What are the family friendly neighbourhoods in Toronto?

According to Zoocasa, with 140 neighbourhoods, Toronto real estate can be difficult to navigate. Finding the right community to raise a family in can be even more confusing. The location you choose will determine the foundation for future memories and friendships. You want nothing but the best for your kids, and finding the right home in the right neighbourhood is the first step toward reaching your goal.

Below, you will find a list of neighbourhoods in Toronto that are the most ideal for raising a family.

1. Allenby
Located along Eglinton Avenue West, Allenby has many popular shops geared toward families with young children. It is also home to Allenby Public School, which has an excellent reputation for its French immersion program for students in grades one through six. Allenby also has many recreational options, including the North Toronto Memorial Community Recreation Centre, which features an indoor and outdoor pool, a walking track, aerobic and weight rooms, and two tennis courts that are used as artificial rinks in the wintertime. The centre is also conveniently located next to Eglinton Park, which has a wading pool, a baseball diamond, and a sports field. The Beltline Trail is also close by, offering seven kilometres of leisure and exercise paths that traverse throughout the central part of the city.

2. Bloor West Village
Bloor West Village is a quiet, popular family neighbourhood in Toronto’s vivacious west end that is known for its close proximity to recreation, shopping, and dining. There are reputable schools in the area and parks where young families often gather on warm, sunny days. This community has the friendly charm of a small town and is located just minutes from downtown Toronto. High Park is a short walk away from the village, which is a mixed recreational and natural park that spans 161 hectares. The park offers sporting and educational and cultural facilities, along with gardens, a playground, and a zoo. The mix of culture, nature, and convenience within Bloor West Village offers residents a community they have no reason to leave.

3. The Beaches
Located in east Toronto along the shore of Lake Ontario, The Beaches, is an exciting place to raise a family. The neighbourhood has been described as a clean, trendy, tight-knit community and just as the name suggests, is home to four beaches and a boardwalk. This location has an excellent reputation for great schools and safety. What more could you ask for? With many restaurants, stores, and recreational options, you need not travel far to spend quality time with your young family.

4. Davisville Village
Located in Midtown Toronto, Davisville Village offers a vast array of housing options and noteworthy schools. Its central location, just a short drive from downtown, is popular among young professionals and families. Located within the community is Mount Pleasant Road, a popular shopping destination for antiques and collectibles. The recreational centre of this community is June Rowlands Park, which boasts six tennis courts, a baseball diamond, and a children’s playground with a wading pool which is perfect for warm, summer months. Also conveniently located within this community is the Yonge-Eglinton Centre, a four-level shopping mall with over 75 stores and services.

5. Bayview Village
With many benefits for parents and children alike, young families will love Bayview Village. This quiet community is brimming with convenient amenities including great schools, green space, and shopping. Residents of this neighbourhood have access to Bayview Village Shopping Centre and a massive YMCA complex that offers a selection of recreational programs. In addition, the community is home to the North York General Hospital and lots family clinics.

6. Bedford Park
Schools, playgrounds, a community centre, and a library draw young families to this neighbourhood. Wanless Park is the recreational hub for this community, with five tennis courts, a playground, basketball court, baseball diamond, and a wading pool. Nearby, the Bedford Park Community Centre is equipped with a gymnasium and indoor pool. There are a large number of public, private, and Catholic schools in the neighbourhood, including the much esteemed Bedford Park Public School. A stretch of Yonge Street runs through Bedford Park and offers plenty of shopping and services to residents.

What kind of money are we talking about?

Well, let's just say nothing below $1 million for a proper family dwellings nowadays.

As a rough guide, I would between $2-3 millions for a detached, and $1-2 million for a semi-detached or townhome in the desirable neighbourhoods. Anything less than that is likely to be condo or apartment.

Look around, be more specific on the location and the type of building,  I am sure some of our visitors will be able to advise you accordingly.

Map :: Toronto Neighborhoods

The Best Places to Live in Toronto?

Taking the following factors into consideration,

›› Low crime rates
›› Good schools
›› Good access to downtown Toronto

My picks for Greater Toronto Area (not just the city core) are as follows: -

The Beaches

The Beaches lies on the shore of Lake Ontario, just a few kilometres east of Toronto’s financial/commercial district. Streetcars from the Beaches take half-an-hour or so to reach the commercial district. The area offers its residents (and large numbers of visitors) a thriving, family friendly, cafe culture, with plenty of restaurants and bars. The area can become too busy at times for some residents.

Most of the Beaches’ 20,000 residents have British Isles ancestry. Britons and other Europeans continue to make up the majority of newcomers. About one-tenth of the Beaches population is made up of visible minorities – the main groups are Chinese and South East Asian.

You will need to budget in the region of $2-3 millions to buy an average detached home in The Beaches and more for the most sought after parts. $650,000+ will buy you a typical semi-detached house. Crime levels in the sometimes very busy Beaches, while never high, are not as low as in our other choices.

Bloor Village West/ Roncesvalles/ High Park

Bloor Village West, Roncesvalles and High Park are three different neighbourhoods which lie adjacent to one another. Their proximity to downtown Toronto means they are popular with many types of property buyer, including developers who demolish or update older houses.

