Etobicoke gets its name from a Mississauga word that means the “place where the alders grow". It was once an area of open land and vasts forests and it was incorporated in 1850. Etobicoke grew throughout the early 1900’s, albeit slowly. The Central and Southern parts of Etobicoke grew more quickly as public transit from Toronto was extended out to these neighbourhoods in the early 1920’s. In contrast, the northern part of Etobicoke remained largely rural with some industrial lands.

In 1954, Etobicoke became a municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. Each of its diverse neighbourhoods continued to grow as Etobicoke grew into a blossoming suburb of Toronto. Many lovely new homes were built in Etobicoke while many new high rises where also built here in order to meet the growing demand for housing by new immigrants to this area. The Central neighbourhoods of Etobicoke grew into a series of middle class communities. Many low-income apartments were built in the northern part of Etobicoke, namely Rexdale The southern part of Etobicoke, which runs along Lake Ontario, grew into both a residential and commercial area.

In 1998, Etobicoke was amalgamated into the City of Toronto. Today, Etobicoke still largely remains a residential area of the City of Toronto. It is a very diverse district of the City of Toronto that has both middle class family homes and many low-income high rises.