Orchard, Burlington vs. West Oak Trails, Oakville for young families

shawn101 wrote: ↑ As the title suggests, we're a small young fam (husband, wife and a newborn), and looking to move to a family friendly neighbourhood in GTA. Other main priorities for us are: great elementary school, diversity, and active community. We've narrowed down to Orchard and West Oak Trails, but really confused which one to choose. We were considering Millcroft, Joshua Creek, Clearview also, as they do have better/bigger houses, but they consist of mostly mature/older families, so don't seem to work well for us. Distance to downtown, access to transit station, etc. is not a big factor. Would love to get thoughts from people who've lived in or know about these neighbourhoods!

MetalGear wrote: ↑ I would probably pick Oakville between those two? That being said why don't you take a drive and see which area looks better in person.

synthetic1 wrote: ↑ He probably already has. They all look the same

silentguy wrote: ↑ Of the two, I would pick Westoak trails due to the slightly better lots and (probably) better trails overall.

I'm not sure if budget is a factor but get ready to pay a pretty penny to live in either of these areas right now. The recent sales are jaw-dropping but I guess you can argue that is happening everywhere. The supply is really low in these two areas and you'll have to bid high for a mediocre product.

If distance to downtown and/or transit is not a factor then I'm not sure why you'd pick north-of-the-qew Oakville, unless you're into the keeping-up-with-the-joneses mentality. You will pay an arm and a leg, but if budget doesn't concern you then not a big deal I guess. I've lived in Oakville before, it's very safe but otherwise it feels like another generic, busy suburb in a lot of ways. It's prestigious of course, but I found it to be overrated overall.

shawn101 wrote: ↑ We don’t care about the prestigious aspect of Oakville, hence totally open to Burlington. And we also don’t want to be in some ghosttown just because it’s possible to live far from downtown. Main reason to pick a relatively established neighborhood is to be a part of an interesting, family-friendly community. Where would you choose if distance to downtown and/or transit wasn’t a factor, but you do want to be in a lively area with active community? Budget is not a big constraint rn, and so want to pick somewhere there are great elementary schools, diversity and potential to meet other young families.

shawn101 wrote: ↑ to be a part of an interesting, family-friendly community. Where would you choose if distance to downtown and/or transit wasn’t a factor, but you do want to be in a lively area with active community? Budget is not a big constraint rn, and so want to pick somewhere there are great elementary schools, diversity and potential to meet other young families.

synthetic1 wrote: ↑ You won't find active communities in suburbia. It's a myth. Generally speaking there are no communities to speak of in the age of internet and WFH. Pick the house you like in either city. I would pick Burlington because I prefer it to Oakville in many ways.

synthetic1 wrote: ↑ You won't find active communities in suburbia. It's a myth. Generally speaking there are no communities to speak of in the age of internet and WFH. Pick the house you like in either city. I would pick Burlington because I prefer it to Oakville in many ways.

shawn101 wrote: ↑ Interesting, would love to know which factors make you prefer Burlington over Oakville?

Fuddi wrote: ↑ Do you live in Burlington?

synthetic1 wrote: ↑ - Feels friendlier in general (most people in Oakville would agree too)
- Traffic is a bit better most of the time
- Very quick access to incredible country roads and attractions north of Dundas. You could get there from Oakville too, but takes longer. Sometimes, much longer.
- Better and friendlier lake access on lakeshore road and north shore blvd. Oakville doesn't give you such level of access at all. Finding parking around the lake area in Oakville is always a hassle. In Burlington it's much less of a hassle.
- Less crowded grocery and department stores. I find grocery shopping in Burlington a more pleasant experience.
- Downtown Burlington feels nice and seems to host more events. I enjoy downtown Oakville as well, but Burlington's feels more substantial/authentic.
- It definitely feels safer in Burlington than Oakville at night. I don't know why. I have no stats to back this up.

Both are wonderful towns in my opinion and I hope they stay that way. Though with the recent inflow from other places, I'm sure some changes are in order.

synthetic1 wrote: ↑ - Feels friendlier in general (most people in Oakville would agree too)
- Traffic is a bit better most of the time
- Very quick access to incredible country roads and attractions north of Dundas. You could get there from Oakville too, but takes longer. Sometimes, much longer.
- Better and friendlier lake access on lakeshore road and north shore blvd. Oakville doesn't give you such level of access at all. Finding parking around the lake area in Oakville is always a hassle. In Burlington it's much less of a hassle.
- Less crowded grocery and department stores. I find grocery shopping in Burlington a more pleasant experience.
- Downtown Burlington feels nice and seems to host more events. I enjoy downtown Oakville as well, but Burlington's feels more substantial/authentic.
- It definitely feels safer in Burlington than Oakville at night. I don't know why. I have no stats to back this up.

Both are wonderful towns in my opinion and I hope they stay that way. Though with the recent inflow from other places, I'm sure some changes are in order.