The St. Lawrence neighbourhood — covering the area north of the lake shore, south of Queen, east of Yonge and west of Parliament — is largely built on landfill, Front Street having marked the Toronto's shoreline until the mid-1850s. The area hosts one of North America's most dense populations in a friendly and vital environment, with quick TTC or on-foot access to many of Toronto's best amenities and attractions.

Though St. Lawrence wasn't really what you would call a neighbourhood until the 1980s (the late-'70s-era mixed-income, multicultural residential portion to the south is a widely acclaimed example of successful urban planning), almost all of one's daily needs can be addressed within its confines. The area boasts three 24-hour grocery stores, one Catholic and two TDSB schools, two Starbucks and a Second Cup, many shops, restaurants and salons, lots of trees, parks and playgrounds, the Rainbow Market Square movie theatre (80 Front E.) and a community centre with a swimming pool.

Some of the historical highlights of the 'hood include Berkeley Castle at 2 Berkeley (a bayside building when it was erected in 1790); St. Lawrence Hall at 157 King E. (built as a town meeting hall in 1850); the The Flatiron (a.k.a. Gooderham) building at 49 Wellington E. (built in 1891 and reputed to contain underground tunnels to the distillery district to the east, which was designed by the same architect); and, of course, the St. Lawrence Market at 95 Front E. (the south portion of which was a combined city hall and police station from 1845 to 1891). Worth exploring also is the grand King Edward Hotel (37 King E.), which has accommodated the affluent and the famous since 1903 and features a fabulous tearoom as well as the now-disused Crystal Ballroom.

Culinary splendour is never far away here: the market has a wealth of raw ingredients and prepared foods; there are two Jamie Kennedy restaurants (the still-surviving Wine Bar and a small lunch spot, both at 9 Church) within the region's bounds, plus another blocks away; a Petite Thuet (1 King W.) has just appeared at Yonge and King; and there's the swish-looking Chefs' House (215 King E.), where the advanced students of George Brown College's Chef School prepare bistro-style meals. For more down-to-earth offerings, Le Petit Dejeuner (191 King E.), Betty's (240 King E.) and C'est What (19 Church) are longstanding local faves.

Though the neighbourhood is sorely lacking in nightlife hotspots and live-band venues, it is the home of five theatres — Sony Centre for Performing Arts (1 Front E.), The Bluma Appel (27 Front E.), Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People (165 Front E.), The Berkeley Street Theatre (26 Berkeley) and Alumnae Theatre (70 Berkeley) — and hosts many street celebrations including Buskerfest, Woofstock, COMMFEST and more, making St. Lawrence an exciting destination as well as a fun place to live. LYNDA SPARK