Memories Of Mimico

Back in the day, small-town charm and ‘big city‘ excitement met up just west of Toronto

- Paul Cleland

As I discovered while researching my hometown, in the 1800s, Mimico, Ont., was originally known by the First Nations People as Omimeca, meaning “the resting place of the wild pigeons.” The passenger or wild pigeon is now extinct, but its memory lives on in the name Mimico.

Situated to the west of Toronto, Mimico began to develop in the 1890s below Lakeshore Boulevard, where many of Toronto’s wealthiest families built their summer homes. A few of these homes still exist today, but most were lost to further development after the Second World War.