Willowdale is an established community in the former City of North York, now part of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was originally called "Lansing". North York was merged with five other municipalities and a regional government to form the new City of Toronto in 1998.

Willowdale was originally a village centred at the intersection of Willowdale Avenue and Sheppard Avenue East (Old Willowdale), where a number of small business and commercial buildings still remain. The boundaries of the current neighbourhood extend as far east as Leslie Street, west to Senlac Avenue, south to the 401 freeway, and north to Steeles Avenue. The neighbourhood abuts Bayview Village to the east and Newtonbrook to the north (sometimes Newtonbrook is considered part of Willowdale, as territories of neighborhoods significantly overlap). North York Centre is centred at the intersection of Yonge Street and Empress Avenue and is commonly thought to be a part of Willowdale, though its high-rise residential and commercial development in recent years sets it apart from much of the rest of Willowdale.

The Willowdale neighbourhood consists of single family homes, condominium townhouses and high-rise condominium towers. High density development is restricted along Yonge Street. The single family homes range in age from the original 1910 to 1950s construction (one and two-storey pre-war houses and modest one-and-half storey postwar houses). After the 1990s, very large replacement two-storey luxury homes were constructed by tearing down the original houses. It is in this neighbourhood that the term "monster homes" was first applied by Torontonians.



Looking east along Sheppard Ave. from Yonge St.; 1922, Ted Chirnside



Yonge Street facing south, 1920