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Not entirely true, you will find it in southeast Oakville and along the lakeshore in Burlington.
IMO very treed areas. with green canopy of sizeable trees.
Nice big homes on large lots.
In Toronto, I like High Park, Swansea, Baby Point areas. All kinda expensive.
If you've have unlimited funds...Rosedale, Forest Hill, the Bridal Path are all very good
Those parts of Oakville and Burlington you mentioned are just as pricey as Rosedale, Forest Hill, Wychwood Park, Lawrence Park, Bridlepath, etc.
Re-reading the OP's dislike of grittiness makes me wonder if they will actually like living in Old Toronto. Although its residential streets can be very beautiful, many parts of Old Toronto do have a kind of grittiness that you don't find in North York. IMO, it's part of the city's charm, but you will probably want to come and take a look for yourself in the spring and summer.
A great example of this is Cabbagetown. The residential, northeastern part of Cabbagetown with all its fixed up Victorians and narrow lane ways, beautiful gardens and giant old trees are quite a contrast to St. Jamestown, Parliament St., Gerrard St. East, Regent Park and River St. The northeast part of Cabbagetown is one of the most beautiful areas in Old Toronto, but it also has some of the grittiest, highest crime areas of the city surrounding it.
If you're not up for living in the wealthy enclaves of Rosedale, Forest Hill, Summerhill, Lawrence Park, etc., then the least gritty neighbourhoods in the Old City that seem to fit what you're looking for are probably Playter Estates, the Annex, Palmerston, and the section of Riverdale bordered by Danforth in the north, Gerrard St. East in the south (a street that is quite gritty) Broadview Ave. in the west and Carlaw Ave. in the east. The reason I left this part of Riverdale out of my original list is because it is a very family-oriented neighbourhood - mostly young, upwardly mobile couples who are just starting their families. The southern part of Riverdale, bordering Queen East has more singles and 'DINKS', but is grittier in many parts.
Again, the best way for you to find your ideal neighbourhood is to use the list I gave you as a starting point, then use Bing Maps bird's eye view feature and Google Street View to get a good look at them and narrow down the list to the areas that look the most promising. Then start visiting the areas on foot. Wait until May, and then start making weekly trips downtown, taking the subway into the city and using transit to get around so you will see how transit-friendly the neighbourhoods are, because IMO, it's best not to drive downtown if you don't have to. Once you've narrowed it down to a few neighbourhoods you really like, visit them in the evening and night as well as the daytime, because neighbourhoods can change a lot at night compared to the daytime. Finally, go with your gut, and instead of choosing a neighbourhood, let it choose you. I think you'll know when you've found the right place. Then, the real work begins - finding a great place at a decent price.
I'm thinking we might be lean towards mid-town. After strolling through the Yonge-St Clair and Yonge-Eglinton areas, we feel that corridor would be a good compromise. Not sure if we can find something in our budget, but lots can happen in a year when our current lease expires.
I'm thinking we might be lean towards mid-town. After strolling through the Yonge-St Clair and Yonge-Eglinton areas, we feel that corridor would be a good compromise. Not sure if we can find something in our budget, but lots can happen in a year when our current lease expires.
Yonge-Eg has great subway accessibility, but personally I don't think it's the best place to live - not really anything to do in the neighbourhood. It's often called Young and Eligible because there are many young, single residents living in the area. Further south, around St.Clair / Davisville the neighbourhoods that border Yonge are some of the most expensive in the city, so be ready to drop mucho dinero. But if you got the dinero to spend, the area just to the south and north of St. Clair West to the west (and east) of Yonge is a great area if you don't mind aloof neighbours and the lack of community that often comes along with expensive areas. The area is very pricey, but lots old homes, mansions, and great access to Yonge and the subway - also, not much grittiness at all. You should check it out. Also, the area east of Mount Peasant is very nice, but the access to the subway not as good. However, many people commute to and from downtown via Mt. Pleasant to Jarvis.
Had the opportunity to do more strolling over the weekend, thought I'd share my impressions:
QUEEN EAST and LESLIEVILLE
We walked from Bloor to Parliament, down to Queen, then back to Yonge, and it felt a bit too gritty and seedy for our taste. We then took the Queen streetcar to Broadview and strolled westbound thru Leslieville. Decent neighborhood, but still had an air of seediness and a few street folks who kept us slightly on edge. Nice to see all the different vintage clothing shops, pubs/restaurants, and other stores.
THE BEACH
Next day we took the Queen St streetcar to around Coxwell, walked down to the beach area, along the boardwalk to Silver Birch, then westbound on Queen back to Woodbine. Immediately we liked this neighborhood. Bustling with people, there were plenty of shops, pubs, amenities, and an overall great "vibe". Maybe lots of families and kids, a slight "yuppie/hipster/douche" factor, and the sidestreets seemed very crowded and tight, but this seems a great place to stroll and hang in the summer. Don't think we'd want to live there, though. Must get insufferably crowded and congested during summer.
