Real Estate Guide › West

Lambton Baby Point

Average 2008 sale price:

$615,783

Property crime:

very low

Crime against people:

very low

Neighbourhood map:

See map

The stately homes of Baby Point (technically pronounced Babby Point—named for James Baby, a francophone fur trader who settled here in 1816—though not even locals use the correct articulation) make up the neighbourhood’s south end. With a gate at its Jane and Baby Point Road entrance, the community announces its exclusivity. A descendant of the Baby family sold the land in 1910, and in 1912 it served as a training ground for Robert Home Smith, the developer who went on to pour his Arts and Crafts soul into Kingsway South. As you get farther east, past Scarlett Road, brick and stone gives way to vinyl siding and the houses get smaller, befitting the working-class origins of the town that was known in the 19th century as Lambton Mills (for its wool and grist mills). Unfortunately, the developers who created Lambton pretty much ignored their main assets: the rambling ravine and the snaking Humber. From the layout of the streets and the positions of the houses, this might as well be the middle of Saskatchewan—the ravine and river are out of sight. Near the Humber River, the expansive and highly walkable Etienne Brule Park is a district highlight.

HOUSING STOCK: Tudor and Victorian detached homes in the south have a handsome, Rosedale-like look, but on a more modest scale, with much larger lots along the picturesque ravine. There are more tightly packed versions of the same style to the north.

BARGAIN ZONES: Prices are more accessible as you get farther north, and closer to Jane Street.

THE VERDICT: With ample parkland, hiking and biking trails along the Humber and schools within walking distance for the many families who populate Baby Point’s leafy streets, the region has a wholesome feel.

NEIGHBOURHOOD HOT SPOTS:
Bryden’s Residents meet here for casual drinks and pub fare. 2455 Bloor St. W., 416-760-8069.
Supper Solved Make your own meals in the on-site kitchen, order entire customized meals, or pick out ready-made dinner on your way home. 2452 Bloor St. W., 416-848-0528.

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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