Yorkville was initially separate from the city of Toronto. Taking after Toronto’s original name, the village was founded in 1830 by brewery entrepreneur Joseph Bloore—who also lent his name to what has become one of the city’s main arteries, Bloor Street—and William Jarvis, who also gave his name to one of the city’s streets. The community continued to grow, and in 1883, it was annexed by the city of Toronto. In the 1960s Yorkville was the bohemian hub of the city, cultivating Canadian musicians such as Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, as well as iconic literary figures such as Margaret Atwood and Gwendolyn MacEwan. Into the 1980s, however, the neighbourhood started taking on the character of a high-end shopping district, as it is known today.

Source: The Culture Trip