then-town of over 9,000 residents was incorporated as the city of Toronto in 1834, led by the city’s first mayor, William Lyon Mackenzie.

Can you imagine only 9,000 people in Toronto these days? I bet that’s two condos’ worth of humans nowadays.

Toronto’s past nicknames

Muddy York was one of Toronto’s very first nicknames. This name was common in the city’s first years before the streets were paved and rain turned the dirt roads into pure mud.

Fun fact: there is a rugby club in the city in the present day that pays homage to the nickname, called Toronto Muddy York RFC. 

Another nickname was Dirty Little York for the same reason. That one, I’m not so sure about.

So whether you call it Toronto, York, Muddy York, or anything else (please, not “The Six”), it’s still our amazing home!

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