News   Oct 04, 2024
19- and 39-Storey Towers Proposed as Part of Regent Park Phase 4
 2.2K     0 
News   Oct 04, 2024
Minto Communities Breaks Ground on Park & Main, Ushering In a New Era for Markham
 1.5K     0 
News   Oct 04, 2024
60-Storey Tower with Student Housing Proposed to Retain Historic Stewart Building
 4.1K     5 

Toronto Life neighbourhood rankings

G

GKW

Active Member
Member Bio
Joined
Jun 24, 2011
Messages
344
Reaction score
29
Let the debate begin!

toronto-life-september-2013-lg.jpg


In a city with so many great pockets, and many more improving faster than you can say gentrification, the competition for the title of Number One Neighbourhood is cutthroat. To end the uncertainty, we present the ultimate ranking of the city’s 140 neighbourhoods. We examined 10 factors for each, assigning them a score out of 100: housing, crime, transit, shopping, health and environment, entertainment, community engagement, diversity and schools and employment. Below, you can see the overall rankings, listed from one to 140.
Click to expand...

1. Rosedale-Moore Park
2. Banbury-Don Mills
3. High Park-Swansea
4. Mount Pleasant West
5. High Park North
6. Wexford/Maryvale
7. Mount Pleasant East
8. The Beaches
9. Mimico
10. Casa Loma
11. Leaside-Bennington
12. Waterfront Communities-The Island
13. Agincourt South-Malvern West
14. Lawrence Park South
15. Lawrence Park North
16. Bedford Park-Nortown
17. Yonge-Eglinton
18. Stonegate-Queensway
19. North Riverdale
20. Corso Italia-Davenport
21. Rouge
22. Palmerston-Little Italy
23. Woburn
24. West Humber-Clairville
25. Bendale
26. Runnymede-Bloor West Village
27. Malvern
28. Downsview-Roding-CFB
29. Dovercourt-Wallace Emerson-Junction
30. Agincourt North
31. Forest Hill South
32. York University Heights
33. Glenfield-Jane Heights
34. Willowridge-Martingrove-Richview
35. L'Amoreaux
36. Annex
37. Steeles
38. Birchcliffe-Cliffside
39. South Riverdale
40. Centennial Scarborough
41. Trinity-Bellwoods
42. Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills
43. Willowdale East
44. Humewood-Cedarvale
45. Cabbagetown-South St.James Town
46. Lansing-Westgate
47. St.Andrew-Windfields
48. Milliken
49. Church-Yonge Corridor
50. Yonge-St.Clair
51. Hillcrest Village
52. Kensington-Chinatown
53. Greenwood-Coxwell
54. Thistletown-Beaumond Heights
55. South Parkdale
56. Bayview Village
57. Clairlea-Birchmount
58. Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown
59. Kingsway South
60. Bayview Woods-Steeles
61. East End-Danforth
62. Pleasant View
63. Parkwoods-Donalda
64. Dorset Park
65. Wychwood
66. Playter Estates-Danforth
67. O'Connor-Parkview
68. Little Portugal
69. Oakwood-Vaughan
70. Princess-Rosethorn
71. Danforth Village - Toronto
72. Don Valley Village
73. Tam O'Shanter-Sullivan
74. Guildwood
75. Old East York
76. Eringate-Centennial-West Deane
77. Newtonbrook West
78. Lambton Baby Point
79. Danforth Village - East York
80. Roncesvalles
81. Edenbridge-Humber Valley
82. Bay Street Corridor
83. Yorkdale-Glen Park
84. Islington-City Centre West
85. Cliffcrest
86. Niagara
87. Bathurst Manor
88. Rexdale-Kipling
89. Junction Area
90. Forest Hill North
91. New Toronto
92. Willowdale West
93. Black Creek
94. Humbermede
95. West Hill
96. Moss Park
97. University
98. Alderwood
99. Long Branch
100. Newtonbrook East
101. Rockcliffe-Smythe
102. Markland Wood
103. Caledonia-Fairbank
104. Flemingdon Park
105. Weston
106. Humber Summit
107. Englemount-Lawrence
108. Highland Creek
109. Morningside
110. Dufferin Grove
111. Westminster-Branson
112. Humber Heights-Westmount
113. Woodbine Corridor
114. Pelmo Park-Humberlea
115. Kennedy Park
116. Blake-Jones
117. Keelesdale-Eglinton West
118. Victoria Village
119. Briar Hill-Belgravia
120. Broadview North
121. Woodbine-Lumsden
122. Eglinton East
123. Kingsview Village-The Westway
124. Thorncliffe Park
125. Weston-Pellam Park
126. Henry Farm
127. North St.James Town
128. Scarborough Village
129. Crescent Town
130. Regent Park
131. Ionview
132. Elms-Old Rexdale
133. Brookhaven-Amesbury
134. Oakridge
135. Maple Leaf
136. Clanton Park
137. Rustic
138. Beechborough-Greenbrook
139. Etobicoke West Mall
140. Mount Dennis

http://www.torontolife.com/neighbourhood_rankings/
 
Mt. Dennis:

We're number 140! We're number 140! We're number 140!

