Tag Archives: Harbourfront
Downtown Toronto
Downtown is certainly one of the most popular neighbourhoods in Toronto. Everyone wants to live where the action, close to work and close to play. Located entirely within the former municipality of Old Toronto, it is approximately bounded by Bloor Street to the north, Lake Ontario to the south, the Don River to the east, and Bathurst Street to the west. The area is made up of the city’s largest concentration of skyscrapers and businesses.
The Financial District, based around the intersection of King and Bay Streets, is the heart of Canada’s financial industry. It contains the Toronto Stock Exchange, which is the largest in Canada and seventh in the world by market capitalization. The retail core is along Yonge Street from College Street to Queen Street. There is a large concentration of retail here, including the Eaton Centre. The area also has Dundas Square, a public space some call the Times Square of Toronto.
The area also includes live theatres, a movie complex and historic Massey Hall. Historical sites and landmarks include the Arts & Letter Club, the Church of the Holy Trinity, Mackenzie House, Maple Leaf Gardens, Old City Hall, and the Toronto Police Museum.
Downtown Real Estate Map
To the east, the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood is the oldest area of Toronto. It has many gorgeous heritage buildings, a community of distinct downtown neighbourhoods including the site of the original Town of York – where Toronto began back in 1793. St. Lawrence has one of the largest concentrations of 19th-century buildings in Toronto. Some of the best are St. Lawrence Hall, St. James’ Cathedral, St. Michael’s Cathedral, St. Paul’s Basilica, the King Edward Hotel and the Gooderham (Flatiron) Building. Further to the east is Corktown and the Distillery District.
West of the Financial District is the Entertainment District, home to many restaurants, nightclubs and live theatre. The district was formerly an industrial area and was redeveloped for entertainment purposes in the early 1980s, starting with the Mirvish family refurbishing the Royal Alexandra Theatre and then building the Princess of Wales Theatre. The area is also the site of Roy Thomson Hall and the Canadian Broadcasting Centre.
North of Bloor Street is Yorkville, with more than 700 designer boutiques, spas, restaurants, hotels, and world class galleries. The intersection of Bloor and Yonge Streets is where the subway lines meet – and is one of the busiest intersections in the city. At the intersection of Avenue Road and Bloor Street is the Royal Ontario Museum, the largest museum in Toronto.
The lake shore and Harbourfront area to the south was formerly a polluted and forgetten railway area. Since the 1970s, it has been extensively redeveloped. From the building of the Rogers Centre, to the many condos of CityPlace, to the Harbourfront Centre arts and cultural complex. The area to the east of Yonge Street, the Port Lands, is still in transition.
Please explore the neighbourhoods that make up Downtown Toronto:
- Alexandra Park
- Bay Street Corridor
- Beaconsfield Village
- Bickford Park
- Cabbagetown
- Corktown
- Distillery District
- Downtown East
- Downtown West
- Dufferin Grove
- Fort York
- Grange Park
- Kensington Market
- King Street West
- Liberty Village
- Little Italy
- Moss Park
- Niagara
- Regent Park
- South Annex
- St. James Town
- St. Lawrence Market
- Trefann Court
- Trinity Bellwoods
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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information – 416−388−1960
Laurin & Natalie Jeffrey are Toronto Realtors with Century 21 Regal Realty.
They did not write these articles, they just reproduce them here for people
who are interested in Toronto real estate. They do not work for any builders.
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Condo boom driving up Toronto’s density
Jayme Poisson – Toronto Star
Tara Gratto and her chef husband Souheil were drawn to the culturally diverse downtown. Recent grad Laura Kalbfleisch needed to find a place in a hurry — the swimming pool was a draw. And Bryan Martin, a personal trainer with season’s tickets to the Jays, wanted to be smack in the middle of the action.
The residents of CityPlace — a large, densely populated section of former railway land now climbing to the sky with multi-tower condo development — are a new face of the city.
They’re young urban professionals who want to live and work downtown, even if it means moving into busy buildings that some say feel more like university dorms.
Wednesday’s first results of the 2011 census show that a small downtown pocket — from Lake Ontario, north to Front St., west to Bathurst St. and east to Spadina Ave. — has seen explosive growth.
The census echoes what everyone’s been saying: That Toronto has gone vertical.
In 2006, the population in the area that includes Harbourfront and the old railway lands stood at 1,106 people. As of last year that had skyrocketed to 5,911 — a 434% increase.
That’s more than triple the average population density of about 4,150 people per square kilometre for the rest of the city.
