For most shopping needs, one can visit the Dufferin Mall, which has retail stores, department stores, a grocery store, specialty stores, and service stores. The mall also has a family place for kids, and a youth learning centre which hosts readings, arts and storytelling programs. There is also plenty of shopping on Bloor, College and Dundas Streets.

For recreational needs, there is the Dufferin Grove Park. It is a very unqiue park, as it has a community bake oven, a campfire, a music circle, a vegetable and flower garden, arts classes, a live theatre and a naturalization project, along with many festivals each year. There are also public facilities such as a basketball court, a wading pool, a field, an ice rink and tennis courts. On top of that, there is the YMCA on College Street, which has a gym and a pool, along with the Bloor/Gladstone Public Library, which also offers programs for all ages.

The Denison family, who emigrated from England, were the first settlers of the Dufferin Grove in 1792. In 1834 when the city was expanding, the family decided to clear the forest covering their property, and began to cultivate the land. The crops they produced on this land brought the family wealth until about the 1880’s when their property lay in housing development rather than agricultural. Soon enough, the rows of crops were replaced by rows of houses.