Central
History:
Downtown Oshawa was originally known as Skae’s corners, named after Edward Skae the owner of a general store on Simcoe Street. When Skae opened the first post office in the village in 1842 the village was renamed Oshawa which is a First Nations Word meaning ““that point at the crossing of the stream where the canoe was exchanged for the trail.” In 1850 the Village of Oshawa was incorporated. The commercial hub of the village grew up around the intersection of King and Simcoe Streets which was referred to as the “Four Corners”.
In the early 1900s the town experienced tremendous growth due to the automobile industry. General Motors of Canada established their headquarters here in 1918. The 1920s were a boom time for Oshawa. This is when many of the downtown landmarks were built including the recently restored Genosha Hotel and the Regent Theatre. By 1924 the downtown population had swelled and Oshawa was incorporated as a City. Since then the downtown core has continued to grow and is currently enjoying a massive revitalization including the restoration and repurposing of older heritage buildings together with the construction of new residential and commercial buildings.
Overview:
The Central neighbourhood is better known as “Downtown Oshawa”. This neighbourhood has recently undergone a major revitalization with the restoration of older heritage buildings such as the Lovell Drug Store and the Gonosha Hotel on historic King Street. These landmark buildings have been retrofitted into residential condominium units. There are also a number of new condominium building being built as well as mixed-use developments, apartment buildings and student housing. The recently restored Regent Theatre is now part of the Ontario Tech University campus as well as serving as a popular concert venue. Central Tribute Communities Centre located at 99 Athol Street East is the home of the Ontario Hockey League’s famed Oshawa Generals whose alumni include Hockey Hall of Fame inductees: Bobby Orr and Eric Lindros. Additional neighbourhood landmarks include Rotary Park, Durham Family YMCA and the Canadian Automotive Museum. The juxtaposition of Central’s older housing stock together with all the new development in downtown Oshawa combines a proud history and heritage together with an infusion of new progressive developments. All these new progressive initiatives have pushed this neighbourhood forward in a way that will ensure downtown’s status as the heart and soul of Oshawa.
Lifestyle:
Downtown Oshawa centred at Simcoe and King Streets is a vibrant shopping, dining and entertainment area. There are a plethora of restaurants, bars and cafes to choose from. Many of the beautiful buildings in this shopping area date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Homes:
The downtown core has a large number of heritage homes with Victorian, Tudor, Colonial, Prairie style and Arts and Craft style homes that date from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s. There are also rows of closely spaced detached homes from the early 1910s and 20s. These are mostly brick and or frame houses that are reminiscent of a factory town which is very much part of Oshawa’s heritage. Steep gabled roofs and whimsical front porches are part of the overall character that these houses exude. The rest of the downtown core has a collection of old commercial buildings repurposed as boutique condominiums as well as brand new condominium buildings. Just beyond the core off King Street are some charming Tudor and Arts and Crafts style houses that date from the 1920s,30s and 40s, as well as sturdy post war brick bungalows.
Recreation:
Oshawa YMCA located at 99 Mary Street North is a multi purpose based recreational and community support facility offering fitness, health, and community programming for youths and adults as well as families.
Arts:
Arts Resource Centre located at 45 Queen Street is a central arts hub for the City of Oshawa. The Arts Resource Centre is where many of the City of Oshawa’s art programming takes place. This purpose built facility includes a large theatre auditorium and four additional art sutdios.
Central Stats
Walkability:
High
Bikeability:
Medium
Public Transit:
High
Affordability:
Medium
Greenspace:
Medium
Recreation:
High
Legend: Low, Medium, High
Commute Times
* All commuting times provided are approximate times only. Commute times may increase or decrease depending on where you live within the neighbourhood and the time of day i.e rush hour versus off hour commutes. Time estimates to public transit are based on walking distance or bus line connection whichever is quicker. All other commute times on the chart above are based on drive times.