Agincourt, Ontario
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Agincourt is a very diverse community in Scarborough, the eastern portion of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at Template:Coor dms and centred along Finch Avenue between Kennedy and Markham Roads.
History
Agincourt post office, opened in June 1858, was named after a village in northern France. The name was intended to please French Canadians, but Agincourt is best known for the battle in 1415, where the English army under Henry V defeated the more numerous, better-armed, French. The original crossroads of Agincourt is located at Midland and Sheppard Avenues and served a rural agricultural population. A church was founded, which has become today's Knox United Church (http://www.knoxunited-agincourt.on.ca/). In addition, a school was built, which has evolved over time into Agincourt Junior Public School (primary) and Agincourt Collegiate Institute (secondary, founded 1915), both part of the Toronto District School Board (http://www.tdsb.on.ca/). A railway station was constructed in the second half of the 19th century at Agincourt just west of the original crossroads. this station, on the train line heading north from a junction at Scarborough station on the Toronto - Montréal mainline, greatly improved access. The line still exists today as a route on the Greater Toronto Area GO Transit commuter rail system.
Suburban Development post World-War II and Agincourt Today
Suburban development began in the post World-War II period and accelerated in the 1950s. Schools were expanded and modernized, and recreational facilities established in the core area. Gradually housing, commercial and industrial development expanded to fill all the remaining farmland. Most was completed by the 1980s, but it continued through the 1990s.
Starting in the 1980s, Agincourt saw the influx of large numbers of immigrants from east Asia. There were tensions as this migration began; however, the character of the community was revitalized and strengthened by the new members. Today, Agincourt has one of the largest Asian communities in Toronto, made visible by the signage of the numerous shopping malls and stores that can be found in the area.