If suburb living is what you like for a residence, then you will love the suburbs in Toronto. What makes them even better is that they sit in Canada’s biggest city, which also doubles up as home to impressive ethnic and cultural diversity made possible by its huge foreign-born population. One can argue that after the initial hangover of enduring a relocation to Toronto, it is pretty hard to feel different because of the sea of diversity from all imaginable walks of life.
So, whether you opt to settle in the city or the suburbs, you will most likely just fit right in. The city is a mix of residential and commercial properties and makes for a vibrant and safe downtown scene.
As expected, owning or renting out a condo in the city comes at a premium cost; thus, it may not be the best fit for many. However, the best Toronto suburbs in the 10 outlying districts of the city are viable residential options.
Living out in Toronto’s suburbs means reasonable rents in comparison to residential properties in the core of the city.
Although residing in the suburbs may mean a long drive into the city, this should not discourage you, the upside being that driving from the suburbs to the city and getting around is fairly easy.
What To Consider When Choosing A Suburb In Toronto
Every immigrant’s needs for a residence will differ from one to another. For some, nothing but a high-end neighbourhood will do in keeping with their lifestyle, while for others, peace and quiet with decent proximity to the city, schools, etc., are of utmost importance.
Thus, it’s vital to weigh your needs and those of your family (if they are coming with you) carefully in order to make a proper determination on which suburb would suit you best. Note that this is a decision that cannot be rushed.
Some of the things to consider when choosing a suburb in Toronto include:
1. Connectivity
If you are commuting to Toronto city for work several times a week, you might need to decide on how frequent you intend to drive, if at all, and if not, you would need a suburb that has a decent bus network or access to a train to make your commutes into the city seamless.
2. Schools
If you are settling in Toronto with your spouse and kids, the availability of schools for them plays a big role in the neighbourhood that you opt for. The city’s suburbs are great as most have great public and private schools and even universities.
3. Outdoor Activities
Whether you live alone or with your family, there’s a lot to enjoy from the available amenities in some of the neighbourhoods in Toronto. That includes daycares, plenty of playgrounds, parks, and good transit systems, just to name but a few. Therefore, make an effort to find out if your potential suburb has such comforts.
4. Safety
Even though most of the suburbs in Toronto are generally safe, it would be great if you took an extra step to find out if the suburb you plan to settle in has a zero (or low) crime rate by checking out Toronto’s crime map.
The Best Toronto Suburbs
With the factors we’ve discussed in mind, here are some of the Toronto suburbs that could match your current situation.
1. Scarborough
Scarborough is home to the beautiful Scarborough Bluffs and the Toronto Zoo. It’s also very popular with newly arrived immigrants as the rents are quite palatable. The populace is colorful and vibrant with
loads of character and diversity.
If you have to commute to Toronto city daily, this would work as there is now a TTC line 3 train that will ferry you as far as Kennedy station where you can hop onto the subway system and travel to downtown Toronto with ease.
Scarborough has quality schools ranging from kindergartens, middle school, high school, and adult education. If you love a neighborhood that is rich in character and rents are on the cheaper side, Scarborough might just work for you.
2. Etobicoke
Considered an affluent suburb since it was dissolved as a municipality and amalgamated into the city of Toronto in 1998, Etobicoke is primarily suburban in development and what you would call a true suburb of Toronto city as opposed to a stand-alone municipality.
By this virtue, it notably benefits from numerous expressways as it is very well connected. Transit into the Toronto core and surrounding municipalities is a breeze as the subway is connected to 4 GO transit stations.
This suburb offers a great escape from high rents in Toronto’s core, both for office and residential properties. There are numerous schools in the area as well, including Catholic schools.
3. Vaughan
Vaughan is the only municipality in York territory to have city status. Also known as the “city above Toronto”, it has
seen heightened development thanks to its competitive commercial and industrial tax rates. That’s actually one of the reasons why the area has attracted a large manufacturing and industrial base, in addition to the residential developments and new residents forming new communities in the city of Vaughan.
Transit to downtown Toronto and neighbouring municipalities has become convenient owing to the suburb’s stellar transportation corridors. As of December 2017, the Toronto subway line was extended into the Vaughan metropolitan center, making this suburb a very favourable residence for most commuters.
Attractions in Vaughan include the McMichael Canadian art collection in Kleinberg and the Vaughan Mills shopping complex, which will satisfy any shopper’s taste. There’s also Canada’s Wonderland, a magnificent amusement park that offers plenty of fun and thrills for the whole family. You can grab your furniture at IKEA in Vaughan as well.
Vaughan elementary school is currently up and running. Looking at the pace at which the city is growing it would not be surprising to see other public and private schools popping up in the near future.
Conclusion
Commuting from most of the great suburbs in Toronto, like the ones mentioned above, to Toronto city is now easy and almost an afterthought, thanks to the trains and a good bus network feeding into these neighbourhoods. And in case you are driving yourself, highway connectivity to the city of Toronto is quite good.
Also, with an abundance of quality public and private schools in these suburbs, it makes it possible for families to settle with much ease and at more affordable rents.
Although these is but a few of the suburbs you can expect to find in Toronto, they do point you in the right direction and provide you with a starting point as you do your research into which Toronto suburb would best meet your needs.