From a historical perspective, Toronto's growth skewed to the west right from the start, as the east end was swampy and harder to build on. Development past the Don River didn't really begin in earnest until the late 1800s as a result, by which time the city had been (mostly) built up about as far west as Dufferin; if this 1878 map is any indication:
The early bias to westward development then just never let up, as it subsequently got more industry, rail lines, the QEW, the airport, and so on; thereby begetting more growth.
Yes, and this is evident in the somewhat later development west of the Don before World War I:
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