The Forest City

 

From the London Free Press, Dec. 29, 2008

  Sixteen years ago we were away for the Christmas holiday when this very large tree fell and I am sure it made a sound. The neighbour in the house, to the left of the trunk and on whose property it stood, called to tell us and said, "Don't worry, there was not much damage." I figured she was fibbing since it was a very large tree almost directly in front of our house, the one with the blue porch. I came home quickly and was quickly relieved. The damage that was done, was not major, and affected our other neighbour who lives in the house with the green roof. Had the tree fallen less diagonally, our old house could have been destroyed, even though it is a brick one. This picture from Google Street View offers a different perspective. The earliest Google view I could find was, unfortunately, the year after the falling of the big maple.

It is a good thing we weren't home because our car would have been crushed.

About the 'Forest City'
   London is often referred to as the "Forest City." The origin of the moniker is explained in the letter from Dan Brock, a local historian, found in the London Free Press on March 30, 2024:

"I'm still amused upon hearing London called the Forest City, because of its trees.
Historically, the early setters pointed to the forks of the Thames and made some disparaging remark about Lt.-Gov. John Simcoe's plans for the provincial capital to be laid out here, to be reached only on foot, by elm bark canoe, or Montgolfier's balloon.
This ridiculing of London continued after its founding in 1826, while efforts were made to rid the town plot of every tree.
By the early 1850s, however, Londoners came to take pride that they lived in "the city in the forest."
On Jan. 24, 1856, The Free Press had an oblique reference to "this city of the forest" and on Feb. 9, 1857, Forest City Lodge, No. 38, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was established.
By this time, the nickname the Forest City had become synonymous with London. A once-derogatory epithet had now become a source of pride."
  
In recent years, many have questioned if London is still a Forest City, although the LEDC contends that:
"No matter where you live, one thing you’ll appreciate about London is the balance it offers between city and nature. Nicknamed the Forest City for its more than seven million trees, London offers tree-lined streets, 470+ parks and open spaces, and over 330 kilometres of walking and biking trails." 
Many trees in our "Old South" area have been lost to the Emerald Ash Borer, old age, or to construction, but Elmwood Avenue was certainly canopied by trees when we moved to Wortley Village. Here is an old photograph of it:

Many of those trees are gone, but the beautiful Arthur Stringer house still stands tall. For a picture of it and the trees click the link in the sentence above. 
Many businesses in London use "Forest City" in their names as does the Japanese restaurant in Wortley Village - "Mori", which means forest in Japanese.