The Annex
A trendy, affluent residential community and home to many University of Toronto students, the neighbourhood offers many busy restaurants, pubs and cafes. There’s also theatres, art galleries and shopping, most notably the Toronto landmark, Honest Ed’s. The Annex is densely populated, mainly residential, with tree-lined one-way streets flanked by Victorian and Edwardian homes and mansions, most of them built between 1880 and the early 1900s, including uniquely Torontonian ‘Annex Style Houses’.
Casa Loma
A neighbourhood north of The Annex and centred around Canada’s famous castle of the same name, Casa Loma is an eclectic mix of ravines, large old trees, joggers and BMWs. The prominence of the castle on the hill built in the early 1900s led to a huge boom in the area, with many wealthy residents setting up shop and defining the present neighbourhood.
Cabbagetown
Cabbagetown is one of Toronto’s most picturesque neighbourhoods. A site of historical interest, it contains two of the city’s oldest cemeteries, St. James and the Necropolis. It comprises the largest continuous area of preserved late-Victorian housing in North America, and is famous for its picture-perfect gardens. Many artists, musicians, writers, doctors, and professors make their home here. Community spirit is celebrated every September during the Cabbagetown Festival.
Cedarvale
Cedarvale is a wealthy community that includes multi-million-dollar homes facing the Cedarvale Ravine that is located within a park of the same name. Cedarvale's residential development began in 1912 when Sir Henry Mill Pellatt, the builder of Toronto's famous Casa Loma registered a plan of subdivision for the south end of this neighbourhood under the name "Cedar Vale". Vale denoted the ravine that runs through the centre of this neighbourhood and the Cedar part of the name makes reference to the many cedars that grew in the wet lowlands of the ravine.
Chaplin Estates
Chaplin Estates is an exclusive, wealthy neighbourhood that covers the southwest portion of the Yonge and Eglinton area. It is bordered on the south by the former Beltline Railway line, now a scenic walking and biking trail known as the Kay Gardner Beltline Trail. When the area was first built in the 1920's, it had a number of building restrictions including no semi-detached houses allowed. This area enjoys great proximity to public transportation, schools, shopping and parks.
King West Village
Once a gritty industrial zone, King West Village has been reborn as the chic, dynamic cousin of trendy Queen Street West. Historic factory buildings still dot the area; many converted to unique residential and commercial spaces. This neighbourhood is also a creative hotbed filled with stylish restaurants, bars, galleries and artists’ studios. Trinity Bellwoods, one of the largest local parks, features a community fitness centre and marked trails with stunning views of Toronto’s skyline. Despite its hipster status, the neighbourhood has a reputation for friendliness.
Leaside
The Leaside community is made up predominantly of single-family homes housing upper-middle class families. The largest recreation centre in Leaside is Leaside Memorial Community Gardens, which includes an indoor swimming pool, an ice rink, a curling rink and a large auditorium. Leaside has become prime real estate within the GTA, and has attracted many local celebrities, including former NHLers.
Little Italy
Little Italy, sometimes referred to as "College Street West" or "College and Clinton", is the best known and most popular of the numerous Italian Canadian neighbourhoods in Toronto. It is a chic and trendy district that is centred around a restaurant, bar, and shopping strip along College Street. The sidewalks are typically jammed on weekends – especially in the summer – with locals and visitors alike filling outdoor patios. While historically an Italian neighbourhood, today Little Italy’s population is ethnically diverse with a larger Portuguese population than Italians. Since the 1980s, many young professionals have been buying homes in the neighbourhood.
North Toronto
North Toronto is one of the most sought-after neighbourhoods, as it combines quiet residential life with vibrant shopping, entertainment, and recreational opportunities. With its spacious houses and condominiums, it is an area particularly popular with families raising school-age children. It has everything families are looking for in a neighbourhood including good size houses, an excellent selection of public, private and separate schools, convenient access to Toronto's transit system, and a multitude of parks and recreational facilities.
Wychwood Park
Wychwood Park is a neighbourhood enclave and former gated community located north of Davenport Road and just west of Bathurst Street. It was founded as an artists’ colony in the late nineteenth century. While the area was amalgamated into the city of Toronto in 1909, it remains a private community. The streets and amenities are paid for by the local residents, and the community is managed by an executive council. It is one of Toronto's more exclusive neighbourhoods. Wychwood Barns, a former TTC streetcar maintenance facility located immediately to the north of Wychwood Park, was recently transformed into a community park and artisans area.
