Real Estate Guide › West

Willowridge - Martingrove - Richview

Average 2008 sale price:

$430,183

Property crime:

average

Crime against people:

average

Neighbourhood map:

See map

Once an agricultural centre that provided produce, meat and dairy products to the city, the area’s last farm was sold to developers in 1956. Subdivisions now cover the former farmland. Willowridge and Martingrove are not as sought-after because apartment blocks have hampered development; Richview is where the more elite addresses lie. A lot of original owners are still comfortably established here. There are many schools in the area—Kipling Collegiate, Father Serra Catholic School, Hilltop Middle School, Dixon Grove Junior Middle School, Parkfield Junior School—and much more expensive housing to the south, as well as popular schools such as Richview Collegiate. It’s snuggled close to highway on-ramps and there aren’t many destinations within walking distance (owning a car is almost essential), so the neighbourhood has a private, quiet feel to it.

HOUSING STOCK: This planned community was built mostly in the late 1950s and early ’60s, and houses—a mix of two-storey Georgian Revivals and bungalows—are large but not ostentatious (roughly 2,000 square feet), with plenty of elbow room between lots. There are some semi-detached homes closer to the 401.

BARGAIN ZONES: Willowridge and Martingrove offer relatively cheaper options than Richview. A rule of thumb: the closer the home is to Royal York Road, the more expensive it is.

THE VERDICT: Residences in Richview are mostly for the well-established homeowner, though some dodgy-looking apartment blocks on Martin Grove Road make people more likely to move on than to invest in long-term improvements. Richview is still a sensible alternative to the very expensive houses farther south, near St. George’s country club.

NEIGHBOURHOOD HOT SPOTS:
Better Living Natural Foods Health-conscious west enders in search of better living shop for organic produce and whole-grain loaves, as well as natural beauty and bath products. 1500 Royal York Rd., 416-249-1895.