Might be moving to Toronto

[grubster]

Hi there,

This is the first time I have posted here. My husband and I are considering moving to Toronto (we don't have flexibility on the location - the job is in the centre of Toronto).

While we would prefer to live in a smaller community, we don't want my husband to be dealing with a huge commute because we will be there with our two young children (possibly a 3rd) and we want to have some family time together.

- Is it possible (and affordable) to live in within 10km of the city and still have a decent sized yard? I have had a look at some real estate sites but because I'm not familiar with the suburbs, it doesn't mean much yet (are there suburb names or just numbers?)
- What is the public transport system like and are there areas of the city that are better serviced by public transport?
- We will need to consider schools. Our eldest son is currently in Grade 1 at a state school in Australia, which offers an excellent education and a wonderful, nurturing environment. Would we expect the same from a state school in Toronto?
- Are there suburbs/areas to avoid or that you would recommend (particularly in terms of schooling)?
- Our youngest son is 3.5 and is currently at a community kindergarten (not long day care - just 9am-2.30pm) two days a week. What would the equivalent be in Canada? When would we expect him to start formal schooling?
- We love to get out and about on weekends (bike riding, bush walking, taking our dog to parks, scenic drives, etc). Is this easy in Toronto?

I think that's about it for now. Any advice on the living in Toronto would be great.

Thanks so much,

grubster.

[Bevdeforges]

It has been a long time since I was last in Toronto, but I've always really loved the city. You may want to take a look at the official City of Toronto website here: Toronto - The official City of Toronto website It has quite a bit of information about the public transit system (including the excellent subway system which runs into some of the suburban areas).

Unfortunately, it appears that Toronto Transit is currently on strike - but I guess that happens in most big cities these days.

And for getting out and about on weekends, check out Toronto Island Park - it's a big parkland located on islands out in the lake, just a ferry ride away from "downtown" Toronto.
Cheers,
Bev

[skashifca]

I think your options are Mississauga, Brampton, or Scarborough. I think Mississauga is the better.

[grubster]

Thanks for your advice. I'll check these out.

Grubster

[Smilecanuck]

I think you will find Mississauga is a bit too far. When you said centre of Toronto, do you mean Midtown or downtown Toronto?

You may find Etobicoke, near Bloor and Islington area, alone the Subway line (Underground) is quite family oriented, walking distance to parks, shops and restaurants, especially subway Station. But real estate is not cheap, more than CAD$500K.

If you have kids who are going to school, North York has many good schools. Again, look for places along the subway line, like Yonge/Finch, Yonge/York Mills, Yonge/North York Centre...

[divastarz]

Hi,

You may want to consider Toronto/Scarborough bounderies or in the Beaches area. Which is beautiful in the summer and in the winter as well. It also has bus and subway services. Farther east you can find a bigger properties and much cheaper.

In terms of your children's schooling you can visit their websites so you can have some ideas on what you are looking for.

Toronto District School Board
TCDSB Home Page
Private Elementary and Secondary Schools > Ministry of Education

I hope this will help you in anyway.
Goodluck!

[pooji]

my husband works at main downtown toronto we live in milton, pretty mush all houses are 5 to 7 min drive the go train station and it takes him 1 hr on train to reach there,milton is very decent place ,totally family oriented , its in niagara escarpment so you have tons to do out side.also prices are still lower than mississauga and toronto.you can easily get a 2year old 4bd house for 350000 cd $ or less?more deponding on size.let me know if you need more info