geo4

Is anybody there raising a family? Do they like it? It seems like a great option as West (Oakville etc.) seems quite a bit more expensive.

My wife works in Markham but I am near Union Station downtown Toronto. Will my commute be doable?

Also, which areas are worth focusing on given I would like to be within walking distance of the Go! Station (< 2Kms).

Any help / advice much appreciated. Many thanks in advance.

Steve_

The 404 isn't as bad as the 400 but I'd try driving down Hwy 7 in Markham at rush hour and then see what you think, it's appalling. And any road that ends up in downtown TO has heavy traffic.

I recall reading somewhere that the 401 between the 400 and the 404 has the heaviest traffic of any road in N America.

Siouxie

Map of the surrounding area to the GO station: https://maps.google.ca/local?f=q&q=4...+GO+Station%29

It takes almost an hour by GO transit from Aurora to Union (by train) - click on the 'reverse' journey to see train times.

http://www.gotransit.com/timetables/...rie&parentid=1

I do know several people that live in Aurora and really like it there, but have no personal experience of the place so I can't recommend which are the 'better' areas to live. At least looking at the map will give you some idea of which areas are near the GO station.

orly

I'd never commute to Toronto for a job.

The city needs at least another 12 lane highway and even then it would still be busy.

Novocastrian

Aurora: nothing special but no worse than similar places, quite handy for Markham via Hwy 404, not at all handy for Union Station. As Siouxie said, 50+ minutes from the Aurora GO station to Union at a round trip cost about $16 daily and limited service. (5 trains going south in the mornings, 6 am - 8 am) and five going north in the pm (~4-6 pm). If you need any flexibilty in your working hours, not much luck.

geo4

Interested in schools etc. but I'll take "nothing special but no worse than similar places". Out of interest what would you consider a simlar place to be in GTA.

As for the commute there's always the bus coming back and I like the idea of being out of the city.

geo4

Thanks appreiate the links.

Novocastrian

Pretty much everywhere. Yes, even Richmond Hill (except of course the bit I live in ).

Actually RH might be a better bet given your joint commuting situation. Markham's just east of here and the GO train from here takes about 10 min. less to Union and is a bit cheaper (same limited schedule though).

I've no idea what your budget is for a home but the prices on the east side of Yonge in RH (nearest to the GO) aren't much different from those in Aurora for comparable houses.

geo4

Ok. Ill check it out.

magnumpi

Aurora is a ok town, limited shopping but close to Newmarket for bigger stores. Nice little town centre, revamped several years ago. 404 is a no go area though during rush hour, what a mare that can be.

If house prices are an issue, have you considered east side living? Pickering Ajax and Whitby are nice lake side towns, and the GO trains run all day every day with a few express trains at rush hour, that means they stop at Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering and i think Port Union then woooooosh, straight to Union, no stopping.

Its also a nice drive to Markham via Westney Road, Steeles, from Ajax to Markham.

Just saying, keep options open and look around

geo4

Posting this for the sake of posterity and others who may be interested in the area:

We ended up moving to Aurora in late Spring and..... absolutely love it. My commute into Union is not as bad as I thought and for young families its just a great place to be. Loads of activities for kids and an abundance of organised sports leagues. Seems like a very nice, leafy suburb which we're pretty happy with.

Maybe this will prove useful for someone in the future....

Siouxie

Thanks for the update and glad that you like it there!

CanadianLove

We live in Sharon-10 mins from Aurora. It's quite a commute that a lot of people do, but great place to live with kids and a large dog! Plus you can get into a TO in 35 mins on express bus.