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I came across this website by accident and joined just to reply to this thread. I grew up in Toronto, lived there with my wife and my first child until we decided to move to a small community to raise our family. Collingwood was my first choice but my wife wanted to be closer to her family and is not a big fan of snow and cold weather so we went in the opposite direction, Niagara On The Lake.
We moved here 23 years ago and have never regretted it for a minute. The climate is probably the warmest in Ontario, plenty to do considering it's right in the heart of the tourist region, we just opened a modern public school and the new hospital in St. Catharines will be open soon. Community spirit is huge here and there is plenty for kids to do with numerous sport leagues and after school activities. We also just opened our new community center which has many programs for children.
NOTL is made up of 4 individual towns, Niagara On The Lake itself, St. Davids, Queenston and Virgil. It takes about 10 minutes to drive to Niagara Falls, St. Catharines or to get on the QEW.
The 2 drawbacks of living here at this point in time are high school kids have to be bused into St. Catharines but this may change in the coming years and the high cost of housing. It's hard to find a detached home anywhere in NOTL for under $250,000.
What about Fonthill? Small town feel, only 20 mins from St. Catharines and Niagara Falls and practically right next to Welland.
Another good place to live in Niagara with a very good high school. Just as close to the new hospital as NOTL and I would think the housing prices would be lower.
Fonthill housing prices seem just as high as NOTL, at least for detached houses, with maybe a slightly higher number of attached homes which are more affordable.
Actually, Welland may be a good choice for an affordable and nice town, with good schools and nice neighbourhoods on the north side of town. It's not really "small town" but compared to Toronto, it's pretty darn small. Hell, it feels small compared to St. Catharines or Niagara Falls but it still has a mall, stores, restaurants, etc.
I would do Dundas. Technically a part of Hamilton, it is more isolated and is an awesome little town with a proper downtown. Its in a valley so it won't get bigger. The schools are great, and if you do want some nightlife/city benefits you have downtown Hamilton a 10 minute drive away.
My daughter and son in law are contemplating the same move. They'd like to move out of the Waterloo Region where money seems to be the main focus.They are going to take the kids to different places overnight for the next few months and feel them out, starting with Bancroft. If you come across the perfect healthy minded, safe and friendly town please let us know.
Amherstburg and Kingsville in Essex County are wonderful, very safe towns surrounded by lakes and right in the middle of wine country. Very affordable and very close to Windsor/Detroit if you need a city fix!
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