With a slate of galleries, restaurants, vintage shops and cafés name checked by urban tastemakers, the stretch of Lansdowne between Dundas and Bloor is no longer risky, seedy and bypassed. It’s now not only the city’s locus of hipster culture, but a destination for families looking for a nice semi in the $500,000s. The area’s two best real-estate pockets—Wallace-Emerson and the adjacent Brockton Village—are blooming with new developments. North of Bloor, empty lots are filling up with new townhouses (including the Brownstones development on Wallace Avenue, west of Perth), work and retail spaces (like the Junction Triangle Lofts) and design-conscious condos (Upside Down, a mid-rise near Dupont aimed at young professionals).
From the railroad tracks west of Perth Ave. to Dufferin St.; from the railroad tracks above Dupont to Bloor St.
2009: $375,038
2010: $418,698
2011: $434,112
*2011 averages reflect most recent data from January to August
(Image: Wallace-Emerson Community Centre, Toronto by Loozrboy)
Bought into this neighbourhood (upper end, few houses north of Dupont) last year (young, working professionals) for a few reasons. The railpath is unlike any other trail in the city, and it feels like a neighbourhood secret. The vibe here is definitely younger, hipper and aligned more with the arts and creative set … but then there are still the old Portuguese families … feels like a true TO neighbourhood, aligned with what makes a city interesting. Dupont has bags of potential for shops, galleries and restos … seeing some of this already, with more to come, I’m sure.
January 19, 2012 at 1:01 pm | by AnneFantastic – now can we get a decent coffee shop (other than coffee time)!
February 29, 2012 at 11:30 am | by Amy