Real Estate Guide › East

Woodbine Corridor

Median 2007 sale price:
$465,000
Property crime:
average
Crime against people:
average
Neighbourhood map:
See map

A city-decreed union of the former Danforth Village and Upper Beach, this once-working-class district doesn’t yet have the name recognition of such booming neighbours as Leslieville. However, its popularity is rising, as budget-conscious buyers, priced out of more westerly parts of the east end, populate the area north of the tracks; the south, meanwhile, picks up spillover from the Beach proper. As older lifetime owners give way to 30-something couples, plenty of fixer-uppers are hitting the market, and the neighbourhood’s relative affordability has made it a target for flippers. More young families mean more hopscotch-chalked sidewalks, street hockey games, wobbly first-time cyclists and group garage sales. Plenty of parks, schools and sports fields also contribute to the kid-friendly feel. Head west and you’ll find Little India (along Gerrard, near Coxwell), with its colourful stores and restaurants. The main retail strip on the Danforth has yet to catch up to the area’s newly prosperous real estate.

HOUSING STOCK: Many two- and three-bedroom 1920s semis fit the standard east Toronto style: brick on the bottom, vinyl siding on top.

BARGAIN ZONES: Look north of the train tracks, where houses tend to be smaller and consequently a little cheaper; anything south gets slapped with the label “Upper Beach,” instantly inflating the asking price (some wily agents have even applied the label as far north as Danforth).

THE VERDICT: Overall, it’s a safe, family-friendly area that’s close to public transit (the Bloor subway line, and Gerrard and Queen streetcars), but when compared to such areas as the Beach, Riverdale and Leslieville, it’s a bargain.

NEIGHBOURHOOD HOT SPOTS:
Alliance Atlantis Beach Cinemas See blockbusters, indie movies and the occasional one-off (such as a live broadcast of the Metropolitan opera); at $8.95, it’s cheaper than downtown multiplexes. Go early for a pre-show game of checkers in the lobby. 1651 Queen St. E., 416-646-0444.
East Lynn Farmers’ Market The newly launched venture allows only certified local producers (no resellers here), and fills the neighbourhood green space with farm-fresh eggs, cheese and produce each Thursday, 3 to 7 p.m., May to October. East Lynn Park, 1949 Danforth Ave.

Nearby Restaurants
Michelangelo’s Fine Italian Cuisine

The brickwork arches, wooden chairs, dusty-pink linens and soft lighting create a charming though perhaps ... (0.50 km away)

New Town Family Restaurant

Locals reportedly fight for tables on Saturday mornings at this traditional greasy spoon, where breakfast ... (0.52 km away)

New G Ali Baba

Regulars—typically local families—come for the food (Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi dishes), not the ambience (zero). ... (0.59 km away)

Udupi Palace

Descend into this vast cafeteria-like space where large groups and extended families gather to enjoy ... (0.66 km away)

Sidhartha

Here lies a calm, elegant nook in Toronto’s original Little India, tucked away from the ... (0.67 km away)

Bar-Be-Que-Hut

Takeout is popular at this Little India hole in the wall, a small, dark room ... (0.69 km away)

Siddhartha Fine Indian Cuisine

The glass at the front entrance reflects rosy walls; service in the busy, elegant room ... (0.69 km away)

Nearby Shopping and Services
East of Eliza

Rejecting anything pretentious or overproduced, East of Eliza owner Reed Russell favours woodsy, natural designs. ... (0.62 km away)

B.J. Supermarket

It started more than 25 years ago, when B.S. Jajj opened this small supermarket with ... (0.67 km away)

Kohinoor Foods

Outside, milk crates support cardboard boxes full of exotic fruits and veggies. Inside, shelves display ... (0.72 km away)

Warmia Deli

This deli is like a small Poland in Roncesvalles Village. Shelves are crammed with imported ... (0.90 km away)

Commuting
King and Bay:
6.1 km
401 and 400:
17.0 km
Gardiner and 427:
20.1 km
Subways:
Woodbine Station 1.0 km
Coxwell Station 1.1 km
Greenwood Station 1.5 km

Commuting and subway distances measured from neighbourhood centre.

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