Highland Creek, Toronto

Highland Creek is a neighbourhood, unincorporated place, and urban community, in eastern Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located along the southern portion of the river of the same name in the former suburb of Scarborough. To the east are the neighbourhoods of Port Union and West Rouge, to the west West Hill and Woburn, and to the south Centennial Scarborough.The western portion of the neighbourhood is occupied by the University of Toronto Scarborough, a feature landmark in the area and a busy pedestrian centre.HistoryLike many creeks and river valleys in Toronto, evidence of First Nations occupation has been found in this area. A 2005 excavation by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority near the mouth of Highland Creek found evidence of a Late Woodland or Early Archaic site, thought to have been a place of tool manufacture. The Helliwell family, one of the first settlers in the area, accumulated a large number of artifacts from the last 5,000 years.The Highland Creek area was one of the first areas to be occupied by European settlers in the area of what would later become the Township of Scarborough. This is mainly due to the presence of Highland Creek, the river that runs through the neighbourhood, whose valley is occupied by large trees and wildlife. During the 18th and early-19th centuries, the area was home to vast farmlands and homes. In 1954, Hurricane Hazel destroyed many dwellings in the area and contributed to the flooding of the creek.