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I'm a 26 year old professional woman moving to Toronto from Hamilton in December. I'll be working at Bay & College. I'm looking to spend no more than 1200/month on rent (although 900-1100 is more preferable). Some neighbourhoods that I have been looking at through Viewit.com are Church & Wellesley and surrounding areas, Bathurst & St. Clair, Yonge & St. Clair, and The Danforth. I chose these areas because they have a lot of high and low rise buildings, and they seem reasonably priced. Also, I'd like to live in a neighbourhood where there are a lot of other young professionals like myself.
How are these neighbourhoods safety-wise? I'm particularly interested in Church & Wellesley (and surrounding area towards St. James Town) because of the proximity to work. Is this a good area to live in?
Are there any other neighbourhoods you would recommend or should I stick with these?
church/wellesley is quite different from St Jamestown though. The former is more hip and trendy while the latter is more geared toward lower income/new immigrants.
Yonge/St Clair is a posh neighbourhood with great access to ravines and amenities. But it is not downtown and it can be too quiet for a 26 year old. Bathurst/St Clair however is an up-coming one with no so much going on. More suitable for young families.
I would recommend Church/Wellesley, the area between Charles East and Wellesley st, and Yonge/Jarvis has plenty of rental apartment buildings.
You may consider King West/Liberty Village as well, but it is a bit far from your work.
I've always prefered lowrise buildings...I would try to look a little more north, say around Davisville subway, Leaside, Bayview Ave areas. It's a little more upscale but you can still find an affordable place for yourself...very safe area, especially for single women, family oriented, lots of amenities, ideal for single professionals.
Thanks for your input botticelli. I'd prefer to be in the more hip/trendy part over the low income area of course. So if I go just east of Jarvis (like Sherbourne/Parliament areas) I'll be hitting the lower income buildings? If so then i'll focus my search around the area you gave me.
I've always prefered lowrise buildings...I would try to look a little more north, say around Davisville subway, Leaside, Bayview Ave areas. It's a little more upscale but you can still find an affordable place for yourself...very safe area, especially for single women, family oriented, lots of amenities, ideal for single professionals.
Thanks zortation,
I've been looking in that area and have found a few affordable places. Another question for everyone:
I've read that rent prices tend to go down a bit in the fall/winter months. Less people wanting to move at that time/less demand. Do you find that to be true in Toronto?
I've read that rent prices tend to go down a bit in the fall/winter months. Less people wanting to move at that time/less demand. Do you find that to be true in Toronto?
Thanks for your input botticelli. I'd prefer to be in the more hip/trendy part over the low income area of course. So if I go just east of Jarvis (like Sherbourne/Parliament areas) I'll be hitting the lower income buildings? If so then i'll focus my search around the area you gave me.
Anyone else have an opinion?
East of Jarvis between Bloor and Queen is a bit gritty, particularly around Dundas St, but not necessarily dangerous. South of Queen/Richmond is a different story.
If you work downtown, I would strongly suggest living downtown, with walking distance to work. The subway in Toronto is notoriously expensive and unreliable. Sometimes you may get stuck in the train for 20 minutes with no explanation. A supposedly 10 minutes subway ride can easily turn into a nightmare ruining your entire day. Plus, outside downtown but south of Eglinton, condos near the subway are NOT cheaper compared with downtown whatsoever. Don't forget a monthly pass alone costs $126 nowadays.
I would focus on the Yonge-Church-Isabella-Carlton area if I were you. I used to live in this area for 2 years too and loved it. The rent is reasonable in many older buildings if you have want to save more, and you have everything you need within 5 minutes of walking. I wouldn't want to live in one of those Bay St condos, as they look really boring and Bay Street north of Gerrard is sterile.
The flexibility to walk to work is a big bless and will improve your quality of life dramatically, although many don't seem to realize that.
East of Jarvis between Bloor and Queen is a bit gritty, particularly around Dundas St, but not necessarily dangerous. South of Queen/Richmond is a different story.
If you work downtown, I would strongly suggest living downtown, with walking distance to work. The subway in Toronto is notoriously expensive and unreliable. Sometimes you may get stuck in the train for 20 minutes with no explanation. A supposedly 10 minutes subway ride can easily turn into a nightmare ruining your entire day. Plus, outside downtown but south of Eglinton, condos near the subway are NOT cheaper compared with downtown whatsoever. Don't forget a monthly pass alone costs $126 nowadays.
I would focus on the Yonge-Church-Isabella-Carlton area if I were you. I used to live in this area for 2 years too and loved it. The rent is reasonable in many older buildings if you have want to save more, and you have everything you need within 5 minutes of walking. I wouldn't want to live in one of those Bay St condos, as they look really boring and Bay Street north of Gerrard is sterile.
The flexibility to walk to work is a big bless and will improve your quality of life dramatically, although many don't seem to realize that.
Thanks Botticelli, your advice has been really helpful! And I definitely know what you mean about subway costs, which is why I'm more interested in the Yonge-Church-Isabella-Carlton area. It would be so nice to be able to walk to work and everywhere else.
I'm definitely going to focus my search on this area. It seems happening
Also try Downtown west / College west / Trinity Bellwoods/ Roncesvalles Ave / Howard Park Ave / High Park...they're a little more hipster-friendly. They're not walking distance to the core but transit improves the closer you get.
Also try Downtown west / College west / Trinity Bellwoods/ Roncesvalles Ave / Howard Park Ave / High Park...they're a little more hipster-friendly. They're not walking distance to the core but transit improves the closer you get.
Thanks Zortation,
I'll try those areas too, they seem pretty nice. If the rent is lower than Church-Wellesley area then it might be worth buying a subway pass.
Also, botticelli, I walked around Church-Wellesley on Saturday to check out the neighbourhood. I loved it! So cool. They have so many buildings to choose from. I hope I find something reasonable there
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