The Junction assumes its name from two native trails which crossed in the area prior to European settlement. The name took on additional context later, as it was adjacent the junction of four railway lines in the area.

The area that is now the Junction was mainly rural up until the 1870s. After the arrival of the railways in the 1880s, the old racetrack and encompassing area were developed by Daniel Webster Clendenan, and the two main shortcuts of the track are now High Park Avenue and Pacific Avenue.

The Village of West Toronto Junction merged with the nearby villages of Carleton and Davenport to become the Town of West Toronto Junction in 1889. It grew some more, into the Town of Toronto Junction in 1892, then the City of West Toronto, and in 1909 it was amalgamated with the City of Toronto.

The range between Keele, Runnymede Road, St. Clair, and the CP railway lines, was for many decades the region of the Ontario Stockyards. The former Stockyards area is now the location of a large bloc of big-box stores,along with several smaller stores. The name “Stockyards” is still used to describe this new shopping area.