Toronto
Feb 25th 2006, 11:18 pm
#1
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Joined: Mar 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 26
Toronto
Hi,
My wife has the possibility of a job offer in Toronto. We would like to live within 45 mins drive of the city somewhere rural, safe for kids etc etc...........Any ideas? Do many people commute by train or do most drive into work? If poss it would be nice to be close to water. We're planning a visit in April and any help you be appreciated!
Tim & Sarah,
My wife has the possibility of a job offer in Toronto. We would like to live within 45 mins drive of the city somewhere rural, safe for kids etc etc...........Any ideas? Do many people commute by train or do most drive into work? If poss it would be nice to be close to water. We're planning a visit in April and any help you be appreciated!
Tim & Sarah,
Feb 26th 2006, 1:25 am
#2
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Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Posts: 846
Re: Toronto
You're going to struggle to find anywhere rural and 45 minutes from the city. I guess it depends on how rural you want and how much money you have (i.e. can you afford some more exclusive plcase near the city that are kinda rurally) and also the location of the place of work. Toronto is the largest city in Canada so the location of where you are commuting to can add or subtract a lot to the commute. If it is right downtown then it's not too bad because you could look for somewhere on a GO Train line or within a short drive. Parking is free at the GO Train stations and although not cheap they are a reliable and quick way into the city and all the lines terminate at Union Station.
I used to live in Newmarket which is about 50km north of the city. In a aperfect world of no traffic, say if I drive to Newmarket when it's not rush hour form the city to visit family I can do it in less than an hour. However in rush hour there is no chance. I used to take the Go Train from Newmarket to Union and the train it's self took about an hour and 10 minutes or so. Then comes the location of your work. I worked off the subway line so not too bad but the time from getting to the subway station from the GO station and then waiting for a train then 10 minutes on the subway then walking from there to my work plus the time of getting to the station in the morning and waiting for the GO Train etc. adds up. In the end it took me around 2 hours door to door.
So that's a 2 hour commute to right downtown, less if you worked toqrds the north of the city or could drive outside rush hour and Newmarket isn't even rural. Maybe 10 years ago you could have lived on the outskirts of Newmarket or in Mount Albert or something and it would have been rural but Newmarket and that area has added liek a new subdivision every week for the last decade and now is a giant sub-urban sprawl of developments.
If you wanted to live on water you could go for Barrie or the surrounding area on Lake Simcoe however then your commutes are even longer, the GO Train is being extended there but currently you'd have to bus first. However people do drive from there to Toronto everyday, just takes a while.
There are loads of great rurally areas on water but it's the commuting to toronto part that makes it difficult and also the 45 minute drive. If you changed the rural to suburban town you could try somewhere like Oakville which takes 30 minutes on the GO Train or forever in a car in rush hour. However if you want to live on or near Lake Ontario you need a few million dollars, otherwise again it's a bunch of generic new developments to the north ofthe town. There's decent stuff east as well and cheaper.
If you find the job is west of the city like in Mississauga or maybe north west near Makham where a lot of offices and HQ stuff is nowadays then it's not as bad because you cut out the downtown part. I know someone who works for ATI in Markham and they live in Uxbridge which is north and west of Markham and borders on the rural/small town and is not a big downtown commueter location but it's not too bad if you can stop at the edge of the city liek Markham.
Same if you go west, a new hot spot for buying is outside Hamilton. Hamilton it's self has a bad reputation because of all the industrial factories and works there, but it's not as bad as it used to be. However there are a lot of smaller towns around there that are still cheap and quite nice. Long commute though, but the GO Train runs from Hamilton and if you can work west of the city it's only an hour or so train ride.
Water is tricky unless it's a pond because to live on Lake Ontario requires a lot of money and luck in finding a lakefront property for sale as there are only about 20 odd such properties in the city it's self. North you really have to go to Lake Simcoe for a decent lake. There are some smaller pond type places they call lakes but they aren't really, not if you want to go say sailing or something.
I used to live in Newmarket which is about 50km north of the city. In a aperfect world of no traffic, say if I drive to Newmarket when it's not rush hour form the city to visit family I can do it in less than an hour. However in rush hour there is no chance. I used to take the Go Train from Newmarket to Union and the train it's self took about an hour and 10 minutes or so. Then comes the location of your work. I worked off the subway line so not too bad but the time from getting to the subway station from the GO station and then waiting for a train then 10 minutes on the subway then walking from there to my work plus the time of getting to the station in the morning and waiting for the GO Train etc. adds up. In the end it took me around 2 hours door to door.
