Moving to Toronto, please advise good place to stay and avoid.

[kin0kin]

Me and my wife will be permanently moving to Toronto by the end of July. We have been staying in Halifax, NS for about 6-7 years now. We've stayed in various places before, from the suburbs to the busiest street in Halifax (10 mins to downtown). I have done an extensive research of the places to avoid in Toronto, and just to name a few:

Jane & Finch, Parkdale, Entertainment District (pretty much anything from Queen St W down south, and all the way to parliament st.), Lawrence and Jane, Cabbage Town, Thorncliffe park, O'connor-Woodbine-St Claire, Flemingdon Park, from Sheppard-Victoria-Steeles... the golf area, and etc.

Now, are there any particularly safe/quiet area in TO that I should look into? I have shortlisted some apartments above Highpark, and some along Yonge St, Bloor-Yonge, Bayview Village, and Broadview Ave.

Also, here's a google map that I've created about TO and areas to avoid, please take a look and let me know if there's any mistake, or anything that I may have missed. Thanks

(You may have to check the boxes of all the streets and areas on the left, do them slowly or they may not load properly)
http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?hl=en&...,0.300751&z=12

[13sundin]

jane + finch is the best place to be.

[kin0kin]

jane + finch is the best place to be.

I'll make sure to move over there

[bobby5]

I have shortlisted some apartments above Highpark, and some along Yonge St, Bloor-Yonge, Bayview Village, and Broadview Ave.

Anywhere which has property prices starting from 500k, would be safe enough for you

[sprung]

Police website has crime stats/division here.

[Goldilocks]

Just like everything, a lot would depend on your lifestyle. How old you are? Do you have kids? Do you like to bike, drive or take transit? Shopping? Sports fanatic? Ethnic or religious affiliations? Where will you be working, (in order to minimize commuting, traffic is a killer)? What do you like to do in your spare time? Costco or a local market type of person?

All neighbourhoods have their por's and cons.
I like Mt. Pleasant or Bayview between Eglinton and St. Clair. Tons of nice little shops and restaurants.

The Beaches neighbourhood is a great place to live, close to everything and lots of places to run and hang out. A great sense of community.

High Park area like you mentioned, is very nice.

You also mention Bayview Village area, while it's a nice neighbourhood, there's not much else going on there and kind of boring in my opinion, (I live nearby).

Good luck with your search.

[jb22]

I was living in a condo near the CNE grounds, around Bathurst and Lake Shore area. I really liked the area. I was able to walk to work downtown in about 20 - 25 minutes. I worked around Queen and John so was very close to shops, restaurants, the lake. I really enjoyed the area. When I get back to Toronto next year I will plan on trying to find another place in that area if I can. Although depending on how many new condos have been built while I'm away, and more so how bad the traffic is may change my mind.

[DeltasInTheSky]

Rosedale?

[mjl_toronto]

As goldilocks already mentioned, we need to know a lot more before we can recommend any place to live in Toronto (easier to tell you where to avoid but you seem to have already figured that out).

To add to his questions, are you looking to rent/buy house/townhome/apartment/condo? What's your budget like?

You can start here to find a home in Toronto http://www.housingmaps.com/

[joeym]

Bayview between Eglinton and St. Clair. Tons of nice little shops and restaurants.

this is a good place.

[mlc2000]

The Kingsway is nice, as is Bloor West Village.

[kin0kin]

Hi Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. We do not have kids, but we do have a four legged son We are looking to rent an apartment for the next 2 years before scouting out for a house to buy. I'm looking at around $1300-$1500 for a 1 bedroom. But the rental budget is flexible depending on the location and neighborhood. We'd be mostly taking public transit to work, no bike, car atm, but planning to get a car next year.

As far as some personal information and lifestyle is concerned, I enjoy being in a quiet building, preferably with seniors or people who don't blast loud music or party a lot. Therefore I'd really like to stay away from buildings around the universities and schools. I'm more so of a tech person than a social fanatic - no pubs, no clubbing, no smoking, nothing. I have no idea where will I be working yet as I'd be looking for a job after I moved. I'm a sobeys/no frills person, costco in the GTA is too far away and I may cancel my membership soon. I know it is really hard to tell which area would be best for me considering that I don't know where in TO that I'd be working yet but generally, I'd put having a nice and quiet place to stay over commuting time. Thanks again!

Kingsdale area = above and around Bayview area?
Rosedale = Mt Pleasant area/Rosedale Park?
St Claire-Eglinton = Particularly which part is nice as the area is huge?

It would be great if someone state down the all four cross roads so that I could check out that area.

[rfdrfd]

I'd say anything on the Yonge Subway line sounds like your best fit. I'd rent something at a newer condo/apartment.

This way, they have better rules/guidelines against loud music, etc. Usually that comes from your neighbours behind your walls, not really across the street.

Also, find a place that is not on Yonge Street, but East or West of it. Because Yonge st. will be louder (police/ambulance/fire sirens all night).

It depends on whether you want to be downtown or uptown. If uptown, stay away from Sheppard & Yonge. Unless you don't mind driving in that really, really busy gridlock intersection. This problem even made the newspapers. I say Finch/Yonge is a good bet.

Downtown, tons of nice condos being built or already is. Websites are a plenty.

[CoffeeAddict]

I'm not sure if you're used to downtown toronto places but you'll probably be looking at the bare min 1 + den condos/apts. A one bedroom will probably be in the 500-600 sq ft range which will be far too small for you, a sig other, and a dog (or cat?).

Your budget will allow for a 2 bedroom place not in the core. You MAY have to look at something off the subway line though depending on neighborhood.

The better option may be to look at craigslist or MLS for house rentals. I've seen entire houses for rent on MLS and craigslist in the $1500 range as long as you don't mind commuting a bit.

It also sounds like you're a bit of a suburbanite as opposed to an urban dweller. For bang for buck I would recommend the area around scarborough town centre. Good area, low crime, cheap apartments and homes, lots of parks close by, scarborough town center mall close by, real canadian superstore and walmart close by, access to public transit, and it's only 45 mins away by RT/subway to the heart of downtown.

[CoffeeAddict]

here's an example of a place to rent in scarborough close to scarborough town centre. it would be about a 50 min commute to downtown from this house give or take

MLS listing
http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.as...ertyID=6921870

google map location
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...1&ie=UTF8&z=16