moving to Toronto....where to live?

[seattlemom]

My family (husband and 5 year old) and I are moving to Toronto from the U.S. next month and we need a place to live! I was hoping you could help focus our search since we are not able to take a trip over before we move. The city and it's surrounding areas are so huge, it's hard to get a grasp on where we'd like to settle. My husband will be working at the airport YYZ and would like to spend less than an hour in traffic. We'd love to live in a place where we could walk to nearby shops and cafes, or outdoor markets. I would really rather not drive everywhere I need to go. Could I find this in Mississauga or Oakville? What about Etobicoke? For those with children, do private schools fill up quickly? I'd appreciate any help and if this is in the wrong forum, sorry!

 

[Hypnotoad]

My family (husband and 5 year old) and I are moving to Toronto from the U.S. next month and we need a place to live! I was hoping you could help focus our search since we are not able to take a trip over before we move. The city and it's surrounding areas are so huge, it's hard to get a grasp on where we'd like to settle. My husband will be working at the airport YYZ and would like to spend less than an hour in traffic. We'd love to live in a place where we could walk to nearby shops and cafes, or outdoor markets. I would really rather not drive everywhere I need to go. Could I find this in Mississauga or Oakville? What about Etobicoke? For those with children, do private schools fill up quickly? I'd appreciate any help and if this is in the wrong forum, sorry!

Everyone has their own personal opinion so my first piece of advice not to listen to closely to us who reply.

Having said that, you have some good options available given your needs and wants with relation to proximity to airport, schools and cafes/etc. Oakville is about as far as you can get (in the west) from the Airport without expecting more than an hour's drive. Downtown Oakville is pricey but really nice. There are some pictures of it here and you can read an article here. There are expensive private schools in Oakville (that do fill up quickly tuition ~ 14-18,000 a year) but the city has nearly direct highway access to the airport via QEW/403. Oakville also has frequent train service to downtown Toronto via GO transit. But to be honest, you need a car in Oakville and the downtown is, while very pretty, small and probably can't serve all your needs.

Mississauga is a massive suburb that is starting to grow up. It is still the land of the car and there are not very many pockets where cafes and shops are walkable or existent. The same can be said about most of the York Region (Vaughan, Richmond Hill) and Brampton, all which are near the airport. Mississauga, though, has better GO train access to downtown toronto compared to the others listed in this paragraph. An depending on which mayor you talk to, the airport is in Mississauga. But don't take this claim to heart as it is really on the fringe border between Mississauga, Brampton and Toronto. But, as you mentioned, Toronto and its area is huge and the sprawl has made the bordered between these cities seamless.

I don't know much about Etibicoke but parts of it are much older than Mississauga and therefore have more development and history. There are a lot of condos near the lake in one section and then you have some older houses and industry mixed around the Mimico/Royal York area. This is a nice area but not the best and I can't remember how close it is to shops, etc.

The Kingsway is a nice but expensive neighbourhood that accommodate your needs but it might be out of reach, I don't know.

There are a lot of options really and I'll let someone else take it from here. Good luck.

 

[Hipster Duck]

Bloor West Village is a great, old neighbourhood to raise children and has the kind of shops/cafes you are looking for. It's also about 9 miles from the airport on the western side of the city, near High Park. If he drives, your husband will be reverse-commuting the entire way.

 

[seattlemom]

Thank you so much!

I wish the pics were still available, but from the comments I gather that we'd be better suited outside of Oakville. An aquaintance of mine has just recently moved to Oakville and thinks it is just wonderful but we have different tastes. She has painted a pretty poor picture of the areas outside of Oakville so I appreciate you all taking the time to explain some of your neighborhoods. I stumbled across this area http://www.villageofstreetsville.com/ would this be a nice area to live in? Also, is the Kingsway neighborhood in Toronto?

 

[Anth]

I stumbled across this area http://www.villageofstreetsville.com/ would this be a nice area to live in?

