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Sidewalk-free streets and Tudor details
(like on this Willingdon Boulevard home)
give Kingsway South a rural English feel

Real Estate Guide › West

Kingsway South

Average 2008 sale price:

$861,166

Property crime:

high

Crime against people:

low

Neighbourhood map:

See map

A sleepy, bucolic pocket, The Kingsway breeds fierce loyalty among its privacy-prizing residents, who value its generous lot sizes. The houses at the core are the result of an ambitious development project spanning 1924 to 1947, when Robert Home Smith sought to create a garden city in the 19th-century British style. The resulting 671 original homes, and those that followed, all seem to have at least some Tudor-Revival detailing. This uniformity—which extends to a Japanese maple on seemingly every front yard—is closely policed by eagle-eyed residents, who have been known to seek out stop-work orders if front-yard fences don’t suit Smith’s founding principles.

HOUSING STOCK: Most of the large Arts and Crafts and Tudor homes are on sizable leafy lots with discreet garages. Original Robert Home Smiths go for a premium.

BARGAIN ZONES: North of Usher, The Kingsway offers matchbox versions of the more baronial homes found in the south.

THE VERDICT: The whole area feels like a rural English village within the city. A lucky few have kitchen windows with eternally protected views of the Humber River. The latest census shows below-average numbers of high school– and college–age kids, making this one of the quietest corners of Toronto.

NEIGHBOURHOOD HOT SPOTS:
The Book Mark One of the city’s great independent bookstores, the Book Mark is also the oldest, still going strong after 44 years. It continues to survive the Chapters-Indigo onslaught thanks to its loyal Kingsway customers, and has repaid them with friendly, knowledgeable staff and an exceptionally keen-eyed buyer. 2964 Bloor St. W., 416-233-2191.
Crème de la Crème The no-nonsense ladies who helm this midday establishment run a tight ship: top-notch eggs Benny and pancakes arrive swiftly, with little small talk. Don’t even think of making a substitution. 2991 Bloor St. W., 416-237-9414.
Magic Spot Grill The burger-and-fries joint has been a favourite for generations of Kingsway high schoolers. 2973 Bloor St. W., 416-233-4244.
The Old Sod A popular, if somewhat dingy spot, this is where locals come to tip back a pint and catch the game. 2936 Bloor St. W., 416-239-3812.