Bedford Park began as a farming hamlet centred around the crossroads of Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue. This village was a popular stopover for farmers travelling to and from the markets in Toronto. It is likely that Bedford Park is named after the Bedford Park Hotel, which opened in 1873 at the south west corner of Yonge Street and Fairlawn Avenue.

The residential development of Bedford Park was linked to the Metropolitan Street Railway which began service to the area in 1890. That same year Bedford Park amalgamated with the former Town of North Toronto, which was then annexed by the city of Toronto in 1912. To this day Bedford Park is commonly referred to as North Toronto.