Once home to a spiderweb of tracks and derelict buildings, it’s evolved into a vibrant sporting and residential community. Nine new buildings have gone up since the 2006 census, says Ben Myers, executive vice-president of the condo market research firm Urbanation.
Many residents — such as Gratto, 34, her husband Souheil Badran, 33, and their two young children — rent from investment buyers.
“I’ve always liked downtown,” said Gratto, who has lived in a coveted three-bedroom apartment on Telegram Mews since 2010. “It’s much more culturally diverse down here. So being in a multicultural marriage, we wanted an area where that was the norm.”
Badran, who grew up in a condo in Lebanon, is a chef-in-training at the Royal York hotel, about a 15 minute walk away.
Personal trainer Bryan Martin, 27, bought his loft-style townhouse two years ago. Besides the gym, pool and sauna, he loves not having to shovel snow. Laura Kalbfleisch, 28, a psychology grad now working as a freelance editor, shares a one-bedroom with her lawyer boyfriend. Being near the lake has been a bonus for walks with their dog, Balu.
Experts say fundamental shifts in population and lifestyle — couples putting off marriage and children, workers rebelling against long commutes — have paired with a backlash against urban sprawl to spur one of the most sustained real-estate booms in history.
Condos present a more affordable option for first-time buyers such as young adults and new immigrants — two groups naturally drawn to the buzz of big cities, said Adrienne Warren, senior economist and manager with Scotiabank.
Empty-nesters looking to downsize are also driving the condo craze.
Meanwhile, demand for land is pushing developers to build vertically, encouraged by government policies designed to curb sprawl. Multi-unit dwellings now make up roughly half of all new housing stock.
Toronto’s population rose 4.5% from 2006. Spikes in several neighbourhoods probably had to due with vertical growth, experts say.
Condo-heavy Liberty Village experienced 143% growth; the Bay Street corridor saw a 57% boost.
Pauline Lierman, a senior research analyst with Urbanation said that with downtown becoming more built-up, future growth will probably take place farther north. For example, the population has doubled in the corridor between Sheppard and Finch Aves. Since 2006.
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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information – 416-388-1960
Laurin & Natalie Jeffrey are Toronto Realtors with Century 21 Regal Realty.
They did not write these articles, they just reproduce them here for people
who are interested in Toronto real estate. They do not work for any builders.
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Community focus — Downtown Toronto
by Laryssa Stolarskyj – New Dreamhomes & Condominiums Magazine
There’s something matchless about the city core that makes it a prime location to live. Downtown Toronto, loosely defined as the area from Lake Ontario to Bloor Street and Spadina Avenue to Sherbourne Street, is an urbanite’s dream. Having access to any modern convenience, virtually on your doorstep, is a luxury that only bustling city centres can offer.
Toronto is distinctive in that its downtown isn’t just a business and commercial centre, but is also home to numerous residents. Many are lured by being in close proximity to work and having a base from which they can access the rest of the city, so it’s not surprising that the majority of its inhabitants are working age (25-64) with more non-family than family households.
The mixed-use planning concept incorporates a high concentration of restaurants, bars, clubs, concert and sporting venues, arts facilities, libraries, schools, and shops, all of which are accessible by foot, bike, or public transit. The juxtaposition of historic and new avant-garde buildings—the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) or the new Crystal addition to the Royal Ontario Museum, for example—is compelling and debate-worthy. Toronto is also recognized as being the third-largest theatre centre in the English-speaking world, has more than 50 dance companies, six opera companies, and five professional sports teams, and, of course, still upholds its reputation as Hollywood North.
Downtown is fittingly abuzz with activities, festivals, and parades in all seasons. Many of the sights that attract out-of-town visitors are a stone’s throw away, such as the Harbourfront Centre, Chinatown (Chinese is the most spoken language after English in this area), Queen Street West, and the world-famous CN Tower. If you need a time out from all the bustle, an afternoon getaway to peaceful Toronto Islands is a swift ferry ride away.
The options for traversing downtown are plentiful. The TTC operates select 24-hour streetcar and bus routes in addition to its regular subway service. Cycling is a practical alternative, especially in the warm weather, and you can plan your route with free cycling maps, join the Bicycle User Group, and even request bike posts and rings for your neighbourhood. Or if you support pedestrian power over pedal power, the PATH system offers 27 kilometres of underground walkway—the largest underground retail venue in the world—that connects shopping, entertainment, services, and transit.
With an abundance of new condo developments that span the entire downtown core, each with their own offerings of amenities, it’s easy to get swept up in the bustle of activities. Consult the list of resources below to make the most of living in the city.
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