Cabbagetown — the area east of Parliament Street between Bloor and Gerrard — is the largest concentration of preserved Victorian residential architecture in North America. The neighbourhood was originally settled by Irish immigrants in the 19th century (the cabbages they grew in their front gardens gave it the name). By the mid-20th century it had declined significantly; a 1970s restoration movement saved it from demolition, and today the narrow streets of terrace houses and semi-detached Victorians are among the most photographed in the city.
Parliament Street is the main commercial street, with small restaurants, cafés, and independent shops serving the neighbourhood. The street has a character entirely different from the larger commercial strips: human-scaled and specifically residential in feel. Necropolis Cemetery at the north end of the neighbourhood is one of Toronto's most beautiful Victorian cemeteries, with shaded paths and ornate monuments going back to the 1850s.
Allan Gardens Conservatory (with its year-round Victorian greenhouse) is at the western edge of the neighbourhood and serves as a natural anchor for a walk through the area.