Scarborough: Toronto's Diverse East End and the Bluffs

Scarborough is the large eastern district of Toronto that was amalgamated into the city in 1998 and has since developed an identity within the city that combines three distinct qualities: the Scarborough Bluffs, a dramatic geological feature of 90-metre clay cliffs above Lake Ontario that constitutes one of the most spectacular natural landscapes within any North American city; the most culturally diverse food scene in the Toronto region, reflecting the large South Asian, East Asian, Caribbean, and African communities that have established in the suburban grid of Scarborough's post-war development; and a growing claim to being the birthplace of Drake, whose Fortnite-era geography has made Scarborough internationally recognized in ways that its civic boosters find useful if somewhat reductive.

The Scarborough Bluffs extend for approximately 15 kilometres along the Lake Ontario shoreline between the eastern end of the Beaches neighbourhood and the Rouge River, the clay cliffs of what was once the bottom of glacial Lake Iroquois eroded by wave action into a landscape of unexpected drama — white and ochre cliffs falling directly to the lake, forested paths along the clifftop, and the occasional beach accessible by a steep path that rewards the descent. Bluffer's Park at the base of the cliffs provides parking and access to a marina and beach; the clifftop Rosetta McClain Gardens provide formal gardens with lake views. The combination of geological spectacle and Lake Ontario proximity constitutes a natural attraction that cities pay significant sums to develop artificially and that Scarborough contains as a matter of topographical accident.

The food culture of Scarborough is a subject of increasing interest to Toronto's food media and to the food-conscious visitors who make the transit journey east on the Scarborough RT or Bloor-Danforth line. Kennedy Road, Ellesmere Road, and the commercial strips of the Scarborough Town Centre area hold a concentration of Tamil, South Indian, Sri Lankan, Caribbean, and East African restaurants that operate for community rather than tourism, their quality and specificity reflecting a customer base that knows the food and will not accept approximation. The Scarborough institution of the Jerk Centre on Lawrence Avenue East represents the Caribbean community's culinary heritage in a format — rotisserie jerk chicken, festival bread, rice and peas — that has been perfected across decades of weekly service to a neighbourhood that comes specifically for the product rather than the atmosphere. The Scarborough food circuit, undertaken by those willing to travel beyond the boundaries of the downtown food media's attention, regularly produces the best meals available in Toronto at the lowest prices.