Essay on An Analysis of Toronto Neighborhoods

Submitted By N.L.-Sagar
Words: 3400
Pages: 14

Natalie Sagar Real Estate: An Analysis of Toronto Neighborhoods

Client Background: Sarah is a 28-year-old, white Caucasian, McMaster

University graduate who moved to Hong Kong for 5 years working as an apprentice.

In HK, Sarah met her husband John who is 30 years old and Chinese ethnicity. Sarah

and John both have a steady income of $100,000 each, adding to $200,000 per year.

Sarah has been guaranteed a secure job in downtown Toronto, and John has been

granted a transfer. However, they don’t want to live in the downtown area and

would prefer a quiet family oriented neighborhood in the suburbs that still provides

to their young active life. There for, they have intentions of buying a car, but like the

idea of public-transportation. They also have hopes for having a child in the next

two years. Sarah and John don’t have many political inclinations, but they are in

favor of Rob Ford and the Conservative party.

According to Natalie Sagar Real Estate, an appropriate neighborhood for

Sarah and John to start a family in would be one that is a quiet and child friendly;

has a park, playground and recreational centre. Sarah and John think that education

is important and a potential neighborhood must have a few well-rated schools to

choose from, including Catholic or Private schools. They would also prefer a safe

neighborhood for their family to live in with low crime rates. Having a local

shopping district near by with a choice of restaurants would be appropriate for their

“on the go” lives. Because they have the intention of buying a car, public

transportation to downtown is not necessary but would be highly favorable as

driving downtown can be a hassle. Finally, although Sarah and John have the income

to purchase a luxurious house, they would like to stay in a middle-high income

neighborhood, however, in an affordable one as it is their first house and they don’t

want to be constrained with large payments.

The three neighborhoods that are being recommended to Sarah and John as

seen in Figure 1, are Hill Park (Swansea) in the West end of Toronto, Leaside

(Bennington) in Central Toronto, and Kennedy Park (Scarborough Junction) in the

East Side of Toronto.

Recommended Neighborhoods:

High Park (Swansea):

High Park is a very child friendly neighborhood that is occupied by a wide

range of people, with a population of 5,985 (Statistics Canada, 2011). Boundaries

consist of Bloor St. W, Parkside Dr, The Queensway, and Windermere Ave, as seen in

Figure 1.2. The population consist of 310 children age 0-4 and 280 children age 5-9

(Statistics Canada, 2011). The rest of the population occurs to be of residents age 20

and over with an even distribution). It contains 2,800 married people and 705

people married with children at home (Statistics Canada, 2011). High Park consists

of many single-family homes and also many rentals for singles and couples (MTP,

2013). The land is characterized by gently rolling hills, winding streets and towering

oak trees. High Park is known for its 339 acres of park land that is home to the Jamie

Bell Adventure Playground (located on Bloor St) that was inspired by the

community and children. It also contains a fishing pond, outdoor theatre, animal

paddocks, picnic ground, two libraries and a variety of sport facilities, including a

pool (MTP, 2013). In 1995, High Park’s theatre set a record with a 115,000 audience

count over a 6 week performance of a Midsummer Nights Dream (Toronto Star,

2013). The houses have a Victorian, Edwardian and Tudor-style that were built in

the 1800’s/ early 1900’s (MTP, 2013). Several houses have been divided into

multiple-family dwellings. The homes have many architectural details such as glass

windows, lush wood trims, French doors, hardwood floors and fireplaces. There are

also condos