YONGE-EGLINTON
Had more opportunity to stroll the loop from Eglinton to Mt Pleasant, across Davisville to Yonge, and back up again. Stayed for dinner and a movie. Really liked the variety of shops and amenities and like The Beach, it just had a bustling vibe that felt welcoming. A pulse. People genuinely seemed happy to be there. I think this is our favorite place to hang, aside from downtown.
By comparison, our present neighborhood of North York Centre feels a bit scattered with a colder vibe. At first we were thrilled to have things like grocery, a few restaurants, and a theatre complex within easy walking distance, but after seeing the character and variety of Y/E and Beaches, we know things could be better. People in those neighborhoods seemed happier and more friendly, while NYCC feels more all business and no eye contact. Hard to explain, and I'm just generalizing, but there is something just "off" here.
I'd say the Yonge corridor from Bloor to Eglinton (but not east of Mount Pleasant!), Yorkville, the Annex, "prime" Cabbagetown, and the condo belt south of Queen between Dufferin and the Don (though personally I think Liberty Village is awful and I'd definitely rather be north rather than south of the Gardiner; I prefer King-Spadina and St. Lawrence/Old Town).
I'd say the Yonge corridor from Bloor to Eglinton (but not east of Mount Pleasant!), Yorkville, the Annex, "prime" Cabbagetown, and the condo belt south of Queen between Dufferin and the Don (though personally I think Liberty Village is awful and I'd definitely rather be north rather than south of the Gardiner; I prefer King-Spadina and St. Lawrence/Old Town).
The Beaches is actually chock full of kids.
North York around Yonge is a) the real Koreatown, especially near Sheppard. I love Korean people, but the area is definitely influenced heavily by the large Korean population, and if you're not Korean you may not find it that say to make lots of friends. Even lots of the businesses and restaurants are Korean; b) not a particularly friendly or bustling neighbourhood. You have Yonge where there's lots of condos and office towers, but walk a few minutes in either direction and you are in fairly low density single-family home areas with no street life a all; c) very much lacking in stuff to do and therefore d) pretty dead at night. Personally, I would prefer Jane-Finch over NYCC, even with the crappy transit options (the Downsview subway extension will be opening soon enough). At least there's more street life and more to do.
Anyways, about the Beaches, I'll say this much: it's a great area, and lots of people love it. It's especially popular for young families. But there are two drawbacks to consider. First, the Queen East strip has been having some problems retaining businesses, and there are lots of empty storefronts in the area where failed businesses once existed. At the same time, there are hardly any restaurants or bars compared to most areas of the city, which means you will often have to leave the neighbourhood to go out at night. As far as the empty storefronts, there don't seem to be a lot of investors eager to take a chance on the Beaches, which brings me to my second point that Second, the Beaches are too damn far from everything and bloody hard to get to and from, from just about every other part of the city. You either take the Queen car, which takes half-an-hour with no traffic from Yonge. Or you take the Bloor/Danforth line to Woodbine and take the Woodbine bus down to Queen (or the opposite when you want to get out of the area). This sounds fine in theory, but an unfortunate fact I learned when working in the Beaches a few years ago is that the Woodbine bus only comes every 20 minutes during prime time, and thirty minutes at night. Yeah, really. So unless you plan on driving a lot or taking really pricey can rides to the easternmost end of Toronto, I would just stick to the Beaches as a great summer destination when you want to get out of the city and enjoy the Lake and the area's unique atmosphere. But it's up to you.
Personally, if you like the East End, I would choose the portion of Riverdale north of Gerrard to the Danforth, and west of Carlaw to Broadview. Not a lot of grittiness there (except for Gerrard). Just well-kept houses of a great variety of architectural styles, equally well-kept yards, and excellent proximity to the Danforth and its subway. There's also the Gerrard streetcar for excellent access to downtown, Riverdale Park and the footbridge over the Don Valley to an even more expansive park on the west side of the Valley, and Cabbagetown. In this area, you can choose to live closer to Danforth, or closer to Gerrard, or smack in the middle where you get the conveniences of both areas and their transit lines. Go check out the area on Bing Maps Bird's Eye View to get an idea of the layout, and then check out Google Street View if you want to get down and dirty. But from what I've read you post, I think this may be the place for you.
North York around Yonge is a) the real Koreatown, especially near Sheppard...if you're not Korean you may not find it that say to make lots of friends; b) not a particularly friendly or bustling neighbourhood.
We've been hoping it's just the weather that gives this part of town it's "muted" vibe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TOkidd
Anyways, about the Beaches, I'll say this much: it's a great area, and lots of people love it. It's especially popular for young families.
I couldn't live there because it's just too crowded. If you are 100% on foot, things might be ok, but if you have to drive anywhere I don't understand (a) where the hell people are parking - each street is jam packed with cars, how the hell do you even find a spot? and (b) how anyone could take the congestion when just trying to go up the road or get onto the main road/highway. It's like digging yourself out of a hole each time you venture out. I need a little room to breathe. But I will hang out there, gladly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TOkidd
Personally, if you like the East End, I would choose the portion of Riverdale north of Gerrard to the Danforth, and west of Carlaw to Broadview.
Looks interesting, I'll be sure to check it out.
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