The Best Neighborhoods to Live in Toronto

A city, which is known for its diversity, Toronto can be an exciting place to live because of a number of reasons, and our Toronto movers can help you relocate if you need it. As you move to this city, it would be very helpful to find out about the best neighborhoods to live in Toronto. However, you need to know that buying or renting a house in this city is a step to be taken seriously because of the high housing prices.

It is bigger than you expect it to be and there’s a lot of hustle and bustle. With a population of more than 3 million, Toronto can feel overwhelming initially, especially if you come from a small town.

While real estate is expensive here, there are numerous available options too. You can live in an area at a distance from the downtown core or find a reasonable condo in the heart of the city. The Greater Toronto Area is also filled with plenty of nice neighborhoods.

Being Canada’s largest city, Toronto has countless neighborhoods that are constantly evolving with time. We will let you know about the main characteristics and facts about each part of it so that you can make an informed decision as you choose a certain place to live in the city.

Criteria to Choose the Best Neighborhood

Your personal taste, budget, and lifestyle have a lot to do with the ultimate decision of choosing the best neighborhood in Toronto. Researching on the various living areas is daunting but worth investing time in. This will help in addressing all your concerns and queries before you finally find the best neighborhood for yourself.

Usually, the families favor suburbs like Markham, North York, Richmond Hill (located in the north and east), or the Halton region. On the contrary, single men and women prefer condominiums in downtown as they are affordable and provide easy access to most parts of the city.

A single bachelor condo can cost you as low as $1500-1600 a month but there is intense competition to get the lease. The demand is way higher than supply in the rental market, thus, you may need to settle for something which doesn’t meet all your requirements. For the singles, a good idea is to find a shared place to save some money during their early days in the city.

The size of the house or apartment plays a bigger role than the neighborhood in determining the rent. That being said, the rents are reasonable in the suburbs and if you want to live in the downtown core, King West, or Rosedale, you are going to dig deeper into your pocket as compared to other places.

Best Neighborhoods in Toronto

Canada’s biggest city is also rich in population and diversity. Its hundreds of neighborhoods are located within the 10 distinct areas including York, North York, East York, Downtown, Midtown, Uptown, Etobicoke, the West End, the East End, and Scarborough.

We talk about some of the most livable places in the city:

Kensington Market

This multicultural area is one of the oldest and most famous neighborhoods in the city. It is indeed iconic with a web of streets consisting of book stores, cafes, bars, fresh food outlets, and thrift shops. Anything of need is within the access of the residents, and the distance to downtown is also short.

The independent spirit and the unique feel of Kensington Market make it one of the best areas of Toronto. Parking and driving through the narrow streets is a bit of an issue but since the commercial area is within reach, it is better and more feasible to travel by foot.

Davisville Village/St. Clair

The midtown area is popular amongst families and professionals because of its peacefulness and affordability. As compared to the pricey neighborhoods like Summerhill and Rosedale, the houses are fairly priced and there are no loud noises or heavy crowds.

The friendly residents can be seen walking with their dogs during the early evening hours and having some quality time with the neighbors. The locals can be seen working out and walking in the high park. The area of St. Clair isn’t happening but it gives a very homely feel making it one of the best places to live in Toronto.

West Queen West

Just a few years ago, this neighborhood made it to Vogue’s list of the coolest neighborhoods in the world. Why is it one of the best neighborhoods in Toronto? There is everything for everyone, and it provides complete facilities and entertainment to the residents right within their range.

It is a heaven for fashionistas as there are enough boutiques to find vintage clothes. You can even find interesting art galleries and record stores. Even if you plan to stay within the neighborhood during the weekend, there are slim chances that you will get bored.

East Chinatown

There is no definite answer to the question ‘where is the best place to live in Toronto’? While Chinatown is the home to the extensive Chinese community that has a very wide variety of fruits and vegetables available in the market, it has become crowded. Thus, Toronto’s emerging East Chinatown is now becoming the choice of the new residents of the city.