So that's a 2 hour commute to right downtown, less if you worked toqrds the north of the city or could drive outside rush hour and Newmarket isn't even rural. Maybe 10 years ago you could have lived on the outskirts of Newmarket or in Mount Albert or something and it would have been rural but Newmarket and that area has added liek a new subdivision every week for the last decade and now is a giant sub-urban sprawl of developments.
If you wanted to live on water you could go for Barrie or the surrounding area on Lake Simcoe however then your commutes are even longer, the GO Train is being extended there but currently you'd have to bus first. However people do drive from there to Toronto everyday, just takes a while.
There are loads of great rurally areas on water but it's the commuting to toronto part that makes it difficult and also the 45 minute drive. If you changed the rural to suburban town you could try somewhere like Oakville which takes 30 minutes on the GO Train or forever in a car in rush hour. However if you want to live on or near Lake Ontario you need a few million dollars, otherwise again it's a bunch of generic new developments to the north ofthe town. There's decent stuff east as well and cheaper.
If you find the job is west of the city like in Mississauga or maybe north west near Makham where a lot of offices and HQ stuff is nowadays then it's not as bad because you cut out the downtown part. I know someone who works for ATI in Markham and they live in Uxbridge which is north and west of Markham and borders on the rural/small town and is not a big downtown commueter location but it's not too bad if you can stop at the edge of the city liek Markham.
Same if you go west, a new hot spot for buying is outside Hamilton. Hamilton it's self has a bad reputation because of all the industrial factories and works there, but it's not as bad as it used to be. However there are a lot of smaller towns around there that are still cheap and quite nice. Long commute though, but the GO Train runs from Hamilton and if you can work west of the city it's only an hour or so train ride.
Water is tricky unless it's a pond because to live on Lake Ontario requires a lot of money and luck in finding a lakefront property for sale as there are only about 20 odd such properties in the city it's self. North you really have to go to Lake Simcoe for a decent lake. There are some smaller pond type places they call lakes but they aren't really, not if you want to go say sailing or something.
Feb 26th 2006, 3:34 am
#3
Assimilated Pauper
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,023
Re: Toronto
Originally Posted by TAC2166
Hi,
My wife has the possibility of a job offer in Toronto. We would like to live within 45 mins drive of the city somewhere rural, safe for kids etc etc...........Any ideas? Do many people commute by train or do most drive into work? If poss it would be nice to be close to water. We're planning a visit in April and any help you be appreciated!
Tim & Sarah,
My wife has the possibility of a job offer in Toronto. We would like to live within 45 mins drive of the city somewhere rural, safe for kids etc etc...........Any ideas? Do many people commute by train or do most drive into work? If poss it would be nice to be close to water. We're planning a visit in April and any help you be appreciated!
Tim & Sarah,
http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.as...ertyID=4313053
Feb 27th 2006, 5:52 pm
#4
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 26
Re: Toronto
Originally Posted by wizzard
You're going to struggle to find anywhere rural and 45 minutes from the city. I guess it depends on how rural you want and how much money you have (i.e. can you afford some more exclusive plcase near the city that are kinda rurally) and also the location of the place of work. Toronto is the largest city in Canada so the location of where you are commuting to can add or subtract a lot to the commute. If it is right downtown then it's not too bad because you could look for somewhere on a GO Train line or within a short drive. Parking is free at the GO Train stations and although not cheap they are a reliable and quick way into the city and all the lines terminate at Union Station.
I used to live in Newmarket which is about 50km north of the city. In a aperfect world of no traffic, say if I drive to Newmarket when it's not rush hour form the city to visit family I can do it in less than an hour. However in rush hour there is no chance. I used to take the Go Train from Newmarket to Union and the train it's self took about an hour and 10 minutes or so. Then comes the location of your work. I worked off the subway line so not too bad but the time from getting to the subway station from the GO station and then waiting for a train then 10 minutes on the subway then walking from there to my work plus the time of getting to the station in the morning and waiting for the GO Train etc. adds up. In the end it took me around 2 hours door to door.
So that's a 2 hour commute to right downtown, less if you worked toqrds the north of the city or could drive outside rush hour and Newmarket isn't even rural. Maybe 10 years ago you could have lived on the outskirts of Newmarket or in Mount Albert or something and it would have been rural but Newmarket and that area has added liek a new subdivision every week for the last decade and now is a giant sub-urban sprawl of developments.