Streetsville (in Mississauga) is a nice area with some history, but the "village" part is limited to a relatively short stretch and the rest of the community is otherwise pretty suburban and car-dependent, which may or may not be an issue. There is a GO station there, however, and plenty of shopping and services nearby (including a major hospital). It's also on the Credit River and offers lots of scenic paths and parks.

 

[seattlemom]

Ok, thank you. Good to know it is a small stretch; it's hard to tell that kind of thing from a website.

Does anyone know if The Giles School or Toronto French School are good schools?

 

[Ahab]

The Toronto French School is a very reputable school in Toronto. It's probably the first school Toronto parents considering private French schools think of.

I don't know much about the Giles School other than that it is founded by the same person who founded the Toronto French School. If having your kids learn French is very important, then both these schools should be considered.

That being said, not every school, regardless of reputation, is going to be a good fit for every child. My best advice is for you to visit these schools personally.

One thing you have to note is that both the Toronto French School and The Giles School are a fair distance from Oakville and Mississauga and even Etobicoke. It may be an hour commute or longer each way.

 

[Hypnotoad]

Also, is the Kingsway neighborhood in Toronto?

The Kingsway is a street in Etibicoke, which is in the west end of Toronto. It is pretty much near the corner of Bloor/Royal York (subway stop: Royal York) and it runs north-south between Dundas and Bloor. Mostly a well manicured, old house and tree lined neighbourhood with access to the subway and some near by shops. It is just west of Bloor West Village, which as stated previously, is a good location in my opinion. Some of the surrounding area, though, may not be deemed as desirable.

 

[CDL.TO]

The Kingsway is a street in Etibicoke, which is in the west end of Toronto. It is pretty much near the corner of Bloor/Royal York (subway stop: Royal York) and it runs north-south between Dundas and Bloor. Mostly a well manicured, old house and tree lined neighbourhood with access to the subway and some near by shops. It is just west of Bloor West Village, which as stated previously, is a good location in my opinion. Some of the surrounding area, though, may not be deemed as desirable.

"The Kingsway" is also the name for the neighbourhood that is in the general vicinity of the street between Bloor and Dundas. It's a beautiful, traditional english-influenced nabe.

 

[mastershake]

You could also check out somewhere in North York, like North York City Centre which is around yonge street from sheppard to finch. I just moved to the area and I like it so far. I put some photos here: http://urbantoronto.ca/showthread.php?t=9778

It would be about 20km driving to the airport from north york on highway 401, but I think traffic can be pretty bad during rush hour times. I don't drive so I don't know though. Yonge street is quite built up and there are a lot of shops and services near by. Public transit is also good in the area, if you live close to the subway you can get downtown in about half an hour.

 

[Hydrogen]

There's also Port Credit in Mississauga. It's a reasonable commute to the airport, but a neighbourhood with an established mainstreet and local amenities.

 

[adma]

How might downtown Brampton be?

 

[adma]

Bloor West Village is a great, old neighbourhood to raise children and has the kind of shops/cafes you are looking for. It's also about 9 miles from the airport on the western side of the city, near High Park. If he drives, your husband will be reverse-commuting the entire way.

For that matter, you might as well include Swansea, High Park, the Junction into the equation as well--and the reverse commute can be surprisingly brisk...

 

[CDL.TO]

For traffic purposes it is worth noting that living in the direction of the core in relation to the airport (south or southeast) will allow you to reverse commute, avoiding a lot of traffic. The 427 is almost always free-flowing, and the QEW between the 403 in Oakville and Islington in Toronto is usually pretty good for traffic. The 401, however, is almost guaranteed gridlock in rush hours and traffic jams are common day and night.

 

[TKTKTK]

Downtown Brampton is kinda suck. It has some really nice neighbourhoods, but they're pretty car-centric. Also, your daughter will absolutely hate you for making her live there when she's a teenager. But that's 10 years from now.