Cabbagetown

Mockingly named by outsiders for the cabbages that grew on tiny lawns and were cooked in nearly every house by early Irish settlers in the 1840s, the term is used with a combination of inverse pride and almost wistful irony today (as mega-gentrification and restoration efforts have increased real estate value here exponentially). It's fun to stroll around and enjoy the architectural diversity of this funky residential area, and there are a few attractions of interest, too. The enclave extends roughly from Parliament Street on the west—about 1½ km (1 mile) due east of Yonge Street—to the Don River on the east, and from Bloor Street on the north to Queen Street East on the south.