I am moving to Toronto within the year, and I'm wondering where the best places to live are.?

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Jody

Hmmmm. You may have a hard time finding an acceptable place for $1200/month. Although, I suppose the condo glut may have added more residences to the rental market. (It's been a while since I lived in Toronto and even longer since I rented.)

I liked living right down town. You'll likely never find anything for $1200 right down town, but the closer you can get to that, the better, in my books. Toronto is pretty safe, in general. So I wouldn't worry too, too much about that. (I'm a small female and I never had any concerns going anywhere, alone, at night. Crime happens. But if you're not doing anything wrong or hanging out with those who are, then you're probably in good shape.)

The Beaches would be fun. You'll probably only find duplexes and basement apartments close to the beach, with maybe a rental townhouse nearby (again, the rent is the issue, though).

Rosedale, Withrow Park area, Lawrence & Avenue Road, they're all terrific neighborhoods. Spadina and St. Clair, in the Casa Loma area is also relatively quiet and nice. Heck, staying along the main routes (near Yonge St., or on the major east/west corridors) will keep public transit within an easy distance, for the most part.

Public transit is typically not more than a 15 minute walk from most of the developed areas of Toronto. That might mean a bus or streetcar to the subway, but still, you're out of the rain. Naturally, the closer to the subway, the more expensive rent tends to be.

Oooh, I seem to recall a bunch of highrises south of the Dupont/Spadina area, that were not exactly luxurious, but were well-priced. (An acquaintance lived there.) With the money you save in rent, you could put it towards fixing up the apartment a bit. It is just a short walk to either the Dupont subway station, or Bloor Street.

The Bloor/Danforth subway runs east west, and I'll bet there are adorable neighborhoods on either side, if you take the time to do some s'plorin'.

Don't forget they also built the Sheppard subway line, too. That increases your options, by living farther north, yet still on the subway line.

If you have a dog, don't even consider the Yonge/Finch area. It's brutal for dog owners. (Don't ask.) I've heard there are other terrible areas for dog owners, too. I would say the best bet would be to ask any dog owners you find, but ask in a way that will elicit an honest and detailed response. (Not just, "Is this a good area to own a dog?" Most people will just quickly answer, "Yes.")

I lived in the Yonge/Find area at one point. And there were several times where I politely said, "Hello," to people walking their dogs, which caused them to stop and comment on me being one of the few "nice" people they'd met in that area. So many times dog owners said they'd just moved to the area and couldn't believe how hostile everyone was. Be sure to ask around.

Parking is always a nightmare in Toronto. Pay attention to that when choosing a location. And the daily commute is only getting worse and worse, I hear. When I'm in Toronto, I just can't believe it can take an hour to drive a few blocks.

I hope that helps! Good luck!!!

chemical_echo

A great place is the High Park-Bloor area.
Tons of nice shops and restaurants in Bloor West Village. High Park is a great place to go for walks, bike rides, take pets, etc. Lots of good restaurants along the Junction and Bloor West Village. Close proximity to the subway, and not far from the Lakeshore.

roxy roller

Best neighbourhood is High Park /Bloor West........plenty of great shops, restaurants and only minutes from the lake......may be dicey on $1200.
Beaches is really nice but very expensive and not terribly convenient to get in and out of if you plan on using public transportation.
Parkdale........not so great crime wise although you would find cheaper rent, very trendy, nice places to be had.
Just a little north of here is Roncesvalles........around same price range as High Park......little cheaper, less crime then Parkdale and pretty trendy.
A new and upcoming neighbourhood that has recently seen lots of rejuevenation is the Junction......just North of High Park.

harmless

I'd suggest not living in the suburbs and getting somewhere close to downtown and near a subway station. Craigslist (toronto.craigslist.org) and Now! (www.nowtoronto.com) are some good places to look.

I like Little Italy too. Beaches and Bloor West Village are also good, but much of the Danforth is nice and might be cheaper. Queen West and The Annex also have a lot to offer, Queen West West is getting there.

Tracy M

Try the High Park/Bloor West area of the west end of Toronto. You can find a nice place for $1,200 a month and it is close to the subway line and will only take you about 20 minutes to get downtown from there (if that). You will also love the area in the summer especially with the park, shops, pubs and restauarants.

Ty K

Oh I grew up in Ontario. It isn't technically Toronto but about a 20 minute drive and is part of the Gta (Greater Toronto Area) Its a nice neighborhood called Mississauga. Its full of nice people of all nationalities and is a green policy area because of its totally aw some mayor. Its close to the Go train station and tons and tons of close by stores and not to mention between other neighborhoods (Oakville, Ebitoke) Also good places. Mississauga is animal friendly with many dog parks and good walking areas to relax. Also close to theaters major companies and well down town Toronto of course. Price wise the lowest it goes is like $750 up to over $1000 renting that is, actually renting houses costs allot but there is plenty of cozy apartments and condos on the waterfront. Its really worth looking into trust me you wont regret it.

n3utr0n

The pubs and the clubs of course!

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