If there’s one thing we young professionals (YPs) are passionate about, it’s our neighbourhood.
And Toronto just so happens to have many great ones – from Roncy and Parkdale on the west, to The St. Lawrence Market and The Beach (not “The Beaches”) to the east.
But which side of Yonge’s better?
For a little insight, we hit River City last night for East Vs. West presented by Urban Capital. It included a debate between the “East Team,” Breakfast Television’s Jennifer Valentyne and Michael Hollett from Now Magazine and NXNE, and the “West Team,” ET Canada/KISS FM’s Roz Weston and Jeffrey Remedios of Arts and Crafts.
Here are some highlights…
Livability:
“You can’t beat the schools and green spaces in East River. I can get anywhere quickly and it really is like a small town.”
– Valentyne.
“Many buildings in the east end may be ‘green’ with solar panels, but buildings in the west end are so smart they no longer have solar panels.”
– Weston.
Diversity:
“In the east end, you’re surrounded by Chinatown, Greek Town, the Village, Little India, and the undiscovered but emerging new African area on the Danforth.”
– Hollett.
“We’re experiencing colourful times in Parkdale, with a lot of mixed housing. That’s what’s appealing in terms of investing in that area. Nobody’s seen as different in the west end.”
– Weston.
The Restaurant and Bar Scene:
“The east doesn’t compare to the west. We have all the pho restaurants on Ossington, the best perogies in Roncy, and a ton of Italian restaurants in Little Italy.”
– Remedios.
“In the west end, they try to fight against the patios and shut them down; not in the east, where we’ve been used to it for years thanks to the Danforth.
– Hollett.
“There are a lot of choices in Leslieville. I love the Golden Thai, ‘The Nose’ and Ruby Watch Co.”
– Valentyne.
“We even have a gas station that has great food: the Leslieville Pumps.”
– Hollett.
The Parks and Green Spaces:
“Nothing compares to High Park and Trinity Bellwoods. Every parent wants better for their child than they had for themselves. I can remember the transition of Trinity Bellwoods Park. I remember when High Park was still developing, and now it’s hosting things like Shakespeare in the Park. The tennis courts at Bellwoods may be sh*tty, but our kids have it better than we did.”
– Remedios.
“You can’t go to Bellwoods without getting a Frisbee or a hacky sack in the head.”
– Hollett.
“The east has seen the establishment of many new parks. The west has long established parks, but the ones in the east are newer and have better design qualities. Let’s not forget about Brickworks. And the bluffs are so unique and easy to get to.”
– Valentyne.
“Don Valley still represents nature, it’s still wild. Our parks are just more real and engaged – kind of like the east side. It’s robust and free and hasn’t peaked yet.”
– Hollett.
Redevelopment:
“Back in the day, all I knew about The Junction was that it was far away and annoying to get in and out of. But now, people will go there. And it’s because we’ve invested in our neighbourhoods and underserved areas. Ossington is another example of this. You used to have a reason not to go there.”
– Weston.
“The whole redevelopment of Regent Park is huge for us and deserves a lot of attention, especially with its mixed income purposes. It’s the modern redevelopment of a failed housing project. The east end has been ignored for too long – now we’re harvesting into It.”
– Hollett.
“The building of neighbourhoods in the west end really comes from the community. It’s not like you build a series of buildings and expect people to show up and build a community. It’s already there.”
– Weston.
On the Smart Track and Transportation:
“Sadly, it seems like the unicorn of transit. I don’t know if it will happen.”
– Hollett
“The 504 streetcar is hell, I’ll be the first to admit it. But if you live in Parkdale, it’s great because you get on the 504 first. The appeal of the Smart Track is that it opens our options up a bit. However, I don’t know how much exploring people are going to do from west to east.”
– Weston.
“Three words: Union-Pearson Express. You can’t be a world-class city unless you can get to the airport in a meaningful way.”
– Remedios.
Up-and-Coming Neighbourhoods:
“You get more bang for your buck in the east end with all the new development. Regent Park and Donlands are neighbourhoods to look out for.”
– Valentyne.
“The African neighbourhood on Danforth from Donlands to Greenwood is the next up-and-coming.”
– Hollett.
Investment Opportunities:
“Not too long ago, there were no street lights in Liberty Village. It was a huge investment opportunity if you got in there in the late 90s. You could buy something for $200,000 and if you held on to it, you were good. There’s a lot of financial opportunity that takes the emotional element of the east end out of it. There are few opportunities now left in the west end. If the east is appealing in any way, it’s more emotional in that people see the potential of themselves living in a particular neighbourhood.”
“For a first-time buyer, I would suggest South Riverdale, south of Danforth and east of Pape. The deals are still there.”
– Hollett.
“It’s very difficult to find a single family, detached home for less than $800,000. My advice would be to get your foot in anywhere you can, get established, and then sell it and move to a nice place in the west end.”
– Weston.
So, which side’s better? You be the judge.
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