The four suburban sectors of the GTA (real estate, lawyers)

[King of Kensington]

Basically it's west, northwest, north, east - in terms of industries, migration patterns, ethnic groups and the like.

The northern sector includes the traditional high income prestige corridor along Yonge and Bayview and the Jewish Bathurst Corridor (which can be traced back to the migration of the Bathurst-Spadina-College area mid-20th century). North of the 401, it becomes more immigrant based such as Chinese and Iranian, who can be found in large numbers in Willowdale and Richmond Hill, and has above average education, incomes and housing prices.

The northwestern sector can be traced back to the historic industrial corridor around the Junction and runs up to Malton/Brampton. This area falls west of the Allen Expressway. The Italian presence which began in the west end of the old city, moved northwestward into Downsview and later Woodbridge. The Black/Caribbean community worked its way from York-Weston to Rexdale and eventually Brampton. The South Asian (especially Sikh) presence seems to have begun around Malton and soon spread to Brampton. Other large groups in this sector are Latin Americans and Africans. This is a overall a working class area, though the Italian community has gotten wealthier as it moved into Woodbridge/Vaughan.

The western sector includes secondary wealth concentrations around central Etobicoke and the still very WASP/affluent Oakville. But also some old working class industrial areas like the Etobicoke lakeshore. Most of Mississauga falls here and it is very mixed socially and economically. Toronto's Polish and Ukrainian communities moved directly west from around High Park (which itself was a continuation of western migration from the inner west end). Overall, it's more desirable than the NW and eastern sectors, but less so than the northern sector.

The eastern sector - basically east of the DVP or Victoria Park, taking in Scarborough, Markham (excluding the Thornhill part), and Pickering and Ajax. Overall very multicultural, with large Chinese, South Asian (particularly Tamil and Bangladeshi) and Black communities. Most of it is very working class, with the exception of more high income Chinese sections (the Chinese sort of straddle the northern and eastern sectors) and a few high income pockets along the lake. Ajax-Pickering has become a bit of an extension of eastern Scarborough due to its more affordable housing prices.

Some would probably say there's "two Scarboroughs" and hence a northeast sector that's different from the "regular" eastern sector. But it's not as sharp a divide as the east-west split in North York and the north-south one in Etobicoke; it is much more gradual. South Asians and Blacks are pretty spread out through Scarborough, while the Chinese are very clustered in the NW quadrant of Scarborough.

[memph]

Where does Woodbridge get its wealth from? It's somewhat far from the suburban office parks along the 401 and DVP/404, as well as being a very long congested drive from downtown with no GO trains.

Also I think the South Asian enclave of the NW suburbs started out in North Rexdale along with Malton.

[King of Kensington]

Much of Woodbridge is pretty middle income. But there are some rather wealthy sections. I suspect its wealth is largely due just to the increasing affluence of the Italian Canadian community that was moving northwest. Presumably even many wealthy Italians wanted to stay in an ethnic enclave.

Also, wealth in Woodbridge seems to be the "non-traditional" path, through successful businesses (i.e. the construction industry, real estate developers etc.) rather than the professions. Not a lot of doctors, lawyers and the like. Incomes are higher than educational attainments would suggest.

I suspect one can find similar type areas in Staten Island or New Jersey.

[Perspective71]

The eastern sector - basically east of the DVP or Victoria Park, taking in Scarborough, Markham (excluding the Thornhill part), and Pickering and Ajax. Overall very multicultural, with large Chinese, South Asian (particularly Tamil and Bangladeshi) and Black communities. Most of it is very working class, with the exception of more high income Chinese sections (the Chinese sort of straddle the northern and eastern sectors) and a few high income pockets along the lake. Ajax-Pickering has become a bit of an extension of eastern Scarborough due to its more affordable housing prices.

Precisely, I would also add that many of the Greek, Macedonian and Romanian communities have been gradually moving east and northeast from Riverdale, East York, Scarborough and Don Mills. Similar to the way Italians have now started moving in to King City and Newmarket, some Greeks, Macedonians, Romanians and Caribbeans have made a noticeable presence in not only in Pickering and Ajax, but also Whitby and Oshawa.