This is the first in a series of posts designed to give you an idea of what it’s like to live in one of central Toronto’s great neighbourhoods.  Note that I said “one of”. That’s because there are so many great neighbourhoods in central Toronto. Many of the things that make living in North Toronto so great also apply to other neighbourhoods, too. If you live in one of these other great neighbourhoods and feel like writing a short post about your neighbourhood to help people who are trying to figure out where they’d like to live, let me know –  maybe we can post it on my blog!

There was recently a headline in the Toronto Star that proclaimed Lawrence Park North residents live in best ‘hood in Toronto. As a Realtor, I know that Lawrence Park North is made up of several neighbourhoods, including the John Wanless and Cricket Club neighbourhoods, and that the area is also sometimes referred to as North Toronto. Call it what it you will, it’s where I live. Which is why my reaction to the headline was somewhat nonchalant: “That’s not really news. I’ve always felt that way myself.”

But when I thought about it later, I realized that I haven’t always felt that way. How could I when I grew up in Montreal? I moved to Toronto to go to law school in 1983 because I decided that my future was here. I went to Osgoode Hall Law School in what was then the tundra of York University and lived in a grad res apartment on campus. This certainly didn’t qualify me as a North Toronto expert. I remember going for my nightly runs around the barren campus in the dead of winter. It was REALLY windy and cold back then because there weren’t nearly as many buildings as there are now.

When it came time to find an apartment in Toronto after I graduated I didn’t have to scope out the different neighbourhoods because a very good friend of mine called me and said: “My friend Iris is moving out of her apartment on Lonsdale at Spadina. It’s perfect for you. I’ve already spoken to her and she’ll give you her apartment.” So that’s where I moved. I still didn’t know anything about North Toronto.

Katherine (my wife to be) and I lived on Lonsdale for a few years before we decided to buy a home. We didn’t know where we wanted to live because neither of us grew up here. We were pretty green, to tell you the truth. Luckily, our friend’s mother was a Realtor and she took us by the hand and eventually found us a home on Deloraine Avenue right in the heart of the John Wanless neighbourhood. That was 1991. I remember her telling us “This is a good place for you two. You’ll be happy here.” Burleigh Leishman, we’ll be forever grateful to you.

When we bought that home, we knew nothing about the neighbourhood or the school or the shops or the subway. Nothing! When our neighbours went on about the annual Street Fair and community spirit, we cringed. We didn’t have kids and just wanted to chill when we weren’t working.

About a year after we bought our home I got my Realtor’s license. It was then that I started to learn about the neighbourhood and it was then that my love affair with North Toronto began. As a new Realtor, I knocked on doors and cold called. I literally spoke to thousands of people and learned about all the things that make this such a great neighbourhood. But more importantly, I learned that the people of North Toronto are really, really nice and that Katherine and I were very lucky to be living here because it’s the people that make a neighbourhood great. Burleigh, you were 100% right.

But it wasn’t until after Cole and Alannah were born a few years later that I began to understand just how lucky we really were.  For example, the once dreaded Street Fair turned into one of the social highlights of the year for the kids and a very good time for the adults. It started with a Friday night party at someone’s home for the adults, continued all day Saturday with activities for the kids on the street (which had been closed to traffic) and culminated with the Saturday night BBQ. Many of the streets in North Toronto now have their own Street Fairs. Don’t cringe like we used to do. They’re a great way to get to know your neighbours and feel like you live in a community and not in a large, cold, impersonal city.

There are many more things that made North Toronto/John Wanless such a great neighbourhood for our family as our kids grew up and why we still love it so much. I’ll talk about those things in upcoming posts so please stay tuned.

In the meantime, if you know of anyone who’s looking for an honest realtor who really knows his stuff and doesn’t pressure his clients, Please Don’t Keep Me a Secret. I really appreciate your referrals. Thanks for reading and don’t be shy if you have any questions or comments or if you want to write something about YOUR neighbourhood!