Hi,

I don't know if any of you remember me or not, I was MIA from CD for a long time.

Friends I need help, we are to relocate to Toronto by Sep 2011 and I was in process of renting apartments. My priority is the school for our kids. I have chosen few schools

Forest Hill Junior public school- in Forest hill neighborhood
Huron Junior public school- Annex Neighbourhood
Church Street Public School- Yorkville

I know about Forest hill, been there 1-2 times and know its an upscale neighbourhood of Toronto. But what I'm not sure is of The Annex and Yorkville. Yorkville and Annex are kind of busy neighborhoods, will it be safe for us to be living there for a period of 6-9 months (till we buy our home)?

My hubby will travel a lot so I need a place with lots of commute choice, excellent schools, groceries and other things near by.

Please help.

Jona

Any help??

You can get most information from Toronto District School and then use Google Maps to co relate where the nearest apartment is ( after you search rental sites)


http://www.tdsb.on.ca/about_us/street_guide/street.asp

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Non illigitamus carborundum

When you say your husband will travel a lot, does it mean out-of-town travel or in-town commute?
Depending on that, you can make two very different choices.
If travel is in-town, you need to be near one of the two major highways - 401 or QEW.
Or, if most of the work location is downtown, then near a TTC or GO line.

On the other hand, if travel is mostly out-of-town, then I'll suggest a suburb.
Housing prices will be relatively cheaper, rents will be less if you choose to rent.
Arguably, safety will be better.
You will need a car for yourself but shopping etc. will be easier.

I assume this thread is related to the other one your posted about Oakville, Whitby etc.
I would not recommend Oakville if you are planning to buy a house.
It is expensive and property taxes are high too.

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"Mah deah, there is much more money to be made in the destruction of civilization than in building it up."

-- Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind"

Thanks Goldeneye!

Thanks Pratick, he'll be mostly out of town. I preferred city on suburbs for the initial time in Toronto. We come from Caribbean and this is going to be my first winter, so shovelling, taking care of kids in snow, driving etc is not going to work. I need apartment for first 6-9 months to get used to the place, maintenance free life.

We have shortlisted apartments near yorkville and Annex area, they both are closer to downtown, have plenty access to bus/train, my only concern was are these areas good for start up time? The agent also recommends High park?

Thanks again...............

High Park, the Annex, Yorkville and Forest Hill adjacent are all fairly expensive areas for purchasing and the schools in these areas are all fairly good (people paying a lot for their homes pay high taxes and expect good schools). In Forest Hill a high number of the children go to private school, but the public schools in that area are very good.

I used to live in High Park. The Minto buildings there are very well maintained inside and I had excellent experiences with the property management which is very rare. These buildings are bit more expensive then the Verita and others nearby but I really think it is worth it. A lot of people rent in these buildings because they cannot afford homes in this area but want their children to attend school in this area. It is on the west side of town and so it is easier to get to the airport from here than from downtown.

I love the Annex. It has a very high population of university students and toward the west end it becomes heavily Korean but there are a lot of families in this area too. When I was looking to rent in the area I found that some of the rental buildings were not that well maintained. Unfortunately I think they charge more because students will pay to be close to U of T and not demand much maintainance.

Sorry I'm in a huge rush as I type this but I hope it is of some use. Good luck!

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My prayer to you
Is that you do all the things you set out to do
And live your life the way you love

Thurston Moore, Psychic Hearts

My visitor has left so I have a little more time. I wanted to add that all of the areas you've mentioned are safe. I think High Park is the safest. It is less busy although still well trafficked enough that you won't be alone on the street. It is mostly upper class and away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. The Annex can be very crowded at night and there is a lot of drunkeness on Bloor but the side streets don't have many problems. In the east end of the Annex sort of by the edge of Yorkville (around St. George station) you'll want to be careful to not live on the same block as any frat houses. Some very expensive old homes are occupied by fraternities and they are very rowdy. I'm not as familiar with the area by Church st school but I would caution you that these are very mixed areas. Yorkville is very expensive but around Church there are some public housing buildings - of course many good people live in low income housing but you will get all kinds.

In general downtown Toronto is very safe with the exception of some areas east of Yonge right downtown, it doesn't sound like these are ones you're considering and it is great you are doing so much research.

One final thought: be sure to check any rental property you are considering in the begbug registry.

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My prayer to you
Is that you do all the things you set out to do
And live your life the way you love

Thurston Moore, Psychic Hearts