At least until the Crosstown LRT opens, then may get bumped up to number 139!

Rob Ford's neighbourhood, Edenbridge-Humber Valley, next door to Mt. Dennis is number 81! Hmmm...
 
It's cover stories like these where I realize that I am not in Toronto Life's demo, and probably never will.
 
Last edited:
Without commenting on the overall rankings, I will say this: Any poll that gives the Beaches (with a 78) a better score for transit than Playter Estates (with a 50) is simply fatally flawed. Playter Estates is small enough to be entirely, literally walking distance to Broadview or Chester subways stops, and is right beside the DVP. The Beaches, in comparison, is almost the hardest place to get to in the city by car or transit.
 
I thought I'd made a post here but it seems to be gone?

Anyhow, I feel that transit and accessibility are hugely undervalued factors here. This is a city with only about 1 million registered cars and where 40% of people don't use a car to commute, which means that a very large chunk of the population wouldn't be best served by the likes of Wexford and Don Mills.

The ratings cater to the typical middle-class adult demographic who do not take the needs of children, teenagers, or elders into consideration. They'll be happy stuck in traffic driving their trophy cars while their teenage sons get high in their basements and their parents remain locked in retirement homes.
 
Looking at the top overall picks, I get the sense that it is looking for suburban like enclaves located within the inner city. While one could argue that there is nothing wrong for wanting a sense of tranquility within the hustle and bustle, I certainly would not say they are the best the city has to offer and the fact is one can get a similar lifestyle in the 905 for a far more affordable price.

My ideal urban neighbourhood would be busy, but not too busy. Mixed uses would continue for more than a block away from the main avenue, creating a kind of centre rather than a main street. Parks and green space should be used strategically to help diffuse the urban intensity. And of course there should be efficient transportation options available as well.

In terms of these criterias, I am going to say the area around Bathurst/St Clair/Vaughan. It is one of the few areas in the city outside the downtown core where mixed uses continue away from the main intersection, and you have the St Clair streetcar and the subway. The arrangement could have been better, with the subway stop located in the centre of this area rather than to the east, but the modest sized park between the two allows for a pleasant break of scenery on your walk or ride to the metro train.

Summerhill also meets much of this criteria, and though it is more of a strip than an urban centre and park space is somewhat lacking, it is a surprisingly pleasant and quiet stretch of Yonge St.
 
Last edited:
I think one thing we can all agree on with this "study" is that you simply can't rate or rank neighborhoods based on a global set of metrics. There are too many variables, different weighting factors, personal factors, etc. that you simply can't use formulas and algorithms to determine.
 
James said:
I think one thing we can all agree on with this "study" is that you simply can't rate or rank neighborhoods based on a global set of metrics. There are too many variables, different weighting factors, personal factors, etc. that you simply can't use formulas and algorithms to determine.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Waterfront Communities, #12, includes Cityplace and the glut of condos in the Lakeshore/Bathurst area isranked 30 spots above the Bridle Path. How these two places can be even remotely compared is beyond me.
 
How does Flemingdon Park score a 92 for Entertainment, but the Annex scores a 31?
How does the "University" neighborhood score a 1 for Schools?!?!?!?!?
How are Leaside and the Beaches the 29th and 30th neighborhoods for schools - these are the top two pockets of schools in the city!
 
Electrify said:
While on the topic, how come the Bathurst/St Clair/Vaughan junction NOT have a distinct neighbourhood name? Also does anyone know the history of how this area formed?
Click to expand...

Good point. I guess it's Wychwood to the south and Cedarvale to the north (I think "Humewood" is a pretty recent neighborhood name creation). Isn't this 1910s streetcar suburb development? I think south and west of Vaughan Rd. was considered part of the Oakwood community in the past.
 
The ratings by category are clearly flawed beyond what's acceptable.

Guildwood, one of the worst ranking neighbourhoods in terms of transportation, for example, is all within walking or biking distance from a GO station that sees Lakeshore trains every half hour in each direction.
 
Waterfront Communities/The Islands comes in 138 for crime? Since when are Harbourfront & St. Lawrence the most dangerous areas in Toronto? Somebody better tell all the tourists.

And South Riverdale is the highest crime neighbourhood in Toronto? I'm lucky I've never been mugged at Gerrard Square. I thought that the highest crime area in the city was Sherbourne, between Queen East & Dundas? (wasn't that reported in police stats)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top