The Beaches
If you're looking for a resort-like setting in the city, The Beaches is it. Situated along the shores of Lake Ontario, The Beaches neighbourhood offers residents the perfect live-play environment while being close to the city centre. Over the warmer months of the year, thousands of visitors and locals make their way to the sandy shores for some sun and fun, activity along the trails and boardwalk, shopping along Queen Street, and dining at local eateries.
Four main beaches make up the neighbourhood: Woodbine Beach, Cherry Beach, Bluffer’s Beach, and Kew-Balmy Beach. If you love living lakeside, then The Beaches is the ideal place to call home. It's a family- and community-oriented neighbourhood filled with friendly faces and natural beauty with all the amenities that the big city has to offer. There are plenty of lakeside properties, as well as dwellings that are tucked further into the streets of the neighbourhood. The area is vibrant and quaint, and is one of the more sought-after communities in the city of Toronto.
Real estate
The actual beaches themselves are not the only components that make this neighborhood look and feel like a seaside town on the coast. The seaside architecture of the homes also plays a role in that aesthetic. Many lakefront properties are painted in bright colours reminiscent of those you'd see in water-side places like San Francisco.
Several of the original wood-frame cottages that were originally built in the area still stand and have been updated. The streets mainly feature a mix of Edwardian, Victorian, and modern homes surrounded by meticulously maintained gardens and mature trees.
There are also a number of townhomes and low-rise condos that have been recently built, which tend to be much more affordable than the original structures you see in the neighbourhood.
People tend to stick around for the long haul when they move to The Beaches. That, coupled with high demand, makes this neighbourhood a site of frequent bidding wars that drive home prices up.
The most obvious source of recreation in The Beaches are the beaches themselves, and The Boardwalk is the landmark that anchors them all. This infamous boardwalk is flanked by the Martin Goodman Trail that stretches across Toronto's waterfront all the way from The Beaches area to the Humber River.
Every summer thousands of locals and tourists make their way to The Beach to stroll along The Boardwalk, jog along the trail, chill out by the water, or shop and eat at any one of the many stores and eateries along Queen Street. The shops on Kingston Road also offer a variety of beachy-feel shops that locals tend to flock to.
Visitors and area residents love to hang around the beaches for picnics, walks, playing in the sand, beach volleyball, and windsurfing, especially at Ashbridge's Bay Park. Donald Summerville Pool, which overlooks the water, offers an Olympic size pool, diving pool, and kiddie pool. Glen Stewart Park offers a nature trail and a pretty ravine.
Kew Gardens marks the social hub of The Beaches, which is the site of several annual events including a Jazz Festival, Arts and Crafts show, and a Christmas Tree and Menorah lighting festival.