My husband and I are currently exploring neighbourhoods in the Toronto and its surrounding suburbs as we are thinking of moving from our downtown Toronto house. Our neighbourhood is aging and there are not many kids living near us for the girls to play with. Add into the mix the closure of our local elementary school, very few childcare options and a busy neighbourhood we have decided to look elsewhere.
We have our wish list and are really hoping to find a neighbourhood that will meet all our needs. Not only do we have a neighbourhood wish list, but we also have a house wish list. We bought our current house before we had kids so we had no idea what would work and what would drive us nuts once the kids came and now we have many things that drive us nuts! Add into the mix, Glow Baby which has turned our dining room into an office and we are bursting at the seams.
Our neighbourhood wish list top 5:
1. LOTS OF KIDS!!
2. Good schools
3. Family infrastructure
4. Parks nearby (not a 30 min walk :>)
5. Quiet street
Our Home wish list top 5:
1. Family room on main floor that I can see from the Kitchen (those with young children know why this is number 1)
2. Backyard that can be seen from the kitchen
3. fourth bedroom or office (I want my dining room back!!!)
4. Two bathrooms upstairs (I refuse to share a bathroom with two teenage girls)
5. finished basement
I don't think our wish lists are too much. I think that what we want is out there. Now to go and find it...
If anyone loves their neighbourhood, I would love to hear about it!!
Hey Lindsay!
ReplyDeleteWe love our neighbourhood. We're in the upper beaches. It's definitely family friendly with lots of parks, schools, community centres etc. You can usually get a bit more space for your $$ as well - the semi's are extra wide with big backyards and there are lots of detached houses. Streets are quiet with lots of big trees.
We're walking distance to the beaches (which i looove....we often head there after dinner for ice cream and to walk along the boardwalk or play in the big parks down there) and the danforth (nice because it's the main subway line). A huge plus for us is easy highway access - we like to/need to be able to get out of the city quickly for work or visiting family etc. We can be on the DVP or the gardiner in less than 5 minutes. Never feels like we're trapped in the city, which I like.
Just wanted to share!