If you wanted to live on water you could go for Barrie or the surrounding area on Lake Simcoe however then your commutes are even longer, the GO Train is being extended there but currently you'd have to bus first. However people do drive from there to Toronto everyday, just takes a while.
There are loads of great rurally areas on water but it's the commuting to toronto part that makes it difficult and also the 45 minute drive. If you changed the rural to suburban town you could try somewhere like Oakville which takes 30 minutes on the GO Train or forever in a car in rush hour. However if you want to live on or near Lake Ontario you need a few million dollars, otherwise again it's a bunch of generic new developments to the north ofthe town. There's decent stuff east as well and cheaper.
If you find the job is west of the city like in Mississauga or maybe north west near Makham where a lot of offices and HQ stuff is nowadays then it's not as bad because you cut out the downtown part. I know someone who works for ATI in Markham and they live in Uxbridge which is north and west of Markham and borders on the rural/small town and is not a big downtown commueter location but it's not too bad if you can stop at the edge of the city liek Markham.
Same if you go west, a new hot spot for buying is outside Hamilton. Hamilton it's self has a bad reputation because of all the industrial factories and works there, but it's not as bad as it used to be. However there are a lot of smaller towns around there that are still cheap and quite nice. Long commute though, but the GO Train runs from Hamilton and if you can work west of the city it's only an hour or so train ride.
Water is tricky unless it's a pond because to live on Lake Ontario requires a lot of money and luck in finding a lakefront property for sale as there are only about 20 odd such properties in the city it's self. North you really have to go to Lake Simcoe for a decent lake. There are some smaller pond type places they call lakes but they aren't really, not if you want to go say sailing or something.
I used to live in Newmarket which is about 50km north of the city. In a aperfect world of no traffic, say if I drive to Newmarket when it's not rush hour form the city to visit family I can do it in less than an hour. However in rush hour there is no chance. I used to take the Go Train from Newmarket to Union and the train it's self took about an hour and 10 minutes or so. Then comes the location of your work. I worked off the subway line so not too bad but the time from getting to the subway station from the GO station and then waiting for a train then 10 minutes on the subway then walking from there to my work plus the time of getting to the station in the morning and waiting for the GO Train etc. adds up. In the end it took me around 2 hours door to door.
So that's a 2 hour commute to right downtown, less if you worked toqrds the north of the city or could drive outside rush hour and Newmarket isn't even rural. Maybe 10 years ago you could have lived on the outskirts of Newmarket or in Mount Albert or something and it would have been rural but Newmarket and that area has added liek a new subdivision every week for the last decade and now is a giant sub-urban sprawl of developments.
If you wanted to live on water you could go for Barrie or the surrounding area on Lake Simcoe however then your commutes are even longer, the GO Train is being extended there but currently you'd have to bus first. However people do drive from there to Toronto everyday, just takes a while.
There are loads of great rurally areas on water but it's the commuting to toronto part that makes it difficult and also the 45 minute drive. If you changed the rural to suburban town you could try somewhere like Oakville which takes 30 minutes on the GO Train or forever in a car in rush hour. However if you want to live on or near Lake Ontario you need a few million dollars, otherwise again it's a bunch of generic new developments to the north ofthe town. There's decent stuff east as well and cheaper.
If you find the job is west of the city like in Mississauga or maybe north west near Makham where a lot of offices and HQ stuff is nowadays then it's not as bad because you cut out the downtown part. I know someone who works for ATI in Markham and they live in Uxbridge which is north and west of Markham and borders on the rural/small town and is not a big downtown commueter location but it's not too bad if you can stop at the edge of the city liek Markham.
Same if you go west, a new hot spot for buying is outside Hamilton. Hamilton it's self has a bad reputation because of all the industrial factories and works there, but it's not as bad as it used to be. However there are a lot of smaller towns around there that are still cheap and quite nice. Long commute though, but the GO Train runs from Hamilton and if you can work west of the city it's only an hour or so train ride.
Water is tricky unless it's a pond because to live on Lake Ontario requires a lot of money and luck in finding a lakefront property for sale as there are only about 20 odd such properties in the city it's self. North you really have to go to Lake Simcoe for a decent lake. There are some smaller pond type places they call lakes but they aren't really, not if you want to go say sailing or something.
Thanks so much for the info........we're due to visit in April........