Housing in all of these areas is expensive – expect to pay over $800,000 for an average, detached home. Most of the population in each of the neighbourhoods has British Isles ancestry.

Bloor Village West is known for its quiet, leafy streets. It has plenty of restaurants and bars and lies about 30 minutes from Toronto’s commercial district by subway. About one-sixth of Bloor Village West’s population are visible minorities – the main groups are South East Asian and Chinese.
Roncesvalles was once known as Toronto’s Polish neighbourhood. Again, it is a leafy area with large, traditional homes in quiet streets. Homes are cheaper here than in the adjoining High Park. Expect to pay over $1.5 millions for an average, detached home. About one-third of Roncesvalles’ population are visible minorities – the main groups are South East Asian and Chinese.

High Park’s centrepiece is the 400 acre park from which the neighbourhood takes its name. Families who can afford million dollar homes and who want the convenience of a location close to the commercial heart of the city but with plenty of trees and parkland gravitate to High Park. About one-sixth of High Park’s population are visible minorities – the main groups are South East Asian and Chinese.

These neighbourhoods have good transport connections and are about 20-30 minutes from Toronto’s business district in rush hour.

Burlington

The city of Burlington lies on the shore of Lake Ontario about 50 km (30 miles) south-west of Toronto. From Burlington the GO train takes 45 to 50 minutes to reach Union Station in the heart of Toronto.

Most of Burlington’s population of 170,000 have British Isles ancestry. Less than ten percent of the population are visible minorities.

The city’s residents enjoy the use of almost 3,000 acres of park land, eight golf courses, four indoor and two outdoor pools, three splash pads, seven ice pads, and six community centres.

A typical detached house in Burlington will cost close to $1 million now.

Leaside

Leaside is regarded as one of Toronto’s top areas.

It is a wealthy, leafy area known for its quality of life, good schools and convenient access to Toronto’s commercial heart by road (The Bayview extension).

Leaside homes are expensive – you will need to budget over $2 million for an average, detached home in sought after streets here. You should budget $1.5 millions for an average semi-detached home.

Most of the current population has British Isles ancestry and it remains a popular choice with wealthier British immigrants.

About one-tenth of Leaside’s population are visible minorities – the main groups are South East Asian and Chinese.

Markham

The town of Markham lies about 17 km (10 miles) or half-an-hour by GO train north of Toronto’s commercial centre. 30 years ago, Markham was a small, semi-rural town but since then it has grown remarkably quickly.

At the time of the 2011 census, Markham’s population was 300,000 and it has been growing since by an average of about 10,000 people each year. The town claims for itself the title of Canada’s high technology capital – with some justification, given the presence of Apple, IBM, Lucent, Motorola, Toshiba and Sun Microsystems amongst others.

Buyers should budget over $1 million for a typical, detached home in Markham or about $750,000 for a semi-detached house.

About two-third’s of Markhams’ population are visible minorities. More than half of Markham’s population is Chinese or South Asian by ancestry and the town is a popular choice with Chinese/Hong Kong immigrants.

Oakville

The town of Oakville lies on Lake Ontario’s shore, about 35 km (22 miles) or 35 minutes by GO train, south-west of Toronto’s commercial centre.

Oakville’s prosperous population is predominantly of British Isles ancestry and the town remains popular with newcomers from the UK. Visible minorities make up slightly less than one-fifth of the population – the main groups are South East Asian and Chinese.

The town has 2,500 acres of parkland, good schools, large numbers of play areas for children and two boating marinas.

Older homes tend to lie at the southern end of the town, closer to the lake. A large number of new houses have been built in the northern part of Oakville and these cost less than those in the southern part of town. Buyers should budget about $800,000+ for a typical, detached home in Oakville – although homes tend to be more expensive in the older part of town, nearer the waterfront.

Richmond Hill

The town of Richmond Hill lies about 25 km (15 miles) or half-an-hour by GO train, north of Toronto’s commercial centre. At the time of the 2011 census, the town’s population was 185,000 and growing rapidly.

Richmond Hill’s prosperous population have diverse backgrounds, with visible minorities making up half of the population. The main minority groups are Chinese and South East Asian.

Richmond Hill has over 166 parks offering facilities such as nature trails, playgrounds, sports and athletic fields, picnic areas, tennis courts. The town also has 1360 acres of natural, environmental area for recreation.

About $1-1.5 millions buys a typical, detached house in Richmond Hill. Typical semi-detached houses cost close to $1 million.

Vaughan

The city of Vaughan lies about 21 km (13 miles) north of Toronto’s commercial centre.

At the time of the 2011 census, the town’s population was 288,000 and growing rapidly. Vaughan’s population was just 30,000 in 1981. It is expected to exceed 300,000 by 2021.

The city’s largest employers are the Wonderland amusement park, which employs more than 3,000 people, and UPS (United Parcel Services) employing 2,000 people.

More people in Vaughan identify themselves as Italian or Jewish by origin than by any other ethnicity. Visible minorities make up just over a quarter of the population. The main minority groups are Chinese and South East Asian.

Buyers should budget around $1 million to buy a typical detached house in Vaughan or about $750,000 for a semi-detached house. Detached houses account for almost 80 percent of all residential property in Vaughan.