The area is peaceful, but it has a number of lively localities nearby. Thus, one can always ride to the surrounding areas for a good night out.

Roncesvalles

The area is known to be the center for the Polish community, and it carries its rich history. Commonly referred to as ‘Roncy’, it has now become home to creative people, professional artists, and Millennials within the last decade. The rents do not resonate with the neighborhood’s popularity as it is cheaper than other parts of Toronto.

With most part of it being residential, there is a full-length commercial strip in Roncesvalles consisting of coffee shops, bars, and restaurants. It is a pretty neighborhood, but it is located at a distance from downtown. It might be an issue to get to the city center unless you live in the north end and Dundas West subway is right around the corner.

The Junction

Toronto’s west end is lined with top neighborhoods but the Junction still manages to stand out. It does provide a fashionable sight, and in recent years, the area is undergoing massive improvement as its popularity grows. The vibes of this neighborhood are the same as those of Queen West and Roncesvalles.

This area is not only a comfortable place to live, but a great location to hang out as well. The multiple transit options including the Keele Station and the the Dundas West station are the selling points of this area. You can reach downtown within 20 minutes, and the access to other parts of the city is convenient too.

Scarborough

This neighborhood lies in the suburbs and offers the cheapest rent rates amongst them. This is a very popular choice of the new immigrants making the locality very vibrant and diverse. The Greater Toronto Area is already known for its multiculturalism, and Scarborough enhances it to the next level.

Being the best place to live in Toronto, it consists of all the facilities which are essential to living a comfortable lifestyle. Moreover, the crime rates are the lowest as compared to the rest of Toronto making this suburban area an ideal choice for the families with children. Multiple transit options are available so going to the downtown is not a problem.

Why Choose Suburbs?

The families with small children always prioritize living in the outskirts of the city as compared to its center. The foremost reason behind this move is the family-friendly infrastructure, which is supported in these areas. Such an environment is impossible to attain in the overcrowded downtown, where the rhythm of life is insane.

There is no denying that living at such a distance from their workplace is a difficult thing for working people. They have to travel more on a daily basis, and this increases their working hours. As they choose to travel by subway or bus, they face the congestion of the city. This is the only time they are surrounded by crowds, the concept of which literally does not exist in the suburbs of Toronto.

The suburban districts have been designed with the needs of a common family kept in mind. This is the reason that the schools here offer a higher quality of education than those in the city center. The fees are affordable, and the amenities are better. If you already have children or plan to have them in the nearest future, there is no better place to live in than the Toronto suburbs. For a comfortable living, you can choose one of these cities around Toronto: Mississauga, Vaughan, Scarborough, Burlington, Durham, Richmond Hill, etc.

There are fewer people around you and wider spaces so there is no compromise on privacy. The apartment complexes and condos in the urban developments will never provide you with the necessary personal space. This is especially worrisome for creative people and artists who need a very peaceful environment to explore their creativity.

While efforts have been done to make the city safer in the past decade, it is still not as safe as the suburbs. The crime rate in the suburbs, where families reside, is lower than in the downtown area. Safety is the foremost concern of parents as they don’t want to live in a place where they are always worried about the safety of their children.

If you decide to live in one of the suburbs of Toronto and need relocating service, you can always call our managers in the cities you want to move to. You can find all the areas covered by GTA Moving services here.

You can always get in touch with our Newmarket, Vaughan or Mississauga movers, which can guide you to make the right choice in selecting your place residence. Instead of finding a condo or an apartment in the heart of the city, it is better to look for nearby places which are only a few minutes’ drive away.

A great idea is to hire the services of small town Burlington movers and relocate to any of the suburban neighborhoods. There is a number of lovely areas to choose from, and recently more and more people have been moving to Oakville making this small town their home. This will ensure a better quality of life for your family, lower rent prices, and a peaceful living environment.