Real Estate Guide › West

Corso Italia - Davenport

Average 2008 sale price:

$382,455

Property crime:

low

Crime against people:

low

Neighbourhood map:

See map

While College Street bears the Little Italy tag on its signs, Corso Italia, which forms the backbone of this unassuming family neighbourhood, is still the city’s most authentic Italian enclave. The controversial St. Clair streetcar right-of-way project, nearing completion, has inspired the local BIA to spruce up this formerly dingy streetscape. An astonishing number of independent clothiers, from casual to formal, line St. Clair between Dufferin and Lansdowne. To the east, small groceries, salons and professionals’ office storefronts are interspersed with takeout Mexican, Caribbean and pizza joints. Earlscourt Park and Prospect Cemetery form a ribbon of green on the west side. The area celebrates its Italian heritage with a fiesta every July, and gets especially lively when “home” teams (Italy, as well as Portugal and Brazil) advance in international soccer tournaments.

HOUSING STOCK: The older, more generous houses southeast of Dufferin and St. Clair, an area known as Regal Heights, are the exception to an eclectic mix of modest two- and two-and-a-half-storey semis and detached homes. It’s leafier with fewer parking pads just northeast of St. Clair and Lansdowne.

BARGAIN ZONES: Value-for-money may be higher near Morrison. Streets west of Prospect Cemetery and the post-war bungalows on its east side offer some deals, as does Lansdowne, a surprisingly quiet residential artery.

THE VERDICT: Except for Regal Heights, the area’s smaller, younger houses have so far kept it within the reach of non-rat-racers. It’s a nearby escape from downtown sensibilities.

NEIGHBOURHOOD HOT SPOTS:
Dufferin/St. Clair library A 2007 reno expanded reading and study spaces, and restored the Doris McCarthy mural. The library’s calendar teems with children’s programming. 1625 Dufferin St., 416-393-7712.
Novecento This is as close as the city gets to bona fide Italian ambience and coffee, and the house-made gelato is challenging La Paloma’s. 1228 St. Clair W., 416-654-9900.

Today in Toronto: February 9, 2010

• Hub 14: The postage stamp measurements of the Hub 14 space will ensure close encounters with the performers taking part in the new series Under a Paper Moon
• More things to do tonight
• Something to do this weekend

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