Kensington Market is one of the most famous areas of Toronto.
The area is roughly bounded by College St. on the North, Spadina on the East, Dundas to the South, and Bathurst to the West. It is an area with many small and dead-end streets that can be confusing to navigate.
Kensington Market was founded in the early twentieth century by a mix of southern European and Jewish immigrants. It became a cluster of densely packed houses, and was one of the poorer areas of the city. It became notable for the open air market, reminiscent of those in Europe, that covered the streets of the area. From the beginning the market sold a great diversity of items imported from the homelands of the various immigrant communities. The arrival of new waves of immigrants from the Caribbean and East Asia changed the community making it even more diverse as the century wore on.
The neigbourhood became a noted tourist attraction ,and also a centre of Toronto's cultural life as artists and writers moved into the area. Land prices in the area increased sharply.
Today the area is filled with a mix of food stores selling an immense variety of meats, fish and produce. It is said that more varieties of fruits and vegetables are for sale in Kensington than in any area of the world, but this has never been independently verified. The area is also home to stores selling a wide variety of cheap and used clothing, as well as a number of discount and surplus stores. It is also home to many restaurants covering a wide variety of styles and ethnicities.
Some area landmarks are the Number 10. Fire Station, whose clock tower can be seen throughout the market. The European Meat Shop is one of the most popular butcher shops in Toronto.
